Sexton and Murray reunited for Schmidt’s final home Test

Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray will feature together for the first time since March when Ireland host Wales at the Aviva Stadium in their final Rugby World Cup warm-up match on Saturday.

Joe Schmidt – who will be overseeing his final match in Dublin – and Warren Gatland named largely second-string teams for their first encounter at the Principality Stadium last weekend, which the visitors won 22-17.

Ireland have made 12 changes to their line-up, with Sexton returning from a thumb injury and half-back Murray making his first appearance since going off in the defeat to England at Twickenham on August 24.

Keith Earls and Robbie Henshaw will make their first pre-World Cup appearances, while Rory Best will captain the side in his last Test on home soil.

James Ryan, Jack Conan and Bundee Aki are the only players to have retained their spots in the starting line-up.

On the returns of Sexton, Henshaw and Earls, defence coach Andy Farrell said: “They’ve been held back for a week or two and are raring to go.

“It’s important that we put in a cohesive performance and have the right mental attitude heading into the World Cup.

“It’s about trying a few different combinations, too. The squad is down to 31 players but there is still massive competition for places.

“It’s our last game before we get on the plane on Wednesday and we’re after a performance that we’re proud of.”

#TeamOfUs

Here’s the Ireland team to play Wales in @AVIVAStadium on Saturday. #ShoulderToShoulder #IREvWAL pic.twitter.com/2pf5tIBzsP

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) September 5, 2019

Ireland: Rob Kearney, Jordan Larmour, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, Keith Earls, Johnny Sexton, Conor Murray; Cian Healy, Rory Best, Tadhg Furlong, James Ryan, Jean Kleyn, CJ Stander, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.

Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Iain Henderson, Rhys Ruddock, Jack Carty, Garry Ringrose.

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