Ireland v Scotland - Teams

Tommy Bowe has been recalled to Ireland's starting XV for the RBS Six Nations fixture against Scotland on Saturday.

Ulster flyer Bowe replaces Geordan Murphy on the right wing in one of two changes to the side that lost 21-16 to France last time out.

Murphy had been dropped from the match day 22 as a consequence of a torrid afternoon in Paris during which he was given the run around by opposite number Vincent Clerc.

But he will now start at full-back after Girvan Dempsey was ruled out of the Croke Park encounter with a hip injury.

Leinster's Shane Horgan, who was also a contender to replace Murphy on the wing, retains his place on the bench.

Axed

The other change is in the second-row where Mick O'Driscoll is preferred to record cap holder Malcolm O'Kelly.

Like Murphy, O'Kelly is also axed from the squad completely to open the way for Paul O'Connell to be included among the replacements.

A back injury kept vice captain O'Connell out of the first two rounds of the Six Nations, but he emerged unscathed from a Magners League outing for Munster last weekend and will be among the replacements at Croke Park.

Skipper Brian O'Driscoll will start after passing a Friday fitness test on a calf strain.

Scotland have been dealt a blow after skipper Jason White was ruled out with concussion.

The Sale Sharks flanker has not yet recovered from the knock he took during last week's defeat by Wales.

Dropped

Scott MacLeod and Alasdair Strokosch come into the pack and Rory Lamont and Simon Webster return from injury in the backs, while Jim Hamilton, Dan Parks and Nick De Luca are dropped to the bench.

One other positional switch sees Chris Paterson move from wing to stand-off. The back row is still to be finalised, with four players in contention - Barclay, Kelly Brown, Allister Hogg and Ross Rennie.

Ireland: 15 G Murphy (Leicester), 14 T Bowe (Ulster), 13 B O'Driscoll (Leinster, captain), 12 A Trimble (Ulster), 11 R Kearney (Leinster), 10 R O'Gara (Munster), 9 E Reddan (Wasps); 1 M Horan (Munster), 2 B Jackman (Leinster), 3 J Hayes (Munster), 4 D O'Callaghan (Munster), 5 M O'Driscoll (Munster), 6 D Leamy (Munster), 7 D Wallace (Munster), 8 J Heaslip (Leinster)
Replacements: 16 R Best (Ulster), 17 T Buckley (Munster), 18 P O'Connell (Munster), 19 S Easterby (Llanelli), 20 P Stringer (Munster), 21 P Wallace (Ulster), 22 S Horgan (Leinster)

Scotland: 15 H Southwell (Edinburgh); 14 N Walker (Ospreys), 13 S Webster (Edinburgh), 12 A Henderson (Glasgow Warriors), 11 R Lamont (Sale Sharks); 10 C Paterson (Gloucester) 9 M Blair (Edinburgh, captain); 1 A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), 2 R Ford (Edinburgh), 3 E Murray (Northampton Saints), 4 N Hines (Perpignan), 5 S MacLeod (Llanelli Scarlets), 6 A Strokosch (Gloucester), TBC, TBC.
Replacements: F Thomson (Glasgow Warriors), G Kerr (Edinburgh), J Hamilton (Leicester Tigers), TBC, C Cusiter (Perpignan), D Parks (Glasgow Warriors), N De Luca (Edinburgh).