Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has unveiled a team with two major surprises for Saturday's Autumn Nations Series Test against Australia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Mack Hansen is set for a new role at full-back, while young fly-half Sam Prendergast has been handed his first start of the autumn. The match, kicking off at 8:10 PM GMT on Saturday, 15 November, sees Farrell make nine changes from the side that defeated Japan.
Key Changes and New Roles
The most significant tactical shift sees Australia-born Hansen, recently recovered from a foot issue, take the number 15 jersey for the first time at international level. He steps in for the injured Jamie Osborne. This positional change is a major talking point ahead of the Wallabies' visit.
Meanwhile, the highly-touted Sam Prendergast gets his chance at number 10. He has been promoted after providing cover for Jack Crowley in the previous fixtures against New Zealand and Japan. His inclusion signals Farrell's intent to build depth in the pivotal fly-half position.
Another fresh face in the starting lineup is prop Paddy McCarthy, who earns his first Test start following his debut against the All Blacks and a try-scoring appearance off the bench against Japan.
Returns and Absences in the Squad
There is positive news in the centres, where Stuart McCloskey returns at inside centre after overcoming a groin problem sustained against New Zealand. To accommodate this, Robbie Henshaw shifts to outside centre.
However, the team is without the experienced duo of Josh van der Flier and Garry Ringrose, who both continue to nurse hamstring injuries. With Van der Flier unavailable, captain Caelan Doris moves from number eight to openside flanker. Jack Conan comes into the starting XV at the back of the scrum.
The established front row of Tadhg Furlong and Dan Sheehan return to join McCarthy. The second row partnership of James Ryan and Tadhg Beirne remains unchanged for the third consecutive game.
Farrell's Focus and Historical Context
Speaking ahead of the match, Farrell highlighted the competitive nature of the fixture. "There's great respect and familiarity between Ireland and Australia," he said, "and Saturday is the latest renewal in a series of matches which have been pretty evenly balanced over the last number of years."
Farrell, who led the British and Irish Lions to a 2-1 series win in Australia this summer, emphasised the need for a complete performance. "For us it's about putting in an 80-plus minute performance and to try and implement our gameplan in front of what we know will be a vocal home support," he added.
Ireland have won seven of their last nine meetings with Australia, including a 2-1 series victory on their 2018 tour under former coach Joe Schmidt.
Ireland team to face Australia: 15 Mack Hansen; 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Paddy McCarthy, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 4 James Ryan, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 6 Ryan Baird, 7 Caelan Doris (capt.), 8 Jack Conan.
Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Nick Timoney, 20 Cian Prendergast, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Bundee Aki.
