Rob Kearney will return at full-back for Ireland’s Six Nations trip to Scotland, with Chris Farrell parachuted into the centres.
Munster’s Farrell will partner Bundee Aki in midfield, with Robbie Henshaw dropping out of Ireland’s match squad because of a dead leg. Henshaw struggled positionally when shifted to full-back in last weekend’s 32-20 home loss to England.
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Kearney has been restored to No 15 as one of five changes, with the 32-year-old still easing back to full sharpness after a thigh injury.
“Robbie has a dead leg and just hasn’t recovered in time,” said Ireland’s head coach, Joe Schmidt. “We’re just going to have to forge ahead, but it’s an exciting opportunity to give Chris Farrell a run against Scotland. He’s coming back to form after a long lay-off.”
When asked if Kearney would have returned at full-back even if Henshaw had been fit, Schmidt replied: “Probably. Once Garry Ringrose was ruled out it was going to be trying to keep a little continuity as best we can and get as cohesive as we can in a short space of time.”
Scotland’s hat-trick hero Blair Kinghorn has been dropped to their bench with the head coach, Gregor Townsend, making four changes for Saturday’s game. Kinghorn has made way for the fit-again Saracens wing Sean Maitland, despite scoring three tries in Scotland’s opening victory over Italy.
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The other three changes for the Murrayfield contest come in the pack. The prop Simon Berghan and the back-row forward Josh Strauss replace the injured WP Nel (calf) and Sam Skinner (ankle), while Jonny Gray has recovered from a shoulder injury to displace Ben Toolis.
Townsend said: “We picked up two injuries from last week with WP and Sam missing out, which is disappointing for us and them, but have had a boost with a number of proven Test players returning from injury. To have that calibre of player and experience around the group in the buildup this week, and during a game of such magnitude, is very important.
“Saturday’s game is massive. It’s probably the biggest challenge we’ll face in the Six Nations, given the way Ireland have been playing in the last few years – they are grand slam champions and the No 2 team in the world.
“They’re very well coached, have some outstanding players and will test us in a number of areas – defensively, set-piece, attack and kicking game. It is a challenge that brings an extra edge and focus to training and something our players relish taking on. Our players have risen to the challenge of playing New Zealand, England and other world-class teams and they are aware that we must rise once more to produce one of our best-ever performances for 80 minutes.”