Ireland captain Johnny Sexton has been ruled out of Saturday's Guinness Six Nations match with Italy (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player) due to injury.
The out-half suffered a groin injury against France in Round 2 and will not be risked against the Azzurri in Rome as Ireland bid to make it three wins in a row.
"I’m okay, getting there. I didn’t do much training this week but hopefully I’ll reintegrate next week and see where I am," Sexton told RTÉ’s Late Late Show on Friday but the game comes too soon for the 111-times capped back.
Leinster fly-half Ross Byrne is expected to replace the 37-year-old, while Jack Crowley and the recalled Joey Carbery are also options for Andy Farrell.
Second row James Ryan will captain the team in Sexton’s absence.
"It's obviously a huge honour, it’s very cool, it’s a great moment for me and my family to captain my country this week. It still hasn’t sunk in," said the 26-year-old, who has previously skippered the team.
"We've got a good group there, a core leadership group that has been there for the last couple of years. I have big shoes to fill. I'll be able to lean on guys like Garry [Ringrose] and Peter O’Mahony as well.
"[Johnny] will be travelling over with us so this weekend so it’s great to have him around.
"I suppose I just try to lead by example, which is a boring answer but hopefully leading by actions this weekend.
"Being named captain is a huge honour but I've still got to bring the best version of myself, my best game so maybe quiet, focussed, focussed on my game is as important.
"Yeah [I'll take things from Johnny] but probably the leading by actions things is the big one, the way he sets the standards in games but also every day, how competitive he is on the training pitch and the difference he makes when he’s training and when he’s not.
"I’m probably looking at his competitive instincts and the way he leads with his actions would be the main thing."
Asked about the difference in captaincy styles, winger Mack Hansen, set to win his 12th cap on Saturday, said: "They are both pretty similar, I think, James would have learned a lot of Johnny from his time in camps and playing with him at Leinster.
"They expect the best and they drive good standards. They both know what they want and they expect everyone to be doing their best out there.
Italy have lost their opening two games, to France and England, but after victories over Wales and Australia in 2022, have made big strides.
"They are at home so they will play with plenty of emotion, they are obviously an improved team, particularly in attack, they seem to be playing with a lot of ambition," said Ryan.
"We saw them against England playing from deep in their own 22 so they want to play.
"They've got some genuinely world class players there. [Ange] Capuozzo sticks out, [Paolo] Garbisi could be back, playing at 10, he makes a big difference.
"They are a very dangerous side with ball in hand.
"They are also strong up front, they’ve a good set-piece.
"We saw they drove the England pack back a few times at scrum-time, which is no easy task so I think it will be a big challenge for us."
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