Paddy Wallace's outstanding form for Ulster this season has earned him a start at inside centre for Ireland in their Six Nations opener against France on Saturday.
Wallace has spent most of his international career as understudy to Ireland's first-choice flyhalf, Ronan O'Gara, so his selection by head coach Declan Kidney was something of a surprise.
To accomodate Wallace in his first Six Nations line-up, Kidney has shifted Luke Fitzgerald out to the left wing while another Leinster back, Gordon D'Arcy, makes his return to the international stage as one of the replacements.
D'Arcy is fit again after breaking his arm in last year's Championship opener against Italy but Kidney believes he has not had enough game time at centre to warrant a starting slot.
Wallace played alongside skipper Brian O'Driscoll in the Irish midfield in last year's Tests in Australia and New Zealand but was an unused replacement in Ireland's last match, a 17-3 win over Argentina in November.
Wallace and O'Driscoll were also part of the Ireland Under-19 side that Kidney coached to a World Championship triumph in France in 1998 and the coach said the Ulsterman had earned his starting slot.
"I think Paddy has shown a lot of consistent form," Kidney said. "I think he dovetails well with Brian and Ronan inside and outside.
"He's got a good temperament - I like that in the way he can bring that to the game. He'd have a feel for what an out half is going through and can lean in and take the pressure off the 10.
"And, at the same time, himself and Brian have been linking with one another over a 10-11 year period. I think he's playing well and I think he deserves his go."
Kidney hinted that D'Arcy would be involved at some stage against the French.
"Gordon is on the bench, and maybe we'll see him on Saturday," the coach said.
"He's played a bit on the right wing lately, and played for Lansdowne last Saturday, which was his first game at 12 since he's come back.
"I think it would be unfair on him as well, too, when he's all but 12 months out of the game to throw him in. And unfair on Paddy, too, because I think Paddy has been going nicely."
Ospreys' Tommy Bowe starts on the right wing with Robert Kearney reverting to fullback at the expense of the experienced Geordan Murphy, who drops to the bench. Kearney turned an ankle in training in Limerick on Tuesday but the Irish medical staff are confident he will have recovered in time to start on Saturday.
O'Gara and his Munster team-mate Tomas O'Leary form the halfback pairing while the pack, featuring six Munster men, is unchanged from the one that overwhelmed the Pumas in November.
That victory meant Ireland retained their place in the top eight of world rugby's rankings, ensuring they would be seeded for the 2011 World Cup as well as bolstering optimism for the Six Nations campaign.
Ireland (15-1)
Robert Kearney; Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll (capt.), Paddy Wallace, Luke Fitzgerald; Ronan O'Gara, Tomas O'Leary; Jamie Heaslip, David Wallace, Stephen Ferris; Paul O'Connell, Donncha O'Callaghan; John Hayes, Jerry Flannery, Marcus Horan
Replacements: Rory Best, Tom Court, Malcolm O'Kelly, Denis Leamy, Peter Stringer, Gordon D'Arcy, Geordan Murphy
Copyright 2009 AFP Global Edition
