Veteran back Keith Earls will captain Ireland for the first time after coach Andy Farrel
Veteran back Keith Earls will skipper Ireland interestingly after coach Andy Farrell disclosed a second-string side on Monday for their second midweek match against the Maori All Blacks.Farrell has rolled out three personnel improvements to his starting group for Tuesday's apparatus in Wellington to that which opened the visit with a 32-17 loss to the Maori in Hamilton on 29 June.
The changes have all been constrained by injury as they enter the last seven day stretch of a difficult visit, with Farrell anxious to preserve his top players for Saturday's series-concluding third and last test against New Zealand in Wellington.Ulster's Michael Lowry will make his first start of the visit at fullback, provoking a backline reshuffle.
Jimmy O'Brien is switched from fullback to the left wing, pushing Earls to outside focus instead of James Hume, who suffered a visit finishing crotch injury in the first Maori match.Stuart McCloskey, who was called onto the visit as injury cover, replaces Bundee Aki at inside focus.
Farrell said he had no hesitation giving the captaincy to Munster wing Earls, who has never driven his country in a 14-year, 97-cap vocation.
"His standing and his status in the gathering are of the highest request, so that was an easy one," Farrell said.
"It provided me with a ton of pleasure asking him to make it happen. There's not any more deserving man to chief Ireland, he's always been a pioneer, especially over the last five or six years that I've known him."
New Zealand-conceived Aki was skipper in Hamilton however he has been precluded forthcoming plausible selection for the third test, following the head injury suffered by Garry Ringrose during Saturday's second test win in Dunedin.Another late call-up, Niall Scannell, replaces harmed whore Dave Heffernan in the main change to the midweek forward pack.
Prop Jeremy Loughman has finished the 12-day get back to-play protocols and will start, having been concussed against the Maori in Hamilton two weeks ago.Lock Kieran Treadwell is the main starting player who was engaged with the Dunedin test, having fallen off the seat late in the 23-12 victory.
"These guys have needed to hang tight for one more opportunity and they're busting for that," said Farrell.
"The Maori beat us on the evening and completely deserved that, so it's an opportunity to show the amount they've gotten to the next level.
"Had opportunity and energy to realize that large number of lessons - be more disciplined, be more precise and understand the stuff to dominate a major match."
Ireland (15-1):Michael Lowry; Jordan Larmour, Keith Earls (capt), Stuart McCloskey, Jimmy O'Brien; Ciaran Frawley, Craig Casey; Gavin Coombes, Nick Timoney, Cian Prendergast; Kieran Treadwell, Joe McCarthy; Tom O'Toole, Niall Scannell, Jeremy Loughman
Replacements: Rob Herring, Ed Byrne, Finlay Bealham, Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Joey Carbery, Mack Hansen
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