O'Driscoll and D'Arcy to face Scotland

Ireland have received a massive boost ahead of Saturday’s trip to Scotland with centres Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy passed fit for the Murrayfield clash.

The midfield duo, pencilled in as a possible Lions partnership in the summer, both limped off in Sunday’s 28-17 defeat of Italy in Rome.

But coach Eddie O’Sullivan has decided “to give them as long as they need to recover” and has made just one change to his line-up.

That sees Wasps flanker Johnny O’Connor come in for his third cap, replacing Munster youngster Denis Leamy, who failed to fire against Italian star Mauro Bergamasco.

Skipper O’Driscoll was forced off late at the Stadio Flaminio and arrived back in Dublin yesterday on crutches, but only as a precaution to take the weight off his injured leg.

Both O’Driscoll and D’Arcy, who turns 25 on Thursday, were forced to have scans late yesterday after a two-hour delay on the team’s flight back home but their injuries are not as bad as was originally feared.

Aside from the walking wounded, Leinster lock Malcolm O’Kelly will earn a milestone 70th cap – making him Ireland’s most capped player ahead of legendary centre Mike Gibson – in his side’s fourth meeting in two years with their Celtic rivals.

O’Kelly’s second-row partner Paul O’Connell, a likely captain if O’Driscoll did miss out, will also chalk up a quarter century of Test appearances at the age of 25.

15 – Geordan Murphy

14 – Shane Horgan

13 – Brian O’Driscoll

12 – Gordon D’Arcy

11 – Denis Hickie

10 – Ronan O’Gara

9 – Peter Stringer

1 – Reggie Corrigan

2 – Shane Byrne

3 – John Hayes

4 – Malcolm O’Kelly

5 – Paul O’Connell

6 – Simon Easterby

7 – Johnny O’Connor

8 – Anthony Foley