Injury-hit Ireland go into their opening match of the Six Nations Championship against France with several key players missing after they named their 23 for the Thursday clash.
Andy Farrell has seen injury rule out certain players and cast doubt on others, with the head coach being forced to name a makeshift outfit.
Hugo Keenan is the only major absence behind the scrum, with Jamie Osborne getting the nod at full-back. Bundee Aki’s ban has ruled him out, while James Lowe, who has only played once since December, is also not involved.
The duo’s form has been patchy, however, and Stuart McCloskey, who impressed in November, and Jacob Stockdale deserve their slots in the Ireland XV.
Wing Tommy O’Brien, outside centre Garry Ringrose and half-backs Sam Prendergast and Jamison Gibson-Park complete a talented backline.
Struggles at prop
But up front, and particularly in the front-row, is where much of their concern is placed. Andrew Porter was not called up to the wider training squad due to injury and Tadhg Furlong has not made it for the France clash, which means Jeremy Loughman and Thomas Clarkson start at prop.
The top-class Dan Sheehan is sandwiched in between those, while they are also strong in the second-row with Joe McCarthy and Tadhg Beirne combining.
In the loose forwards, Josh van der Flier and captain Caelan Doris as ever start, but they are joined by Connacht’s Cian Prendergast.
Jack Conan is therefore on the bench among five other forwards as Farrell opts for the 6/2 bench in order to combat the French behemoths.
Ronan Kelleher, Michael Milne, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan and Nick Timoney are the other forwards, while Craig Casey and Jack Crowley provide the backline cover.
“I’ve been pleased with the application of the squad since we linked up last week and we’ve a good body of work under our belts from our training camp in Portugal as we face into an exciting test match against France. The Six Nations is an amazing tournament to compete in and it brings out the best in players,” Farrell said.
“We have played at the Stade de France many times and it’s a terrific stadium with an incredible atmosphere.
“We know from our experiences on the road how proud and vocal the travelling Irish support can be and it’s a huge motivator for the squad knowing that we have so many Irish supporters behind us.”
Ireland team to face France
Ireland: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Cian Prendergast, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Thomas Clarkson, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Jeremy Loughman
Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Nick Timoney, 22 Craig Casey, 23 Jack Crowley
Date: Thursday, February 5
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Kick-off: 21:10 local time (20:10 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (RA), Jordan Way (RA)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
FPRO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
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