Six Nations: Henshaw Starts At Fullback For England Showdown

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has named his team to face England as they kick off their Six Nations title defence. 

Leinster's Robbie Henshaw has been confirmed as a starter at full-back, the 25-year-old gets the nod ahead of long-established 15 Rob Kearney, who had returned to action after a quad injury in Leinster's PRO14 win over Scarlets last Friday.

Henshaw himself hasn't played since suffering a hamstring injury as he warmed up before Ireland's November victory over Argentina.

He last played at full-back last October, when he shifted into that slot from his regular centre role against Benetton for 35 minutes when Kearney got injured.

Also included is Josh van der Flier, who gets the nod ahead of Sean O'Brien in the back row. Johnny Sexton has recovered from a knee tendon injury and will see his first action since Leinster's loss to Munster just after Christmas, while Conor Murray plays his first Test match since June last year.