Sexton back from suspension and Van der Flier benched for Ireland’s Rugby World Cup opener
Associated PressBORDEAUX, France — Top-ranked Ireland begins its bid to win the Rugby World Cup for the first time with flyhalf Jonathan Sexton back from suspension and flanker Josh van der Flier, the reigning world player of the year, on the bench for the team’s opening pool match against Romania on Saturday. Sexton has served a three-match suspension for aggressive behavior toward match officials at Leinster’s loss to La Rochelle in the European Cup final in May and comes straight back into Andy Farrell’s team as captain. “We’re going to enjoy every moment and play with everything we have.” New Zealand-born Hinckley Vaovasa will start at flyhalf for just the second time after Mihai Muresan dislocated his shoulder against Italy. ___ Lineups: Ireland: Hugo Keenan, Keith Earls, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, James Lowe, Jonathan Sexton, Jamison Gibson-Park; Caelan Doris, Peter O’Mahony, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Furlong, Ron Herring, Andrew Porter.
History of this topic
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