Farrell hands Crowley the reins for final World Cup warm-up test 

GETTING THE NOD: Jack Crowley has been picked ahead of out-half rival Ross Byrne.

Andy Farrell has handed Jack Crowley the reins at fly-half for Ireland’s final game before next month’s World Cup after naming a strong side around the inexperienced Test number 10 for Saturday’s clash with Samoa.

The Munster playmaker will make his third start for Ireland and second of the summer series of warm-up games when he wins his seventh cap at Bayonne’s Stade Jean Dauger, partnered by scrum-half and provincial team-mate Conor Murray, who is one of three test centurions in the starting XV alongside loosehead prop Cian Healy and left-wing Keith Earls, who reached his milestone 100th cap with a try off the bench in the 29-10 Aviva Stadium win over England.