Rugby Union Feb 20, 2026

England vs Ireland: Sam Prendergast dropped for Six Nations showdown by Andy Farrell

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
England vs Ireland: Sam Prendergast dropped for Six Nations showdown by Andy Farrell

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has dropped Sam Prendergast for this weekend's Six Nations clash against England at Twickenham.

Jack Crowley starts at 10 for Ireland with Ciaran Frawley providing cover on the bench as Prendergast, who had started Ireland's last four games and featured in all five Six Nations clashes last year, has been left out of the matchday squad altogether.

Caelan Doris will lead the side as Ireland bid to build on last Saturday's win over Italy at the Aviva Stadium, with Farrell making five changes overall. British & Irish Lions quartet Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier and Jamison Gibson-Park all returning to the starting XV.

Jamie Osborne, Robert Baloucoune and James Lowe are named in an unchanged back three, with Stuart McCloskey and Garry Ringrose continuing in midfield. Crowley comes in at to partner Gibson-Park in the half-backs.

In the pack, Jeremy Loughman, Dan Sheehan and Furlong are selected in the front row, with Beirne, Van der Flier and skipper Doris in the back row. Joe McCarthy and James Ryan are retained in the engine room.

An experienced bench features Ronan Kelleher, Tom O'Toole, Finlay Bealham, Nick Timoney and Jack Conan making up the forward replacements, with backs Craig Casey, Frawley and Tommy O'Brien completing the 23-man squad.

Starting XV: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Jeremy Loughman, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Tadhg Furlong; 4 Joe McCarthy, 5 James Ryan; 6 Tadhg Beirne, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 Caelan Doris (c).

Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Tom O'Toole, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Nick Timoney, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Tommy O'Brien.

Tags:

rugby-union news

Share this article

Related Posts

Six Nations: Fin Smith and Elliot Daly start as England make nine changes to team to face Italy in Rome

Six Nations: Fin Smith and Elliot Daly start as England make nine changes to team to face Italy in Rome

Fin Smith will start for England in their Six Nations match against Italy on Saturday as Steve Borthwick has 'torn up the script' and made wholesale c...

Six Nations trophy damaged by fire in vehicle incident and will be replaced for 2027 edition of tournament

Six Nations trophy damaged by fire in vehicle incident and will be replaced for 2027 edition of tournament

The Six Nations championship trophy has sustained fire damage and will be replaced for 2027.After the latest round of the tournament, the vehicle tran...

England players admit to not pulling their weight in Six Nations disappointment, says Ben Earl

England players admit to not pulling their weight in Six Nations disappointment, says Ben Earl

England's Ben Earl says certain members of the squad admitted they have not been "pulling their weight" amid a disappointing string of results in the...

Six Nations: Fin Smith and Elliot Daly start as England make nine changes to team to face Italy in Rome

Six Nations: Fin Smith and Elliot Daly start as England make nine changes to team to face Italy in Rome

Fin Smith will start for England in their Six Nations match against Italy on Saturday as Steve Borthwick has 'torn up the script' and made wholesale c...

Six Nations: Ollie Lawrence doubtful for England’s Six Nations game in Italy with knee injury

Six Nations: Ollie Lawrence doubtful for England’s Six Nations game in Italy with knee injury

England centre Ollie Lawrence appears unlikely to recover from a knee injury in time for Saturday's Guinness Six Nations clash with Italy in Rome.Lawr...

Gallagher Prem shake-up: Promotion and relegation to be scrapped as English rugby's top tier heads for franchise league

Gallagher Prem shake-up: Promotion and relegation to be scrapped as English rugby's top tier heads for franchise league

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has confirmed a major overhaul of English rugby's top tier that will see the Gallagher Prem expanded but fundamentally...