Close menu

A-Z Sports

More from Sport

in association with

Four set for debuts as Ireland make nine changes

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Sean Jansen starts at number eight following an impressive season with Connacht

By Matt Gault

BBC Sport NI senior journalist

Published 7 hours ago

Four players are set to make their debuts for a much-changed Ireland side in Saturday's Nations Championship game against Japan in Australia.

Having beaten Australia 33-31 in a dramatic opener on Saturday, Ireland boss Andy Farrell has made nine alterations to his starting line-up before next week's blockbuster Auckland meeting with the All Blacks.

Connacht's Sean Jansen will earn his Test debut from the start at number eight, while club team-mates Billy Bohan and Sam Illo have been picked as replacement props.

Ulster back row Bryn Ward is also poised to make his international bow at McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle (11:10 BST) after being named on the bench.

"It's always a special occasion when you give one person a debut, never mind four," said Farrell.

"[I'm] really looking forward to how they apply themselves to attacking the game because that's the roles they're able to add to the team.

"Huge congratulations to the four of them. It's business time now, they need to rip in."

Influential Munster forward Tadhg Beirne will captain Ireland from the start for the first time, with tour skipper Dan Sheehan one of several players rested for the game in Newcastle.

Forwards Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier and backs Jamison Gibson-Park, Sam Prendergast, Garry Ringrose and Hugo Keenan have also been given the week off.

New blood as Farrell freshens pack for Brave Blossoms

*   Published 5 hours ago

The Ireland Rugby Social - reaction as Irish beat Australia

Fogarty backs uncapped Ireland props Bohan and Illo

*   Published 2 days ago

Japan v Ireland

Nations Championship

Saturday 11 July, 11:10 BST

McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle

Listen on Sounds

Listen on BBC Sounds, Radio 5 Sports Extra 3 and BBC Radio Ulster; live text commentary and highlights on BBC Sport website & app

Frawley given chance at fly-half

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Ciaran Frawley (left) makes his first Test start at fly-half while Jimmy O'Brien (right) is selected on the right wing

Ciaran Frawley has been handed his first Test start at fly-half as part of a new-look half-back pairing with Craig Casey.

It is only for the second international start for Frawley - who has left Leinster for Connacht - after a run-out at full-back against Wales in the 2024 Six Nations.

Jacob Stockdale and Jimmy O'Brien are selected on the wings with Jamie Osborne moved to full-back after starting the Australia game on the left wing, while Stuart McCloskey and Robbie Henshaw form an experienced centre partnership.

Props Tom O'Toole and Thomas Clarkson - who scored the decisive late try against Australia - start in the front row alongside hooker Ronan Kelleher, who wins his 50th cap.

Beirne is partnered by James Ryan in an experienced second row, while Jack Conan moves from number eight to blind-side flanker to accommodate Jansen's inclusion, with Nick Timoney selected at open-side.

Farrell's bench is largely inexperienced at this level. In addition to the uncapped Bohan, Illo and Ward, Ulster pair Tom Stewart and Cormac Izuchukwu are named as pack replacements.

Scrum-half Nathan Doak is set to earn his second cap off the bench with back-up fly-half Harry Byrne poised to make his first Ireland appearance since 2024, while Bundee Aki rounds out the matchday squad.

Ireland beat Japan 41-10 when the sides met in Dublin in November. Japan's only victory in 11 meetings with Ireland was a memorable 19-12 success at the 2019 World Cup in Shizuoka.

The Brave Blossoms beat Italy 27-10 in their Nations Championship opener in Tokyo.

Former England and Australia boss Eddie Jones has retained university student fly-half Ryunosuke Ito in his line-up after the 21-year-old made his debut against Italy, with Taira Main replacing Kippei Ishida in their only change.

Jones returns after serving a four-match ban imposed by the Japan Rugby Football Football Union (JRFU) for abusing match officials during an under-23 tour of Australia earlier this year.

Line-ups

**Japan:**Takuro Matsunaga; Kazuma Ueda, Dylan Riley, Yuya Hirose, Taira Main; Ryunosuke Ito, Naoto Saito; Takato Okabe, Mamoru Harada, Shuhei Takeuchi, Harry Hockings, Warner Dearns (capt), Ben Gunter, Kanji Shimokawa, Jack Cornelsen.

Replacements: Hayate Era, Sojiro Otuska, Keijiro Tamefusa, Michael Stolberg, Michael Leitch, Tiennan Costley, Itsuki Kamimura, Sam Greene.

**Ireland:**Jamie Osborne; Jimmy O'Brien, Robbie Henshaw, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Ciaran Frawley, Craig Casey; Tom O'Toole, Ronan Kelleher, Thomas Clarkson, Tadhg Beirne (capt), James Ryan, Jack Conan, Nick Timoney, Sean Jansen.

Replacements: Tom Stewart, Billy Bohan, Sam Illo, Cormac Izuchukwu, Bryn Ward, Nathan Doak, Harry Byrne, Bundee Aki.

Figure caption,

Highlights: Ireland defeat Wallabies in Nations Championship

Shorts

Previous Next, 4 of 16

0:25'Wayney boy!' - Haaland wants to see Rooney row. 00:00:25, play video'Wayney boy!' - Haaland wants to see Rooney row
0:47 Why can't English refs officiate Argentina games? 00:00:47, play video Why can't English refs officiate Argentina games?
0:58 Referees can't be influenced by anyone - Collina 00:00:58, play video Referees can't be influenced by anyone - Collina
0:29 Nat Sciver-Brunt on first women's Test at Lord's. 00:00:29, play video Nat Sciver-Brunt on first women's Test at Lord's
0:37'He had his hands on his head' - Tuchel falls for Stones prank. 00:00:37, play video'He had his hands on his head' - Tuchel falls for Stones prank
1:36 The full story behind THAT Harry Kane interview. 00:01:36, play video The full story behind THAT Harry Kane interview
0:45 The world's smallest goal is back! 00:00:45, play video The world's smallest goal is back!
0:27 Does Pimblett approve of Liverpool's new boss? 00:00:27, play video Does Pimblett approve of Liverpool's new boss?
0:48 What goes on at an England training session? 00:00:48, play video What goes on at an England training session?
0:45 Morocco presser disrupted by fighting journalists. 00:00:45, play video Morocco presser disrupted by fighting journalists
0:26 Rooney's England XI for Norway clash. 00:00:26, play video Rooney's England XI for Norway clash
0:26'I've been so fortunate' - Storey on retirement. 00:00:26, play video'I've been so fortunate' - Storey on retirement
1:26 When Norway gave England a 'hell of a beating' 00:01:26, play video When Norway gave England a 'hell of a beating'
1:05 France v Morocco isn't just any quarter-final. 00:01:05, play video France v Morocco isn't just any quarter-final
0:28 Why Djed Spence is filming inside England camp. 00:00:28, play video Why Djed Spence is filming inside England camp
0:31 Rogers quizzed by Spence. 00:00:31, play video Rogers quizzed by Spence

Elsewhere on the BBC

Elsewhere in Northern Ireland sport

Elsewhere in Sport

Skip to end of content

Close Modal

Play previous item

Play next item, item 1 of 16, 'Wayney boy!' - Haaland wants to see Rooney row, 00:00:25

End of content. Close Modal

Skip to close button

Four set for debuts as Ireland make nine changes

Four set for debuts as Ireland make nine changes

Frawley given chance at fly-half

Line-ups

Related topics

Shorts

Top stories

Elsewhere on the BBC

Elsewhere in Northern Ireland sport

Elsewhere in Sport

We Care About Your Privacy

How and why we process data