Game 2.

Head coach Joe Schmidt this morning named his Ireland team for Saturday’s World Cup pool clash with tournament hosts Japan at Shizuoka Stadium.

Ireland have made four changes in total with Jack Carty set to start at outhalf and Rob Kearney returning from injury to take his place at fullback. Keith Earls has also fully recovered and replaces Andrew Conway on the wing with Chris Farell in place of Bundee Aki at 12 being the final change.

Here are the big talking points.

Carty gets his chance.
Jack Carty will start the biggest game of his career to date on Saturday and you can’t say he doesn’t deserve it. The Connacht man was hugely impressive off the bench against Scotland and with Johnny Sexton not fully fit and Joey Carbery lacking game time – Carty was the only man for the job. No doubt he won’t let Ireland down.

Earls and Kearney are back.
Massive boost for Ireland here with two of their most experienced and important players coming back into the fold. Andrew Conway and Jordan Larmour impressed in their absence last week but having a fully fit squad to choose from will be hugely important as the tournament progresses. Competition breeds excellence.

O’Mahony starts.
More good news here for Ireland with Peter O’Mahony fully recovered after he took a bang to the head against Scotland. The Munster man failed his HIA on the day but passed his subsequent HIA2 and HIA3 making him available and ready for selection. No doubt he’ll look to make up for lost minutes this weekend.

Chris Farrell gets his chance.
The Munster centre made an explosive impact off the bench in the Scotland game and now gets a chance to do it from the start. A powerful runner who also has incredibly soft hands, Farrell is like no other centre in the Ireland squad. Really looking forward to seeing this man have a go at the Japanese defence.