Rugby

Six Nations: The Ireland team you think should face France

With voting now closed, the results are in as to who you have chosen to start on Saturday

Bundee Aki should start for Ireland in their Six Nations clash with France, according to our poll. Photo: Billy Stickland/Inpho

Wed Jan 31 2018 - 20:15

The results are in and the (hypothetical) team to face France in Ireland's opening Six Nations game on Saturday has been named.

Joe Schmidt will name the real team on Thursday at 1pm so let’s wait and see if he has taken any of the public’s advice.

So, to the team. In the back-three the results were pretty unanimous with Rob Kearney, Keith Earls and Jacob Stockdale selected ahead of Jordan Larmour, Andrew Conway, Joey Carbery and Fergus McFadden.

Larmour was, unsurprisingly, the closest to making it into that three but was still comfortably pipped with 30 per cent of voters picking Earls, 23 per cent picking Kearney and 23 per cent opting for Stockdale as the other winger.

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In the centre the results were a landslide in favour of Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki pairing up.

As expected the half-back line was the least contested of all with the peerless pairing of Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton slotting in.

And then we come to the most contested positions – the frontrow.

While Tadhg Furlong and Rory Best were heavily selected with 32 per cent and 29 per cent of voters opting for them respectively, just 71 votes separated Cian Healy and Jack McGrath with Healy narrowly winning the battle for the final prop position.

When it comes to the locks, Iain Henderson and Devin Toner are by a long way the favoured choices, despite the fact that reports suggest James Ryan will start in place of Toner.

Finally, in the backrow it’s the predictable Munster double of Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander with tackling supremo Josh van der Flier joining them.

The Ireland team voted for by you is: Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Jacob Stockdale; Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki; Conor Murray, Johnny Sexton; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best, Cian Healy; Iain Henderson, Devin Toner; Peter O'Mahony, Josh van der Flier, CJ Stander.

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