Overview
- The matchday 23 was announced by Andy Farrell on Wednesday and names Hugo Keenan at fullback with Sam Prendergast and Jamison Gibson‑Park as the halfback pairing for Saturday’s 08:10 BST kick‑off at Eden Park.
- Robert Baloucoune returns from a hamstring layoff to start on the right wing.
- Dan Sheehan is named at hooker and will captain the side while Jeremy Loughman is included on the bench after clearing concussion protocols.
- Tom O’Toole and Tadhg Furlong are restored to the front row, Joe McCarthy pairs with James Ryan in the second row, and Tadhg Beirne moves to blindside flanker.
- The selection marks a shift away from last week’s heavily rotated team toward experience as Ireland seek a statement result at Eden Park and the game will be shown live on Virgin Media One and ITV1.