Herring in for injured Sheehan as Farrell names side for visit of French to Aviva 

Johnny Sexton continues alongside Conor Murray after declaring himself fit mid-week.

STEPPING UP: Rob Herring. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Ireland will be without hooker Dan Sheehan for Saturday’s blockbuster Guinness Six Nations clash with France but Conor Murray has been passed fit for the Aviva Stadium showdown.

Andy Farrell has made just one enforced change to the starting line-up which dispatched Wales 34-10 in last Saturday’s opening fixture in Cardiff with Sheehan missing out to a hamstring injury. 

The hooker is replaced by Rob Herring with Ronan Kelleher moving onto the replacements bench having recovered from a hamstring issue which made him unavailable for the Welsh game.

SIX NATIONS RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2025

Your home for the latest news, views and analysis of this year's Six Nations Championship from our award winning sports team.

SIX NATIONS RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2025

Your home for the latest news, views and analysis of this year's Six Nations Championship from our award winning sports team.

Sheehan joins tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong, scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park and centre Robbie Henshaw in a group of missing frontline starters for a game which pits number one-ranked Ireland against the defending Six Nations champions.

Yet Murray was named in the Ireland XV announced on Thursday. 

The Munster scrum-half, who impressed in his 101st Irish Test after replacing Gibson-Park on the morning of last weekend’s opener in the Welsh capital, had been flagged as an injury doubt himself but will continue his half-back partnership with captain and fly-half Johnny Sexton, who himself has shaken off a dead leg sustained at Principality Stadium.

READY FOR ACTION: Ireland's Johnny Sexton is eagerly anticipating facing France for the first time in three years. Pic: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire.

Starting loosehead Andrew Porter and lock James Ryan, as well as replacement loosehead Dave Kilcoyne are poised for their 50th Ireland caps. Porter and Ryan made their debuts against in the same Test, against the USA in New Jersey in June 2017, while Kilcoyne’s first appearance in green came against South Africa in November 2012.

Kelleher is the only change to the bench which closed out the game against Wales last Saturday.

French boss Fabien Galthié has named an unchanged starting 15 for the Aviva clash.

Ireland: H Keenan; M Hansen, G Ringrose, S McCloskey, J Lowe; J Sexton, C Murray; A Porter, R Herring, F Bealham; T Beirne, J Ryan; P O'Mahony, J van der Flier, C Doris.

Replacements: R Kelleher, D Kilcoyne, T O'Toole, I Henderson, J Conan, C Casey, R Byrne, B Aki.

FRANCE: T Ramos; D Penaud, G Fickou, Y Moefana, E Dumortier; R Ntamack, A Dupont (C); C Baille, J Marchand, U Atonio; T Flament, P Willemse; A Jelonch, C Ollivon, G Alldritt.

Replacements: G Barlot, R Wardi, S Falatea, R Taofifenua, F Cros, S Macalou, B Couilloud, M Jalibert.