The @IrishRugby team to play @RugbyCanada is... #rwc2015 #shouldertoshoulder pic.twitter.com/CuyHMvlXOD
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) September 17, 2015
An injury to Robbie Henshaw means that Luke Fitzgerald is the notable selection at inside centre for Ireland's first starting team of this World Cup. Schmidt said that Henshaw's absense is due to a hamstring tweak. It's not expected to be serious, and that he is being held back as a precaution.
It's the only surprise in an otherwise very strong team that Joe Schmidt has selected. Iain Henderson starts at second row ahead of Devin Toner, while Dave Kearney and Keith Earls are on the wings in what otherwise appears to be the best available XV for Schmidt.
Cian Healy makes his return from neck surgery to be on the bench, meaning that the front row of Jack McGrath, Rory Best, and Mike Ross remain the starters.
Meanwhile, Canadian captain Tyler Ardron has failed to recover from injury to make the Canada team, with familar faces Clermont's Jamie Cudmore, Scarlets' DTH van der Merwe, and Ospreys' Jeff Hassler, while London Irish's Jebb Sinclair is on the bench.
8 members of Canada's starting XV are making their @rugbyworldcup debut on Saturday vs Ireland at Millennium Stadium! pic.twitter.com/M8g9Tk0uPr
— Rugby Canada (@RugbyCanada) September 17, 2015
The game kicks of at 2.30pm, and will be live on TV3.
Ireland World Cup Starting Lineup v Canada:
15. Rob Kearney
14. Dave Kearney
13. Jared Payne
12. Luke Fitzgerald
11. Keith Earls
10. Johnny Sexton
9. Conor Murray
1. Jack McGrath
2. Rory Best
3. Mike Ross
4. Iain Henderson
5. Paul O'Connell (c)
6. Peter O'Mahony
7. Sean O'Brien
8. Jamie Heaslip
Replacements:
16. Sean Cronin
17. Cian Healy
18. Nathan White
19. Donnacha Ryan
20. Chris Henry
21. Eoin Reddan
22. Ian Madigan
23. Simon Zebo
