Ireland v England squad announcement LIVE: Andy Farrell to name side for Grand Slam decider
England have the difficult task of coming to Dublin on Saturday to play Ireland in the Guinness Six Nations. Andy Farrell's side is ranked first in the world and is one game away from completing a Grand Slam.
Following a staggering 10-53 loss to France at Twickenham last weekend, England comes into the game in fourth place, while Ireland, who defeated Scotland 22-7 on Sunday, are in contention to win the tournament.
Ireland's last Grand Slam victory was in 2009 and they will fancy their changes against an inconsistent England team at the Aviva Stadium.
It's been reported that the England squad will be released at 5pm. However, the team could be announced earlier so we will be providing you with live updates throughout the day.
Ireland are expected to announce their squad around lunch time with Andy Farrell speaking to media at 4pm.
Ireland's injuries
After Ronan Kelleher and Dan Sheehan both suffered injuries during the match against Scotland, all eyes will be on the front-row selection.
Robbie Henshaw will likely start in place of Garry Ringrose, who will be out.
Caelan Doris came off injured and is touch-and-go ahead of Saturday whilst Jamison Gibson-Park is expected to start in Conor Murray's place.
Johnny Sexton on Six Nations goodbye
Johnny Sexton insists that this week is about something bigger than him as he hopes to make a Grand Slam farewell to the Six Nations.
"I think what I’ve done is surround myself with good people," said the Dubliner. "I'm very blessed to have the coaches that I have who have put their faith in me post the last World Cup.
“A lot of other coaches would have said, ‘There’s no chance he can get there'. So, yeah, it’s the people that you rely on, your team-mates.
“It’s very hard to sit here and talk about myself all the time. It’s not about me this week, it’s about something bigger. It’s about the Grand Slam, it’s about the championship.
“But we need to try and get away from that as well. We need to get our best ever performance out there because it’s going to be needed.”
Injury doubts
All eyes will be on the front-row selection after Ronan Kelleher and Dan Sheehan both went off injured against Scotland.
Garry Ringrose will miss out with Robbie Henshaw likely to be slotted into the starting lineup.
Caelan Doris also came off injured and is a doubt while Jamison Gibson-Park is expected to start in place of Conor Murray
Munster's Ben Healy set for Scotland debut against Italy
Munster's Ben Healy is poised to make his Scotland debut in the Six Nations clash with Italy on Saturday.
Healy is named among the replacements as back-up to Blair Kinghorn at out-half.
It had been rumoured that with Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg both injured in the 22-7 loss to Ireland, Kinghorn would start at full-back and Healy at out-half, but Gregor Townsend has decided to keep Healy in reserve.
The 23-year-old hails from Tipperary but qualifies for Scotland through his grandparents.
Match details
The Aviva Stadium will play host to the game on Saturday March 18th with kick-off at 5pm.
In Ireland, you can watch coverage of the game on Virgin Media from 4:30pm as they build up to kick-off.
You can stream Ireland v England for free via the ITVX app, providing you have a valid TV licence. The Virgin Media player is also streaming the game.
Ireland's last Grand Slam in 2009
In the Six Nations first match, Ireland defeated France 30-21 at Croke Park before defeating Italy 9-38 the following week.
It was back to Croke Park two weeks later to take on England. Ireland narrowly won 14-13 thanks to their grit and a drop goal by Brian O'Driscoll. Scotland was the next opponent, and a 15–22 victory at Murrayfield was sufficient to qualify for the Grand Slam match against Wales.
One of the most famous moments in Irish rugby history, the match that followed confirmed their place in the history books alongside the famous Grand Slam team of 1948.
Ellis Genge says England will 'come out swinging' on Saturday
Ellis Genge insists England are determined to rediscover their fighting form against Ireland this weekend.
“We got hammered at home, we’re going away to number one in the world on St Patrick’s Day – literally a day that’s made for them – and they can win a Grand Slam,” Genge said.
“All odds are against us but I’m really confident in the group that we’ll come out swinging."
Johnny Sexton is on a mission to inspire the nation
Sexton, ahead of kick-off, highlighted the main motivation this week is to inspire the country as he thanked supporters for the messages and backing the squad have received throughout the campaign.
"On big weeks, the messages do come in. The amount of support we’ve had throughout the championship has been incredible," said Sexton.
"It’s not lost on us. We do acknowledge it and we do speak about it.
"Number one for us is inspiring the country. That’s number one. That’s the first thing that we have on the list.
"All the other stuff comes next: performance, winning - but trying to do everyone proud is definitely it, and the support we get on these weeks makes you understand why you appreciate it so much."
Good morning!
Hello and welcome to our live blog for the Ireland v England squad announcements ahead of the Six Nations showdown at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
We'll be focusing on the home side, who are expected to announce their team at 4pm. However, England are reported to name their team at 5pm.
Andy Farrell's men are in a rich vein of form as they are undefeated in the tournament so far. They can win their first Grand Slam since 2009 if they can beat England on home soil in Dublin.
The Irish have recorded three bonus-point victories in four matches and could already be crowned champions before 5pm if France fail to beat Wales.
Coverage of the fixture begins Virgin Media at 4:30pm on Saturday afternoon.
