Six Ulster players have been selected in Andy Farrell's matchday squad to face Fiji this Saturday in the Nations Championship at Aviva Stadium (KO: 8.10pm), with James McNabney in line for his international debut from the bench.
Tadhg Beirne will lead Ireland out at Aviva Stadium for the first time.
Ireland opened their November campaign with a bonus-point win over Argentina in Dublin last week and are bidding to build further cohesion and momentum in their performance as Fiji visit the Home of Irish Rugby for a Saturday night showdown.
Over 46,000 tickets have now been sold, with the remaining tickets available on Ticketmaster.ie.
Mack Hansen is selected to start at full-back, with Robert Baloucoune and Tommy O’Brien named on the wings for Ireland.
Bundee Aki has recovered from illness to start in midfield alongside Jamie Osborne, while Jamison Gibson-Park and Sam Prendergast make up the half-back pairing.
In the pack, Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher and Tadhg Furlong are in the front row, with James Ryan and captain Beirne in the engine room.
Ryan Baird continues at blindside flanker, Josh van der Flier is at openside and Nick Timoney shifts to number eight.
On the bench, Tom Stewart, Tom O’Toole, Sam Illo, Darragh Murray and debutant McNabney are the forward replacements, while Craig Casey, Ciarán Frawley and Stuart McCloskey are the backline options.
Saturday’s match is live on Virgin Media One and ITV, while there is live radio commentary available on RTÉ Radio.
Ireland Team to face Fiji:
15. Mack Hansen (Connacht)(31)
14. Robert Baloucoune (Enniskillen/Ulster)(10)
13. Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster)(18)
12. Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht)(72)
11. Tommy O’Brien (Blackrock College/Leinster)(9)
10. Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)(18)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(54)
1. Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster)(80)
2. Rónan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster)(52)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)(89)
4. James Ryan (UCD/Leinster)(84)
5. Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster)(74)(captain)
6. Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)(34)
7. Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)(82)
8. Nick Timoney (Queen’s University/Ulster)(15)
Replacements:
16. Tom Stewart (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(6)
17. Tom O’Toole (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(25)
18. Sam Illo (Buccaneers/Connacht)(2)
19. Darragh Murray (Buccaneers/Connacht)(3)
20. James McNabney (City of Armagh/Ulster)*
21. Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster)(31)
22. Ciarán Frawley (UCD/Connacht)(15)
23. Stuart McCloskey (Bangor/Ulster)(32).
Watch Every Ireland Match In The 9 Counties!
Catch every Ireland match live on the big screens at the 9 Counties Bar at Affidea Stadium this November, with 10% off drinks for season ticket holders!
The 9 Counties Bar will open two hours before kick-off for each fixture, giving you plenty of time to settle in before the action begins.
