ON FOOT of Stephen Ferris being cleared to play against France at Stade de France this Saturday, all the indications emanating from the Irish camp are that they will announce a largely unchanged side at lunchtime today, save for the selection of Keith Earls after his return to the camp early this week. Complications with the birth of his baby daughter ruled him out last week.

In effect therefore, this would mean the starting XV which Declan Kidney had originally selected for the Welsh game, with Earls at outside centre alongside Gordon D’Arcy, and Fergus McFadden reverting to the replacements’ bench instead of Dave Kearney.

The management assuredly looked at several options, such as Donnacha Ryan’s credentials in the secondrow, the balance of the backrow and the halves as well as the midfield. But it would be no surprise if they opt to retain Donncha O’Callaghan in the secondrow and leave the loose trio well enough alone, all the more so as the availability of Ferris alongside Jamie Heaslip and Seán O’Brien gives them their most physical combination against the bruising Thierry Dusautoir-Louis Picamoles-Imanol Harinordoquy triumvirate, with no Sam Warburton/Justin Tupiric breakdown specialist in their ranks.

Similarly, while there may have been a case for recalling Ronan O’Gara, retaining Conor Murray and Jonathan Sexton also gives Ireland its most physical half-back combination. Continuing the theme, the management may well have again considered bringing Tommy Bowe inside to stiffen up the midfield but as Earls ran there for the week in camp in Limerick, and has apparently done so again this week, it would be no surprise if the management stick to their original idea of playing Earls where he has started his last five games for Munster – his best outing coming in the last of them away to Northampton – and leave Bowe where he has played all of this season and the vast majority of his eight-season career.

IRELAND(probable team): R Kearney; T Bowe, K Earls, G D'Arcy, A Trimble; J Sexton, C Murray; C Healy, R Best, M Ross, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, S Ferris, S O'Brien, J Heaslip. Replacements: S Cronin, T Court, D Ryan, S Jennings, E Reddan, R O'Gara, F McFadden.