All the team news ahead of the opening weekend of the Six Nations championship.
Ireland v Wales(Aviva Stadium, Sunday, 3pm): Keith Earls has been ruled out of Ireland's opener for personal reasons, team manager Michael Kearney confirmed. Fergus McFadden has been promoted from the bench to outside centre to plug the gap with David Kearney drafted on to the bench.
Earls’ partner Edel McGee gave birth to their first child, Ella-Maye, last week only for complications to have arisen.
Wales received a significant double boost with World Cup stars Rhys Priestland and Jamie Roberts both declared fit. Outhalf Priestland and centre Roberts have recovered from knee injuries to take their places in coach Warren Gatland’s starting line-up at the Aviva Stadium.
But the team announced by Gatland does not include flanker Dan Lydiate, who is sidelined by an ankle problem, while Saracens prop Rhys Gill makes his first Six Nations start.
Ireland:R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), F McFadden (Leinster), G D'Arcy (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster); J Sexton (Leinster), C Murray (Munster); C Healy (Leinster), R Best (Ulster), M Ross (Leinster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster, capt), S Ferris (Ulster), S O'Brien (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster). Replacements:S Cronin (Leinster), T Court (Ulster), D Ryan (Munster), P O'Mahony (Munster), E Reddan (Leinster), R O'Gara (Munster), D Kearney (Leinster).
Wales:L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues); A Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), J Davies (Scarlets), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), G North (Scarlets); R Priestland (Scarlets), M Phillips (Bayonne); R Gill (Saracens), H Bennett (Ospreys), A Jones (Ospreys), B Davies (Cardiff Blues), I Evans (Ospreys), R Jones (Ospreys), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), T Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons). Replacements:K Owens (Scarlets), P James (Ospreys), A Powell (Sale Sharks), J Tipuric (Ospreys), L Williams (Cardiff Blues), J Hook (Perpignan), S Williams (Scarlets).
France v Italy(Stade de France, Saturday, 2.30pm Irish time): Centre Wesley Fofana will earn his first cap for France when they take on Italy. The 24-year-old will line up alongside Clermont Auvergne team-mate Aurelien Rougerie in midfield for coach Philippe Saint-Andre's first game in charge on Saturday at the Stade de France.
Francois Trinh-Duc takes over at fly-half from Morgan Parra who, after starting the World Cup final against New Zealand, drops to the bench.
Italy coach Jacques Brunel has rung the changes making seven alterations to the squad from Italy’s last game. A 36-6 defeat to Ireland in October eliminated Italy from the World Cup in New Zealand and marked Nick Mallett’s last game in charge.
Aironi winger Giovanbattista Venditti will earn his first cap at the Stade de France after being included in Brunel’s starting XV. Another uncapped player, Benetton Treviso’s Tobias Botes, will start on the bench.
France:M Medard (Toulouse); V Clerc (Toulouse), A Rougerie (Clermont Auvergne), W Fofana (Clermont Auvergne), J Malzieu (Clermont Auvergne); F Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), D Yachvili (Biarritz); V Debaty (Clermont Auvergne), W Servat (Toulouse), N Mas (Perpignan), P Pape (Stade Francais), L Nallet (Racing Metro), T Dusautoir (Toulouse, capt), J Bonnaire (Clermont Auvergne), L Picamoles (Toulouse). Replacements:D Szarzewski (Stade Francais), J-B Poux (Toulouse), Y Maestri (Toulouse), I Harinordoquy (Biarritz), M Parra (Clermont Auvergne), L Beauxis (Toulouse), M Mermoz (Perpignan).
Italy:A Masi (Aironi); G Venditti (Aironi), T Benvenuti (Treviso), A Sgarbi (Treviso), L McLean (Treviso); K Burton (Treviso), E Gori (Treviso); A Lo Cicero (Racing Metro), L Ghiraldini (Treviso), M Castrogiovanni (Leicester), C Van Zyl (Treviso), Q Geldenhuys (Aironi), A Zanni (Treviso), R Barbieri (Treviso), S Parisse (Stade Francais, capt). Replacements:T D'Apice (Aironi), L Cittadini (Treviso), M Bortolami (Aironi), S Favaro (Aironi), F Semenzato (Treviso), T Botes (Treviso), G Canale (Clermont Auvergne).
Scotland v England(Murrayfield, Saturday, 5pm): Edinburgh wing Lee Jones is to make his Scotland debut. Scotland head coach Andy Robinson has made eight changes from the team which began Scotland's most recent Test, the 16-12 Rugby World Cup loss to England in Auckland last October.
The uncapped Jones is joined in being promoted to the starting line-up by lock Jim Hamilton, flanker Ross Rennie, number eight David Denton, scrum-half Chris Cusiter, outhalf Dan Parks, centre Nick De Luca and full-back Rory Lamont.
Owen Farrell, Brad Barritt and Phil Dowson will all make their Test debuts as part of a new-look and inexperienced England team. Saracens pair Farrell and Barritt will become England’s first uncapped centre pairing since 2002 — and only the second since 1969 — while Dowson starts at number eight.
Interim head coach Stuart Lancaster has named a total of eight uncapped players in his 22-man squad for the trip to Murrayfield.
Scotland:R Lamont (Glasgow); L Jones (Edinburgh), N De Luca (Edinburgh), S Lamont (Scarlets), M Evans (Castres); D Parks (Cardiff Blues), C Cusiter (Glasgow); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh, capt), E Murray (Newcastle), R Gray (Glasgow), J Hamilton (Gloucester), A Strokosch (Gloucester), R Rennie (Edinburgh), D Denton (Edinburgh). Replacements:S Lawson (Gloucester), G Cross (Edinburgh), A Kellock (Glasgow), J Barclay (Glasgow), M Blair (Edinburgh), G Laidlaw (Edinburgh), G Morrison (Glasgow).
England:B Foden (Northampton); C Ashton (Northampton), B Barritt (Saracens), O Farrell (Saracens), D Strettle (Saracens); C Hodgson (Saracens), B Youngs (Leicester); A Corbisiero (London Irish), D Hartley (Northampton), D Cole (Leicester), M Botha (Saracens), T Palmer (Stade Francais), T Croft (Leicester), C Robshaw (Harlequins, capt), P Dowson (Northampton). Replacements:R Webber (Wasps), M Stevens (Saracens), G Parling (Leicester), B Morgan (Scarlets), L Dickson (Northampton), J Turner-Hall (Harlequins), M Brown (Harlequins).
