VICTOR COSTELLO or Anthony Foley at number eight; Malcolm O’Kelly or Donnacha O’Callaghan in the second-row; Shane Byrne or Frankie Sheahan at hooker; David Humphreys or Ronan O’Gara at out-half; Girvan Dempsey or Gordon D’Arcy at full-back.

In the absence of the injured John Kelly, Brian O'Driscoll has been asked to captain the Irish team for the second time in eight days against Fiji at Lansdowne Road on Sunday.