Johnny Sexton leads close to full-strength Ireland in their Rugby World Cup opener

Johnny Sexton will make his first appearance since Ireland’s Grand Slam triumph in March when he captains Andy Farrell’s men against Romania.

Sexton suffered an injury in that 29-16 victory over England which ended his season, but his comeback was delayed due to a three-match ban.

The playmaker was suspended for abusing referee Jaco Peyper following Leinster’s Champions Cup final defeat to La Rochelle.

That kept him out of the Irishmen’s Rugby World Cup warm-up matches, but he returns to lead a surprisingly strong team.

Tough group

They are in the ‘pool of death’ with tougher games to come against Tonga, South Africa and Scotland, but Farrell wants to get his players up to speed quickly.

The backline is close to what will be expected for the Springboks clash, with Mack Hansen’s absence the only difference.

Keith Earls is on the right wing and he lines up alongside Hugo Keenan and James Lowe in the back three, while Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose combine at centre.

Robbie Henshaw is therefore left out of the starting XV, but the centre is among the replacements.

Sexton once again partners Jamison Gibson-Park at half-back and they are playing behind a very strong pack.

Hooker Rob Herring and young lock Joe McCarthy are perhaps the only two players who could expect to miss out against the Boks.

Herring’s inclusion is enforced due to the absence of Dan Sheehan while Tadhg Beirne, who usually starts in the second-row, is moved to flanker to accommodate McCarthy.

That means Peter O’Mahony is at openside with number eight Caelan Doris completing an impressive loose trio.

On the bench, Ronan Kelleher returns from injury and he is joined by Jeremy Loughman and Tom O’Toole as the front-row replacements.

Iain Henderson and World Rugby Player of the Year Josh van der Flier also provide cover up front, while Jack Crowley is selected ahead of Ross Byrne as Sexton’s back-up.

The team

Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jonathan Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Peter O’Mahony, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Robbie Henshaw

Date: Saturday, September 9
Venue: Stade de Bordeaux
Kick-off: 15:30 local (14:30 BST, 13:30 GMT)
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

READ MORE: Expert Witness: Nick Easter’s five talking points ahead of the Rugby World Cup’s opening weekend