Ireland team to face Italy sees four changes
Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has made four changes to his team to face Italy on Sunday.
Schmidt has rested some of his forwards with Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Ultan Dillane and Jordi Murphy coming in to replace Rory Best, Cian Healy, James Ryan and Jack Conan.
This will be Cronin's 68th cap for Ireland, but his first Six Nations start in his 32nd Six Nations game.
It's an all-Connacht second row as Dillane lines up next to Quinn Roux, while Murphy will be in between London Irish-bound Sean O'Brien and captain Peter O'Mahony.
Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray have been named for the 50th time as Ireland's half-back combination.
However, it is the first Six Nations involvements of 2019 for Niall Scannell, John Ryan, Iain Henderson and Andrew Conway who all start on the bench.
Henderson had been cited while playing for Ulster against Ospreys, but was cleared to play after a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday.
#GuinnessSixNations
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) February 22, 2019
Here's the Ireland team to play Italy on Sunday in Round 3 of the @SixNationsRugby Championship.#TeamOfUs #ITAvIRE #ShoulderToShoulder pic.twitter.com/RdF7JNduIF
Also on the bench, there is a potential debut at fly-half for Jack Carty after Joey Carbery picked up a hamstring injury in training.
: Kearney, Earls, Farrell, Aki, Stockdale, Sexton, Murray, Kilcoyne, Cronin, Furlong, Dillane, Roux, O'Mahony, O'Brien, Murphy
: Scannell, McGrath, John Ryan, Henderson, van der Flier, Cooney, Carty, Conway.
