Rotation not in Andy Farrell's mind despite surgery for Wales

New additions to the squad could bring the total number of players used by Farrell in this window to 33.

CHANGING IT UP: Ireland head coach Andy Farrell at the squad announcement for Friday's meeting with Wales Pic: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Andy Farrell insisted rotation was not part of his vocabulary as he rang the changes for Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations clash with Wales at Aviva Stadium on Friday night with the claim that none of his players were ever capped for the sake of it.

Five changes and an additional positional switch to face a winless but improving Welsh side searching for its first championship win since 2023 point to the sort of surgery that once greeted a fixture at perennial wooden spooners Italy in years gone by.