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Joe Schmidt eyes World Cup as he announces Ireland team to face England in Six Nations

Robbie Henshaw will play at full-back against England (Images: Getty)

IRELAND coach Joe Schmidt has revealed he has one on the World Cup after announcing his team to face England in the Six Nations.

Robbie Henshaw has been selected at full-back for Ireland’s opening game on Saturday, his first start in the 15 jersey since his debut against the USA during the 2013 summer tour.

Regular full-back Rob Kearney, recently back from a quad injury, has failed to make the match-day 23 as Ireland begin their quest for consecutive Grand Slams.

Henshaw is one of three changes to the side that clinched the Grand Slam against England last March, with Devin Toner and Josh van der Flier also starting.

Schmidt said he was looking for ‘versatility’ from his players with the World Cup getting underway in September in Japan.

'Flexibility'

“Robbie trained last week and in November a little bit at full-back and he actually trained there in Australia as well,” said Schmidt.

“He has been an option for us for some time there.

“Rob just ran out of time and we like the flexibility of Jordan [Larmour] and what he gives us off the bench.

Robbie Henshaw (Image: Getty)

“I thought he came on really well last season against England, coming in at 13 and having to play the last 35 minutes.

“It’s one of those things that we have seen as an option for quite some time so it’s probably not as much of a surprise to Robbie and the team as it might be to other people.

“With 31 guys going to a World Cup, you need guys who can be versatile so there is probably a little bit of that as well as Robbie being a good player and a recognised full-back anyway.”

Impact sub

Sean O’Brien has made the bench after returning from injury and Schmidt believes he could prove decisive if introduced late on.

“We know how robust he is out there, we know how much pressure he can put on the ball, we know how well he carries,” said Schmidt.

Sean O'Brien (Image: Getty)

“We want him to bring all that. He’s incredibly game intelligent and having that in that last quarter will be really important to us.

“That final quarter will probably be where the game is decided.”

Ireland: R Henshaw; K Earls, G Ringrose, B Aki, J Stockdale; J Sexton, C Murray; C Healy, R Best, T Furlong; D Toner, J Ryan; P O'Mahony, J van der Flier, CJ Stander

Replacements: S Cronin, D Kilcoyne, A Porter, Q Roux, S O'Brien, J Cooney, J Carbery, J Larmour