Flannery and Hayes return to face Australia

The Ireland team to play Australia in the opening game of the 2009 Guinness Series has been named and contains one new cap in the starting side while there are returns for John Hayes and Jerry Flannery. Prop Cian Healy will pack down at loosehead alongside Flannery and Hayes in the frontrow to earn his first start in a senior Irish jersey.

There are two other uncapped players in the squad with Sean Cronin named as replacement hooker and Jonathan Sexton as cover at out-half.

The Team will be captained by Brian O’Driscoll for the 57th time and he will be partnered in midfield by Paddy Wallace.

Ireland V Australia

15 – Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)

14 – Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)

13 – Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster)

12 – Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)

11 – Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)

10 – Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)

9 – Tomas O’Leary (Dolphin/Munster)

1 – Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)

2 – Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)

3 – John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)

4 – Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)

5 – Paul O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster)

6 – Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)

7 – David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)

8 – Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements:

16 – Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)

17 – Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)

18 – Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster)

19 – Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster)

20 – Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)

21 – Johnathan Sexton (St.Mary’s College/Leinster)

22 – Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)