Farrell names five Kildare men for Saturday's clash with Japan
Jamie Osborne has held on to the Ireland number 15 jersey for Saturday's game against Japan at Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Photo: ©INPHO/Henry Simpson
Ireland Head Coach Andy Farrell has named five Kildare players in his 23-man squad for Saturday's game against Japan at Dublin's Aviva Stadium.
The game is Ireland’s first home outing of the November Internationals and follows on from a disappointing defeat to New Zealand last week in Chicago.
Kick-off is at 12.40pm, with live coverage on RTÉ 2 and TNT Sports.
Farrell has made a raft of changes from last week's team, although Eadestown's Tadhg Beirne and Naas's Jamie Osborne have retained their places among the starting XV.
Beirne was shown a red card very early in the New Zealand game, but had that rescinded earlier this week, making him available for selection for the Japan clash.
He will once again start alongside James Ryan in the second row.
Osborne remains entrusted with the number 15 jersey as he continues to benefit from Hugo Keenan's absence at both international and provincial level.
Osborne's versatility is mirrored by his Leinster teammate, Jimmy O'Brien - another Eadestown man - who is on the bench where he provides cover for wing, centre and full back.
Also among the replacements are the Prendergast brothers, Cian and Sam, with Cian providing cover for both the second and back rows, while Sam will expect to replace Jack Crowley at fly half at some point in proceedings.
It will be a special day for the Newbridge men, who rarely get the chance to play together since elder brother Cian left Leinster to join Connacht, where he now captains the western province.
The game will mark a 63rd cap for Beirne, a 10th for Osborne, a 12th for O'Brien, an 11th for Sam Prendergast and a 7th for Cian Prendergast.
Jamie Osborne; Tommy O’Brien, Tom Farrell, Robbie Henshaw, Jacob Stockdale; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Tom Clarkson; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne; Ryan Baird, Nick Timoney, Caelan Doris (C).
Gus McCarthy, Paddy McCarthy, Finlay Bealham, Cian Prendergast, Jack Conan, Caolin Blade, Sam Prendergast, Jimmy O'Brien.
Eddie Jones' second spell in charge of the Brave Blossoms has been a million miles removed from his first spell in charge; a run that reached it's zenith when Japan pulled off the biggest upset in rugby history by beating South Africa in the 2015 World Cup in a game now known as the Miracle of Brighton.
Jamie Joseph took over from Jones and established Japan as legitimate player on the world stage, beating both Ireland and Scotland when they hosted the 2019 World Cup.
But the Japanese failed to build on their successes and after a failed spell in charge of England, Eddie Jones returned to Japan for his second reign.
The Australian has overseen a further slide down the totem pole, with Japan drawing their Summer Series with Wales and losing out to Fiji in the final of this year's Pacific Nations Cup.
Jones' men have already played twice in these November Internationals, losing out to Australia in Tokyo and then dropping 61 points to South Africa last week in Twickenham.
The bookies are expecting a not dissimilar pattern in the Aviva, with Ireland going into the game as 39-point favourites.
