Ireland have dropped former Lions Ronan O’Gara and Luke Fitzgerald for the final clash of their RBS 6 Nations against Grand Slam hopefuls England.
O’Gara, a three-tour Lion, has been replaced by Jonathan Sexton. While 2009 Lion Keith Earls has moved from wing to full-back with Ulster’s Andrew Trimble coming in at the expense of Fitzgerald.
Eoin Reddan has been named on the bench but remains a doubt due to concussion while fellow scrum-half Tomas O’Leary has been ruled-out following an eye injury suffered in a training accident.
The scrum-half was speed training with a sled when one of the straps failed, recoiled and struck him in the left eye. This caused a bleed within the eye which affected his vision. The bleeding has stabilised but the injury is under review.
Irelandhead coach Declan Kidney has called on his players to forget the injustice of Saturday's 19-13 defeat by Walesand focus on derailing England’s Grand Slam charior..
"Our job is to prepare for the next game. If we keep looking at the past we'll never get anywhere," said Kidney.
"If there's an hour or two, let's do it. But then we have to get on with it and then get ourselves ready for the next game.
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, that's the test. This tests the team.
"I don't think it will be hard to get this calibre of player ready for England."
In total there are still eight Lions in the Irish starting XV with a further two on the bench
Ireland starting XV to take on England : K Earls; T Bowe, B O'Driscoll (capt), G D'Arcy, A Trimble; J Sexton, E Reddan; C Healy, R Best, M Ross, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, S O'Brien, D Wallace, J Heaslip.
*Bold denotes a former British & Irish Lion
