Ireland show hand for Scotland showdown

The Ireland rugby team has been named for this Sunday's Six Nations clash with Scotland at Murrayfield.

There are three changes to the starting XV from the game against Italy, with Keith Earls coming into the back line and Cian Healy and Rob Herring starting up front.

Athlone's Robbie Henshaw will line out in midfield alongside Leinster colleague Garry Ringrose.

Henshaw had the honour of leading the Ireland team out for the game against Italy in Rome last Saturday week.

The honour was bestowed on the Athlone man to mark his 50th senior appearance for Ireland. Earning his 50th cap was a milestone achievement for the 27-year-old Coosan native, who once again made a significant contribution.

After the 48-10 victory over Italy, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell described Robbie’s performance as “outstanding” and “top drawer”.

No doubt, it was a massively proud day for Henshaw to lead out the team at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, and it was also a very proud day for Robbie’s club Buccaneers RFC, who offered their congratulations to the talented star.

Ireland captain Jonathan Sexton hailed the performance of Leinster team-mate Henshaw in the aftermath of Ireland’s win over Italy.

Sexton said: “I thought Robbie was outstanding. Best player on the park for me, on his 50th cap. I remember my 50th cap; you get a presentation and you get a bit emotional. Sometimes it can take away from your performance, you feel a bit drained. The way he played was just outstanding.”

CJ Stander will win his 50th cap when he runs out in green against Scotland on Sunday afternoon. He made his debut against Wales in 2016 and has notched up 60 points to date for Ireland. Tadhg Beirne and Will Connors line out alongside Stander in an unchanged back row.

Sexton captains Andy Farrell's side and is again partnered by scrum-half Jamison Gibson Park. Conor Murray returns from injury and is included among the replacements.

Scotland had a notable victory over England at Twickenham in the opening round, but were edged out by Wales in their second game. Their third-round clash against France was postponed.

Ireland claimed their first win of this year's campaign against Italy, following defeats to Wales and France.

The Scotland v Ireland game kicks off at 3pm on Sunday afternoon and is live on Virgin Media and BBC.

Ireland team v Scotland

(Guinness Six Nations Championship, BT Murrayfield, Sunday, March 14)

15. Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster) 9 caps

14. Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster) 91

13. Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster) 33

12. Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster) 50

11. James Lowe (Leinster) 5

10. Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) (captain) 97

9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster) 8

1. Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) 107

2. Rob Herring (Ballynahinch/Ulster) 19

3. Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster) 47

4. Iain Henderson (Academy/Ulster) 61

5. James Ryan (UCD/Leinster) 34

6. Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster) 20

7. Will Connors (UCD/Leinster) 8

8. CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster) 49

Replacements

16. Ronan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster) 9

17. Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster) 41

18. Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster) 35

19. Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster) 1

20. Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster) 18

21. Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster) 88

22. Billy Burns (Ulster) 6

23. Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) 27