Wallace handed starting berth for Ireland

Ireland head coach Declan Kidney has selected Ulster's Paddy Wallace at inside centre in the Ireland team to face Australia at Croke Park on Sunday, while Ronan O'Gara will start at out-half.

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Gordon D'Arcy, who started Ireland's Grand Slam clinching game against Wales, is omitted from the 22. Wallace will start alongside Brian O'Driscoll, who will captain the team for the 57th time. Jonathan Sexton, O'Gara's rival for the 10 shift, is named on the bench.

The rest of the team is largely as expected with Cian Healy coming in for Marcus Horan at loosehead prop, where he will win his first cap.

Jerry Flannery, troubled by a calf injury of late, has been passed fit to play and will start at hooker while Connacht's Sean Cronin has won his battle to be named on the replacements bench with John Fogarty. Fogarty will leave the senior squad for a start with the 'A' side against a Tonga XV at Ravenhill on Friday night.

John Hayes, returning from a ban incurred for connecting with Healy's head with a stray boot in the Magners League, will start at tighthead.

In the second row, Kidney has opted to stick with the tried and test pair of Donncha O'Callaghan and Paul O'Connell with Leinster captain Leo Cullen providing cover from the bench. Tom Court is the back-up prop.

In the back-row, Denis Leamy is also among the substitutes with Stephen Ferris, David Wallace and Jamie Heaslip set to start.

Eoin Reddan and Keith Earls must also make do with a bench spots with Tomás O'Leary the starting nine and Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe and Luke Fitzgerald the starting back three.

Ireland v Australia, Guinness November Series, Croke Park, Sunday, 15 November, kick-off 3pm:

15 - Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
14 - Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
13 - Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster)
12 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
11 - Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)
10 - Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
9 - Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster)

1 - Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)*
2 - Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
3 - John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)
4 - Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
5 - Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
6 - Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
7 - David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)
8 - Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements:

16 - Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)*
17 - Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)
18 - Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster)
19 - Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster)
20 - Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
21 - Johnathan Sexton (St.Mary's College/Leinster)*
22 - Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)

* denotes uncapped player