Keatley To Start At 10 For Ireland
5th February 2015 By Munster Rugby
Munster’s Ian Keatley will make his 6 Nations debut when he starts in the 10 channel for Ireland against Italy at the Stadio Olimpicio on Saturday. The fly-half is one of eight Munster players included by Joe Schmidt in the matchday 23.
An impressive showing for the province in recent months – including one of the most accurate placekicking records of the European Champions Cup pool stages – sees Keatley on course to win his second cap of the current season and his fourth in total. However, Saturday’s encounter will be Keatley’s third start in the green of Ireland having previously started against the US and Canada in 2009.
He will resume his partnership at half-back with Munster team-mate Conor Murray who has recovered from a neck injury sustained against Zebre last month to take his place in the starting line-up.
Simon Zebo, who featured in all three November GUINNESS Series tests – scoring 2 tries – will start at on the left wing.
In the pack, Paul O’Connell will win his 97th Irish cap when he captains the side from the second row with Peter O’Mahony lining out at blindside.
Last weekend’s Wolfhounds captain Felix Jones is named on the bench alongside Tommy O’Donnell and James Cronin. Having won his first Irish cap during the Summer Tour to Argentina in June, injury saw Cronin miss the November Series, and should Cronin and Jones feature from the bench this weekend, both will make their 6 Nations debuts.
IRELAND team to play Italy.
15. Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
14. Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
13. Jared Payne (Ulster)
12. Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht)
11. Simon Zebo (Cork Con/Munster)
10. Ian Keatley (Young Munster/Munster)
9. Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)
8. Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
7. Sean O'Brien (UCD/Leinster)
6. Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)
5. Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster) captain
4. Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)
3. Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
2. Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
1. Jack McGrath (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Replacements
16. Sean Cronin (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
17. James Cronin (Dolphin/Munster)
18. Martin Moore (Lansdowne/Leinster)
19. Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
20. Tommy O'Donnell (UL Bohemians/Munster)
21. Isaac Boss (Terenure/Leinster)
22. Ian Madigan (Blackrock/Leinster)
23. Felix Jones (Shannon/Munster)
Italy v Ireland, 2015 RBS 6 Nations, Saturday February 7th at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome – KO: 2:30pm (Irish time).
