Peter O'Mahony Photo: Photosport
Ireland flanker Peter O'Mahony will win his 100th cap when his side face Scotland in their final Rugby World Cup Pool B clash against Scotland at the Stade de France on Sunday, with a win enough to guarantee Ireland top spot in the pool.
Coach Andy Farrell makes two changes to the side that beat South Africa in Paris two weeks ago, with Dan Sheehan coming in for Ronan Kelleher at hooker and James Ryan replaced by Iain Henderson in the second row.
Irish record points-scorer Johnny Sexton will once again start at flyhalf with Jamison Gibson-Park preferred to Conor Murray at scrumhalf, and forward Jack Conan is in with a chance of making his first World Cup appearance after being named on the bench.
Farrell told a media conference that centre Robbie Henshaw would be out for a minimum two weeks with a hamstring injury, and he is replaced on the Ireland bench by Ulster's Stuart McCloskey.
"He (Henshaw) pulled up with a hamstring at the end of the session on Tuesday, unfortunate for him," Farrell said.
"The diagnosis with hamstrings, they want to see how things settle down, it probably takes around five days for that kind of thing to happen."
Before the team was named, assistant coach Paul O'Connell, who played 108 times for Ireland, paid tribute to O'Mahony as his fellow Munster man looks set become Ireland's 10th centurion.
"I've known him since he was 18, since he came into the (Munster) academy, he was always a leader, he always wanted to figure things out, and when he figured them out he was able to speak well and lead well," O'Connell told reporters.
"As a Munster man, I'm delighted to see him getting a hundred caps ... it's a brilliant achievement, and full credit to him," he added.
Ireland team to face Scotland:
15. Hugo Keenan (Leinster)(34)
14. Mack Hansen (Connacht)(19)
13. Garry Ringrose (Leinster)(55)
12. Bundee Aki (Connacht)(50)
11. James Lowe (Leinster)(24)
10. Johnny Sexton (Leinster)(captain)(116)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(28)
1. Andrew Porter (Leinster)(57)
2. Dan Sheehan (Leinster)(19)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster)(70)
4. Tadhg Beirne (Munster)(44)
5. Iain Henderson (Ulster)(77)
6. Peter O'Mahony (Munster)(99)
7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster)(55)
8. Caelan Doris (Leinster)(34)
Replacements:
16. Ronan Kelleher (Leinster)(24
17. David Kilcoyne (Munster)(54)
18. Finlay Bealham (Connacht)(34)
19. James Ryan (Leinster)(58)
20. Jack Conan (Leinster)(39)
21. Conor Murray Munster)(110)
22. Jack Crowley (Munster)(8)
23. Stuart McCloskey (Ulster)(14).
- Reuters
