IRELAND WELCOME KEENAN BACK FOR ENGLAND SIX NATIONS CLASH – Bonus-point win would secure the title for Farrell’s side with a game to spare
Ireland welcomed Hugo Keenan back from injury in an otherwise unchanged team for Saturday’s (March 9) Six Nations trip to England where a bonus-point win would secure the title for Andy Farrell’s side with a game to spare.
Keenan – a near ever present and hugely reliable presence at fullback during Farrell’s tenure – limped off with a knee injury during last month’s 36-0 win against Italy that ruled him out of the bonus point victory over Wales in the next round of matches.
Another four-try success for Ireland would leave them at least six points clear of Scotland ahead of the sides’ final game at the Aviva Stadium next week, where Ireland hope to be chasing a second successive grand slam.
Farrell has chosen a 6-2 split between forwards and backs on the bench for the third time during the championship, a tactic that has so far proved successful against France and Wales.