Ireland team v Wales

Declan Kidney has kept faith with the team that won last time out at Twickenham so Geordan Murphy and Jonathan Sexton start in an unchanged 15.

Murphy stays at full-back even though Rob Kearney has recovered from the knee injury which forced him to miss the game at Twickenham. Jonathan Sexton again holds off Ronan O’Gara for the fly-half spot.

Captain Brian O’Driscoll will earn his 100th Ireland cap in Saturday’s match at Croke Park. O’Driscoll is the 14th player to join the ranks of rugby’s centurions, one match after John Hayes became the first Irishman to reach the landmark.

The only change to the 22 comes from Kearney’s inclusion in the replacements so Ulster’s Andrew Trimble drops out.

Kidney said: (quote) I thought Geordan went well against England to warrant a second go, Rob has worked hard to get back but we have decided to go with Geordan. (end quote)

Team

G Murphy; Bowe, B O’Driscoll, D’Arcy, Earls; Sexton, O’Leary; Healy, R Best, Hayes, O’Callaghan, O’Connell, Ferris, D Wallace, Heaslip.

Replacements: Kearney, O’Gara, Buckley, Cullen, Jennings, Cronin, Reddan.

Ireland v Wales Croke Park, Dublin Saturday, 13 March Kick-off: 1430 GMT

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