A page is definitely turning in the history of Irish rugby.
An icon bowed out after the 2023 World Cup, here she is replaced.
Jonathan Sexton, fly-half and four-time winner of the Six Nations Tournament (2014, 2015, 2018 and 2023), now has a successor.
This one is called Jack Crowley, a 24-year-old player from Munster.
The new opener of the Clover XV has already honored nine selections since his first call-up in 2022. The task facing him now is arduous, he must replace the best director in the history of Ireland (1090 points scored).
Its first meeting takes place this Friday (9 p.m.) at the Orange Vélodrome in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) against the French team.
The Blues without Dupont
For the occasion, Andy Farrell, the Irish coach, chose to start young Joe McCarthy in the second row (22 years old, 6 caps).
He takes the place of the more experienced James Ryan (27 years old, 59 caps).
Farrell, on the other hand, must do without center three-quarter Garry Ringrose (29 years old, 56 caps), absent due to injury.
The duel between France and Ireland has all the makings of a revenge match for two selections with disappointing results during the 2023 World Cup. They have won the last two Six Nations Tournaments (France in 2022, Ireland in 2023) , and must now restart.
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The Blues will have to cope without Antoine Dupont since he is not participating in the Tournament this year.
The scrum half has chosen to focus on rugby sevens in order to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He will be replaced by Bordeaux's Maxime Lucu.