Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has backed Jack Crowley at fly-half over Sam Prendergast for their Six Nations encounter against England on Saturday, February 21.
Prendergast finds himself out of the match-day 23 as a result of his struggles in the tournament thus far.
Overall, Farrell has made five changes to his squad, with key players Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier and Jamison Gibson-Park all returning to the starting 15.
Key inclusions and talking points
Furthermore, the backline remains relatively unchanged, bar the inclusion of Crowley, who will look to put his best foot forward in the absence of Prendergast.
Farrell has regularly backed Prendergast in his starting team, but with Crowley’s notable influence off the bench in last weekend’s clash with Italy, his selection was guaranteed.
Gibson-Park also featured off the bench, replacing Craig Casey who failed to impress against the Italians.
The two’s half-back partnership proved critical in Ireland’s second-half surge to defeat Gonzalo Quesada’s men, and will look to continue their form against a wounded England side after their unexpected loss to Scotland.
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‘Familiarity and respect’
Farrell noted the mutual respect between the two sides ahead of their potentially tournament-defining clash.
“Games between the two sides have been nip and tuck over recent times and there’s great familiarity and respect across both camps,” he said, quoted on the Irish Times website.
“We know their strengths and our aim is to deliver the best version of ourselves to put us in a position to get the performance that we want.
“Backed by thousands of travelling Irish supporters who travel from all over the world whenever we play in Twickenham, it will be another special occasion and a challenge we’re excited to face.”
Ireland match-day 23 vs England
Starting XV: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Jeremy Loughman, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Tadhg Furlong; 4 Joe McCarthy, 5 James Ryan; 6 Tadhg Beirne, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 Caelan Doris (c).
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Tom O’Toole, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Nick Timoney, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Tommy O’Brien.
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SportJustSport writers