Ireland's Farrell shuffles pack again for Wales visit
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Rugby Union - Six Nations Championship - England v Ireland - Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, Britain - February 21, 2026 Ireland head coach Andy Farrell during the warm up before the match Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra
REUTERS
DUBLIN, March 4 - Irish coach Andy Farrell shuffled his pack again for Friday's Six Nations game at home to Wales, making four changes among the forwards and one in the backs as his side look to build on their record 42-21 thrashing of England last time out.
Ireland still have an outside chance of winning the title if unbeaten holders France suffer a major slip-up but are mostly keen to back up the fluid performance in Twickenham in their final two games after a stuttering start to the championship.
Farrell has rotated his pack throughout the campaign owing to the more condensed schedule of games and the changes against bottom-placed Wales see flanker Nick Timoney get a first Six Nations start after three eye-catching displays off the bench.
Timoney's Ulster teammate Tom O'Toole comes in for the injured Jeremy Loughman in a mostly new-look front row where he will start next to Ronan Kelleher. First-choice hooker Dan Sheehan is rested completely, with Tom Stewart in line for a Six Nations debut off the bench.
Jack Conan returns to the back row for his second start of the campaign, while Tadhg Beirne switches to lock. Josh van der Flier and Joe McCarthy, who returned to top form against England, are among the replacements.
With winger James Lowe out for the rest of the championship, Jacob Stockdale is included in an otherwise unchanged backline, where player-of-the-match against the English, scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park, will win his 50th Irish cap.
Gibson-Park's backup for the day, Nathan Doak, is poised to make his international debut off the bench and is one of seven Ulster players among the 23-man matchday squad, not long after the resurgent province were struggling to make much headway with national selection.
Ireland team:
15. Jamie Osborne, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 13. Garry Ringrose, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 11. Jacob Stockdale, 10. Jack Crowley, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park; 8. Caelan Doris (captain), 7. Nick Timoney, 6. Jack Conan, 5. Tadhg Beirne, 4. James Ryan, 3. Tadhg Furlong, 2. Ronan Kelleher, 1. Tom O'Toole
Replacements: 16. Tom Stewart, 17. Michael Milne, 18. Thomas Clarkson, 19. Joe McCarthy, 20. Josh van der Flier, 21. Nathan Doak, 22. Tom Farrell, 23. Ciaran Frawley. REUTERS
