Geordan returns to Irish team

Geordan Murphy will return to the Ireland team for the game against Italy in the RBS Six Nations Championship in Lansdowne Road on Saturday.

The Leicester club player has not played for Ireland since breaking a leg against Scotland last September.

He will win his 21st cap, on the left wing, in place of Tyrone Howe. It is the only change on the Ireland team which defeated England by 19 – 13 at Twickenham.

There are two further alterations in the replacements panel.

Marcus Horan, who has missed Ireland’s three RBS Six Nations games this season because of a back injury, returns in place of Simon Best.

Donncha O’Callaghan, who suffered a knee injury playing against Wales, is fit again and is preferred to Gary Longwell.

Malcolm O’Kelly’s selection on the team to play Italy will mark his 63rd cap, thus equaling the all time Irish record for a second row held by Willie John McBride (1962 – 75).

The full Ireland team to play Italy on Saturday at 1.30pm is as follows:

15 – Girvan Dempsey (Leinster – Terenure College)

14 – Shane Horgan (Leinster – Lansdowne)

13 – Gordon D’Arcy (Leinster – Lansdowne)

12 – Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster - Blackrock College) Captain

11 – Geordan Murphy (Leicester)

10 – Ronan O’Gara (Munster – Cork Constitution)

9 – Peter Stringer (Munster – Shannon)

1 – Reggie Corrigan (Leinster – Greystones)

2 – Shane Byrne (Leinster – Blackrock College)

3 – John Hayes (Munster – Shannon)

4 – Malcom O’Kelly (Leinster - St. Mary’s College)

5 – Paul O’Connell (Munster – Young Munster)

6 – Simon Easterby (Llanelli)

7 – Keith Gleeson (Leinster – St. Mary’s College)

8 – Anthony Foley (Munster – Shannon)

Replacements: 16 – Frank Sheahan (Munster – Cork Constitution), 17 – Marcus Horan (Munster – Shannon), 18 – Donncha O’Callaghan (Munster – Cork Constitution), 19 – Victor Costello (Leinster – St. Mary’s College), 20 – Guy Easterby (Rotherham), 21 – David Humphreys (Ulster – Dungannon), 22 – Kevin Maggs (Bath).

Not considered due to injury: Rob Henderson (Munster – Young Munster), Denis Hickie (Leinster - St. Mary’s College), Anthony Horgan (Munster – Cork Constitution), Eric Miller (Leinster – Terenure College), Mike Mullins (Munster – Old Crescent), Alan Quinlan (Munster – Shannon).