A brief look at the starting line-ups for the third week of the 2009 Six Nations Championship.
Ireland v England
Paddy Wallace has been named at inside centre for Ireland, meaning Gordon D’Arcy will again have to content himself with a cameo role when an unchanged Ireland side meet England at Croke Park this weekend.
And hooker Jerry Flannery has held off the challenge of Rory Best with coach Declan Kidney keeping faith with the starting XV that took to the field in the wins over France and Italy.
Wallace was forced out of the action with head injuries in both those matches with D’Arcy’s impact from the bench giving Kidney serious food for thought. But the former Munster coach has opted against change at this juncture.
England have rejigged their halfback partnership but there is still no place for the out of favour Danny Cipriani. Instead, Leicester’s Toby Flood is handed the responsibility at number 10 with Andy Goode dropping to the replacement’s bench.
Leicester outhalf Flood’s inclusion is the only change coach Martin Johnson has deemed necessary as he attempts to arrest England’s poor run of form.
Goode, who started in the defeat to Wales and the unconvincing win over Italy, will be joined on the bench by scrumhalf Danny Care, who returns from injury in place of Hodgson.
Ireland:R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, captain), P Wallace (Ulster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster); R O'Gara (Munster), T O'Leary (Munster); M Horan (Munster), J Flannery (Munster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster).
Replacements: R Best (Ulster), T Court (Ulster), M O'Driscoll (Munster), D Leamy (Munster), P Stringer (Munster), G D'Arcy (Leinster), G Murphy (Leicester).
England: D Armitage (London Irish); P Sackey (Wasps), M Tindall (Gloucester), R Flutey (Wasps), M Cueto (Sale Sharks); T Flood (Leicester), H Ellis (Leicester); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), L Mears (Bath), P Vickery (Wasps), S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), N Kennedy (London Irish), J Haskell (Wasps), J Worsley (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins).
Replacements: D Hartley (Northampton), J White (Leicester), T Croft (Leicester), L Narraway (Gloucester), D Care (Harlequins), A Goode (Brive), M Tait (Sale Sharks).
France v Wales
France head coach Marc Lievremont has taken a major gamble by selecting Benoit Baby at outhalf for Friday’s match against Wales in Paris. Baby, a centre by trade, gets the nod over Francois Trinh-Duc, who was only called up on Monday as a replacement for the injured Lionel Beauxis.
With Baby moved to number 10, in-form Stade Francais powerhouse Mathieu Bastareaud will debut at centre alongside Yannick Jauzion.
With Morgan Parra coming in for Sebastien Tillous-Borde at scrumhalf, France are going with an untried and inexperienced halfback partnership.
In the only change to the Welsh starting XV, wing Shane Williams, scorer of 45 tries in 62 Tests, is back in place of Mark Jones.
Gavin Henson could make his first Test match appearance for almost a year if he comes off the bench.
France:M Medard (Toulouse); J Malzieu (Clermont-Auvergne), M Bastareaud (Stade Francais), Y Jauzion, C Heymans (both Toulouse); B Baby (Clermont-Auvergne), M Parra (Bourgoin); F Barcella (Biarritz), D Szarzewski, S Marconnet (both Stade Francais), L Nallet (Castres, capt), S Chabal (Sale), T Dusautoir (Toulouse), F Ouedraogo (Montpellier), I Harinordoquy (Biarritz).
Replacements:B Kayser (Leicester), T Domingo (Clermont-Auvergne), R Millo-Chluski (Toulouse), L Picamoles (Montpellier), S Tillous-Borde (Castres), F Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), C Poitrenaud (Toulouse).
Wales:L Byrne (Ospreys); L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets), M Phillips (Ospreys); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), M Rees (Scarlets), A Jones (Ospreys), I Gough (Ospreys), A-W Jones (Ospreys), R Jones (Ospreys, capt), M Williams (Cardiff Blues), A Powell (Cardiff Blues).
Replacements:H Bennett (Ospreys), J Yapp (Cardiff Blues), L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), D Jones (Scarlets), D Peel (Sale Sharks), J Hook (Ospreys), G Henson (Ospreys).
Scotland v Italy
After missing the defeats to Wales and France, Euan Murray returns to the Scotland frontrow for Saturday’s clash with Italy. The Northampton prop had a rib injury but he came through 80 minutes of his club’s defeat at Wasps on Sunday unscathed.
Glasgow captain Alastair Kellock is also recalled and will make his first Test start for two years due to a shoulder injury to Edinburgh lock Jim Hamilton.
Murray and Kellock are the only two changes from the side beaten 22-13 in France just over a week ago, Scotland’s second straight defeat in this season’s tournament.
Alasdair Dickinson, who started at tighthead in Paris, drops to the bench, replacing fellow prop Moray Low.
Italy coach Nick Mallett has made four changes to the side that lost against Ireland. The Azzurri welcome back Andrea Marcato and Marco Bortolami.
Marcato will replace fullback Andrea Masi, who is serving a three-week ban, while lock Bortolami comes in for the dropped Tommaso Reato.
Fabio Ongaro has been relegated to the bench as hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini returns having missed the opening two defeats.
Calvisano’s Gonzalo Garcia has earned a starting spot with Kaine Robertson having been left out of the squad. Overmach Cariparma utility back Giulio Rubini could have a chance to make his national team debut in Scotland from the bench.
Scotland:H Southwell (Edinburgh); S Danielli (Ulster), M Evans (Glasgow), G Morrison (Glasgow), T Evans (Glasgow); P Godman (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh, capt); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), E Murray (Northampton), J White (Sale), A Kellock (Glasgow), A Strockosch (Gloucester), J Barclay (Glasgow), S Taylor (Stade Francais).
Replacements:D Hall (Glasgow), A Dickinson (Gloucester), K Brown (Glasgow), S Gray (Northampton), C Cusiter (Perpignan), C Paterson (Edinburgh), N De Luca (Edinburgh).
Italy:A Marcato (Benetton Treviso); M Bergamasco (Stade Francais), G Canale (Clermont-Aubergne), G Garcia (Calvisano), M Pratichetti (Calvisano); L McLean (Calvisano) P Griffen (Calvisano); S Perugini (Stade Toulousain), L Ghiraldini (Calvisano), M Castrogiovanni (Leicester Tigers), S Dellape (Toulon), M Bortolami (Gloucester), A Zanni (Calvisano), M Bergamasco (Stade Francais), S Parisse (Stade Francais).
Replacements:F Ongaro (Saracens), C Nieto (Gloucester), C Del Fava (Ulster), P Canavosio (Viadana), J Sole (Viadana), A Bacchetti (Rovigo), G Rubini (Cariparma).
