Six Nations: Jack Crowley handed out-half reins for Ireland's clash with Italy 

STARTING BERTH: Ireland's Jack Crowley. Pic: Ben Brady

Jack Crowley will start at out-half in Rome on Saturday as Ireland bid to finish their Guinness Six Nations campaign on a high against Italy.

The back-to-back champions saw their bid for a Grand Slam ended in emphatic style by France at Aviva Stadium last Saturday with the 42-27 defeat all but ending hopes of an historic Six Nations third title in a row.

Ireland, playing first on the final round's "Super Saturday" trail table toppers France by two points and need a bonus-point win at Stadio Olimpico to have a chance of retaining their title but also need Wales to beat second-placed England and Scotland to do the same to deny Les Bleus their first championship since their 2022 Grand Slam.

Interim head coach Simon Easterby has made six changes and a positional switch to the side which was swept aside by the rampant French with Crowley making his first start since last November's home Test against Argentina. 

Leinster prodigy Sam Prendergast came on for his debut off the bench in that game and then replaced his Munster rival at number 10 in the final two Autumn Nations Series matches against Fiji and Australia.

Prendergast, who turned 22 last month, continued as the starting fly-half through the first four games of the 2025 Six Nations and was named man of the match in the win against Scotland at Murrayfield in round two with Crowley unable to build on impressive performances off the bench against both Australia and then England in round one as Ireland moved a 6:2 bench.

Prendergast's continuing rise in the 2025 Six Nations has seen the Corkman used sparingly at full-back with his rival given 80 minutes at 10 in the last three matches and the 25-year-old's perceived disaffection with the situation has seen Leicester Tigers reportedly launch a big-money bid to secure his exit from Munster for next season. 

Such a move would bring an end, temporarily at least, to an Ireland career that had appeared set to be cemented with a central IRFU contract having steered the team to the 2024 title having successfully succeeded Johnny Sexton in the green number 10 jersey after his retirement at the 2023 World Cup.

Yet a difficult afternoon for Prendergast on the back foot against France last Saturday has opened the door once more for Crowley.

There are three other changes and a positional switch in the Irish backline with wings Mack Hansen and James Lowe returning from minor injuries to replace Jamie Osborne and Calvin Nash.

Garry Ringrose's return from suspension following his red card against Wales sees Bundee Aki move to the bench as Robbie Henshaw vacates outside centre for the 12 jersey.

The two changes to the forward pack see James Ryan come in at lock for Joe McCarthy, whose yellow card alongside Calvin Nash's sin-binning proved costly against France while Jack Conan is handed his second start of the campaign at blindside flanker for Peter O'Mahony, who moves to the bench for his final Test match.

Tadhg Furlong returns on the bench for his first Test appearance since last summer, replacing Thomas Clarkson as tighthead prop replacement having recovered from calf and hamstring issues while Jack Boyle's selection as loosehead cover after a debut in Wales, denies Cian Healy one last cap before international retirement. 

Healy, O'Mahony and Conor Murray made their final home Test appearances in Dublin last weekend but Ireland’s record appearance maker will now bow out with 137 caps, with O'Mahony and Murray are named on the bench for caps 114 and 125 respectively.

There is a further nod to the future with Gus MCarthy named as replacement hooker for his third cap, potentially, ahead of Rob Herring, with Ronan Kelleher ruled out once again with the neck injury which kept him out of the France game. Easterby reverts from six forwards and two backs on the Ireland bench to a 5:3 split with Murray, Prendergast and Aki the backline options while Joe McCarthy's demotion from the starting second row and the reduced number of forwards means no place in the matchday 23 for the unlucky Ryan Baird.

IRELAND (v Italy): H Keenan (Leinster); M Hansen (Connacht), G Ringrose (Leinster), R Henshaw (Leinster), J Lowe (Leinster); J Crowley (Munster), J Gibson-Park (Leinster); A Porter (Leinster), D Sheehan (Leinster), F Bealham (Connacht); J Ryan (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster); J Conan (Leinster), J van der Flier (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster) - captain.

Replacements: G McCarthy (Leinster), J Boyle (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster), J McCarthy (Leinster), P O’Mahony (Munster), C Murray (Munster), S Prendergast (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht).