Six Nations:After failing to impress in his four Six Nations starts at fullback, Luke Fitzgerald has been jettisoned from the Ireland match day 22 to take on England in the final Six Nations encounter at the Aviva Stadium next Saturday.
Ireland coach Declan Kidney named his starting line-up at the team hotel in Killiney today and it shows two changes in personnel and one positional switch from the side that lost to Wales at the Millennium Stadium last weekend.
Fitzgerald, who has held the fullback role in the absence Rob Kearney and Geordan Murphy, has dropped out of the squad with Keith Earls moving from the wing. Ulster’s Andrew Trimble comes into the team on the left wing for his first start in this year’s championship, while Jonathan Sexton is preferred over Ronan O’Gara in the starting role at outhalf.
"If Luke has made any errors they're probably because he's trying too hard and he's been overstretching himself," said Kidney at today’s announcement at the team hotel in Killiney. "Andrew has been knocking at the door for quite some time and has done well. Andrew was showing great form going into the Six Nations."
Sexton endured a difficult afternoon in Saturday's 19-13 defeat by Wales after appearing as a 50th-minute substitute for Ronan O'Gara at the Millennium Stadium. His first contribution was to kick the ball out on the full, leading to Mike Phillips’s controversial score, while a straightforward penalty was also missed.
Nevertheless, Kidney has decided to persevere with his rotational policy at 10 by picking the Leinster outhalf to face England. O'Gara, who started the last two outings against Scotland and Wales, drops to the bench.
“Like I’ve always said, we’re blessed with two good 10s," the coach added. "In the same way that I thought after the French match it was right to give Ronan a go, I just feel it is the right time to give Jonathan a start this time."
Eoin Reddan has been selected at scrumhalf despite being concussed in the opening minute against Wales. However, he requires a positive assessment from a neurologist before being given the green light to play.
With Tomas O'Leary ruled out due to a freak eye injury, coach Kidney's options at scrumhalf are limited. Peter Stringer, who replaced Reddan at the Millennium Stadium, continues on the bench but will be promoted to the starting line-up should his rival from Leinster fail to receive the all-clear. In that eventuality, Isaac Boss is likely to receive a call-up to provide cover on the bench.
Captain Brian O'Driscoll is the only survivor from the starting line-up thumped 42-6 by England in 2003, although Stringer, Paul O'Connell and O'Gara were on the bench that day.
However, two players remain from the 2001 showdown when England also arrived in Dublin looking for a Grand Slam only to be beaten 20-14 in O'Driscoll and David Wallace, with Stringer and O'Gara also on the bench that day.
Ireland have established a fantastic record against England since 2003, winning six out of their seven meetings. The sequence dates back the side becoming the first team to beat the newly crowned World Cup winners in the 2004 Six Nations.
The only blemish is a 33-10 defeat at Twickenham in 2008, a match that proved to be Eddie O'Sullivan's last as Ireland coach.
An England victory in Dublin 4 would see Ireland equal their worst Six Nations performance, also in 2008 when they finished fourth having registered just two victories.
It has been a poor championship for a side that went desperately close to losing to Italy and were in danger of squandering a commanding lead against Scotland. However, preventing England from repeating their 2003 Grand Slam triumph would go some way to restoring morale with just four games remaining until the World Cup.
Ireland team (v England):Keith Earls (Thomond/Munster), Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) (capt), Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster), Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College/Leinster), Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster), Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster), Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster), Sean O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster), David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster), Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
Replacements:Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht), Tom Court (Malone/Ulster), Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster), Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster), Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster), Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster), Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
