Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan has given his World Cup flops a chance to redeem themselves in their Six Nations opener against Italy at Croke Park.

No fewer than 11 players who started against Argentina in their final pool game are retained, with Ulster’s Rory Best claiming the vacant hooking role.

Girvan Dempsey returns at full-back with Geordan Murphy switching to wing for the retired Denis Hickie.

Malcolm O’Kelly replaces Paul O’Connell with Andrew Trimble on the right wing.

O’Connell, like Shane Horgan, has been injured, although the Leinster wing captains the A side against the England Saxons at Leicester on Friday night.

O’Kelly will increase his Ireland record cap tally to 90 as he partners Donncha O’Callaghan, one of the many players who failed to fire in France.

 O’Sullivan resisted the temptation to include Leinster’s young number eight Jamie Heaslip, who has been in outstanding form in Europe this season.

Denis Leamy, who appears to have rediscovered his form with Munster, retains the number eight jersey despite playing at blind-side of late.

Simon Easterby holds on to that position, with Heaslip poised to make an impact from the bench.

The same could be said of his Leinster team-mate Bernard Jackman, who has had an impressive season so far, having improved his wayward line-out throwing.

However, after proving his fitness following an ankle injury, Best remains hooker in residence now that Jerry Flannery is banned for eight weeks.

Trimble’s experience, meanwhile, gives him the nod ahead over Leinster’s Rob Kearney whose only cap to date was during the last summer’s trip to Argentina.

From his original squad of 22 for Saturday, O’Sullivan’s biggest call was the retention of Eoin Reddan as Ronan O’Gara’s half-back partner.

Peter Stringer, capped 79 times, outplayed Reddan when Munster defeated Wasps in Europe recently, but O’Sullivan has given the Premiership player the green light.
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Ireland: G Dempsey; A Trimble, B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy, G Murphy; R O’Gara, E Reddan; M Horan, R Best, J Hayes, D O’Callaghan, M O’Kelly, S Easterby, D Wallace, D Leamy.
Replacements: B Jackman, T Buckley, M O’Driscoll, J Heaslip, P Stringer, P Wallace, R Kearney.

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