Search
23 Oct 2025
Search
23 Oct 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
IRELAND will look to record their first win in Cardiff since 2013 when locking horns with Wales in an eagerly-awaited Guinness Six Nations opening round fixture at the Principality Stadium this Sunday afternoon, 3pm.
Five Munster players Tadhg Beirne, Keith Earls, Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander will start for Ireland, with Dave Kilcoyne among the replacements for Sunday afternoon's game.
Johnny Sexton will captain the side as he competes in his twelfth Six Nations Championship and his second as Ireland captain.
He is joined in the half-backs by Limerick scrum-half Murray who is one of five players from the match day squad who played in Ireland’s last Six Nations victory in Cardiff in 2013, Murray, Sexton, Healy, O’Mahony and Earls.
Today's game will be televised live on Virgin Media in the Republic of Ireland and on BBC in Northern Ireland
WALES: Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets); Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester), George North (Ospreys), Johnny Williams (Scarlets), Hallam Amos (Cardiff Blues); Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints), Tomos Williams (Cardiff Blues); Wyn Jones (Scarlets), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Adam Beard (Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) (capt), Dan Lydiate (Ospreys), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Taulupe Faletau (Bath). Replacements: Elliot Dee (Dragons), Rhodri Jones (Ospreys), Leon Brown (Dragons), Will Rowlands (Wasps), Josh Navidi (Cardiff Blues), Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Callum Sheedy (Bristol Bears), Nick Tompkins (Dragons).
IRELAND: Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster); Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster), James Lowe (Leinster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College/Leinster) (capt), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Rob Herring (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster), James Ryan (UCD/Leinster), Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster), CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster). Replacements: Ronan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster), Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Iain Henderson (Academy/Ulster), Will Connors (UCD/Leinster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster), Billy Burns (Ulster), Jordan Larmour (St. Mary's College/Leinster).
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
