Ireland's Sam Prendergast gets the boot ahead of England clash
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has finally made a change at flyhalf after some poor performances in the opening rounds of the Six Nations.
On Thursday, Farrell gave the No.10 jersey to Jack Crowley for Saturday’s Round Three clash against England as Sam Prendergast gets booted out of the matchday 23.
Leinster’s Ciaran Frawley will provide cover on the bench at the Allianz Stadium.
Jamie Osborne, Robert Baloucoune and James Lowe are named in an unchanged back three, with Stuart McCloskey and Garry Ringrose continuing in midfield.
Crowley will partner with Jamison Gibson-Park in the halfback combination.
In the pack, Jeremy Loughman, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong are selected in the front row, Joe McCarthy and James Ryan are retained in the engine room, with Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier and captain Caelan Doris in the back row.
Farrell has plenty of experience to call on as Rónan Kelleher, Tom O’Toole, Finlay Bealham, Nick Timoney and Jack Conan make up the forward replacements, with backs Craig Casey, Frawley and Tommy O’Brien completing the Match Day 23.
“Games between the two sides have been nip and tuck over recent times and there’s great familiarity and respect across both camps,” said Farrell.
“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: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (captain), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Jeremy Loughman.
Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Tom O’Toole, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Nick Timoney, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Tommy O’Brien.
Date: Saturday, February 21
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: 14.10 (14.10 GMT)
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Pierre Brousset (France), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)
