Ireland Team To Face Wales In 6 Nations Opener

2nd February 2023 By The Editor

Tadhg Beirne has been named in the Ireland squad. Inpho

Head Coach Andy Farrell has named the Ireland Match Day Squad to face Wales in the Principality Stadium on the opening weekend of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations Championship.

Munster’s Tadhg Beirne and Peter O’Mahony both start with Conor Murray among the replacements.

Johnny Sexton will captain the side and is partnered in the half-backs by Jamison Gibson-Park. The centre combination from the Bank of Ireland Nations Series of Stuart McCloskey and Garry Ringrose is retained, with Hugo Keenan at fullback and Mack Hansen and James Lowe on the wings.

In the pack, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Finlay Bealham form the front row with Tadhg Beirne and James Ryan named at lock.

Josh van der Flier is named at openside, Peter O’Mahony, set to win his 90th cap, is on the blindside flank and Caelan Doris is in the number eight slot.

The replacements include Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Tom O’Toole, Iain Henderson, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Ross Byrne and Bundee Aki.

The match will be broadcast live on Virgin Media and BBC television and on RTE and BBC NI radio.

IRELAND (v Wales, Guinness Six Nations Championship 2023, Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Saturday 4th February, 2023, KO 14.15)

15 Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 25 caps

14 Mack Hansen (Connacht) 8 caps

13 Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) 47 caps

12 Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor) 9 caps

11 James Lowe (Leinster) 15 caps

10 Johnny Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 109 caps (c)

9 Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster) 23 caps

1 Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 48 caps

2 Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne) 13 caps