Ireland player-by-player

15Rob Kearney Age: 24. Height: 6ft 1in. Weight: 95kg (15st). Caps: 26 Needs to be more centrally involved in attack as he remains an underused asset. More communication between the back three would help.

14 Tommy Bowe

Age: 26. Height: 6ft 3in.

Weight: 96kg (15st 2lb). Caps: 34

Starved of any real quality possession so far in the November series and in search of some ball has made one or two handling errors. If Ireland’s back play improves he can be game-breaker.

13 Brian O’Driscoll (capt)

Age: 31. Height: 5ft 10in.

Weight: 95kg (15st). Caps: 105

Another to suffer because of the staccato nature of Ireland’s attack behind the scrum. Excellent in defence, it would be nice to see a reminder of attacking attributes.

12 Gordon D’Arcy

Age: 30. Height: 5ft 11in.

Weight: 93kg (14st 8lb). Caps: 50

He’d much prefer to be attacking Ma’a Nonu than the other way around. The ebb and flow of the midfield battle between four top centres will be a barometer of how the game is shaping up.

11 Luke Fitzgerald

Age: 23 Height: 6ft 1in.

Weight: 92kg (14st 6lb) Caps: 15

There is no point in leaving a player with his talent languishing on the wing or forcing him to adopt an orthodox role. Has ability to beat the first tackle and runs great lines.

10 Jonathan Sexton

Age: 25 Height: 6ft 2in.

Weight: 92kg (14st 6lb) Caps: 9

Was denied a decent platform against the Springboks and forced things a little as a result. If given the scope has the ability to manage game intelligently and with flair.

9 Eoin Reddan

Age: 30. Height: 5ft 9in.

Weight: 86kg (13st 7lb). Caps: 22

Important he doesn’t dwell on the immediate past and instead concentrates on producing the quality of performance which he regularly attains for Leinster.

1 Cian Healy

Age: 23. Height: 6ft.

Weight: 110kg (17st 4lb). Caps: 11

Made a huge difference, both in the tight and in carrying ball when introduced in the Samoa match. Must retain his discipline at ruck time; an issue for the entire team when facing Dan Carter.

2 Rory Best

Age: 28. Height: 5ft 11in.

Weight: 106kg (16st 10lb). Caps: 41

The props got most of the kudos for the change in fortunes in the Irish scrum the last day but the Ulster hooker is noted for his expertise in that area. Lineout needs to purr today.

3 Tom Court

Age: 30. Height: 6ft 3in.

Weight: 122kg (19st 3lb) Caps: 11

He seems to be more comfortable or certainly more effective on this side of the scrum. Carries and tackles and on performances to date deserve his starting berth.

4 Donncha O’Callaghan

Age: 31. Height: 6ft 6in.

Weight: 112kg (17st 8lb). Caps: 65

Brad Thorn’s withdrawal means he finds himself up against two athletic, mobile locks. He must be a leader and not a follower.

5 Mick O’Driscoll

Age: 32. Height: 6ft 5in.

Weight: 113kg (17st 10lb). Caps: 20

There was no faulting the integrity of his effort the last day but he’ll have to be more effective. The lineout simply cannot malfunction if Ireland are to have any hope.

6 Stephen Ferris

Age: 25. Height: 6ft 4in.

Weight: 109kg (17st 2lb) Caps: 22

He’ll absolutely relish the collisions and in judging the speed with which he chased O’Callaghan’s fly-hack last week he looks back to his sharpest. Another potential leader.

7 David Wallace

Age: 34. Height: 6ft 2in.

Weight: 105kg (16st 7lb). Caps: 64

He won’t beat McCaw in the groundhog duties but he is a superior ball-carrier. Ireland need to reduce the number of rucks and increase the offloads to help him maximise his influence.

8 Jamie Heaslip

Age: 26. Height: 6ft 3in.

Weight: 109kg (17st 1lb). Caps: 29

This match has a special resonance. He has worked on the less glamorous duties for the last two matches but supporters would like to see him return to his finger-wagging pomp.