Tadhg Beirne to captain Ireland against Fiji at the Aviva as Farrell names a rotated side

Tadhg Beirne will lead Ireland against Fiji at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night, kick-off 8.10pm. It will be only his second time as captain and his first in a home game, a role he describes as special. Caelan Doris has been ruled out of the November window, and Dan Sheehan is unavailable after picking up a concussion against Argentina.

Andy Farrell has made seven changes to the team that beat Argentina 42-12 last week, plus two further positional switches. He has insisted the side is not experimental. “I like the look of last week’s team, but this, I wouldn’t say it’s an experimental team by any stretch of the imagination,” he said in Dublin.

Beirne said he would have his family in the stands, including his wife Harriet and daughter. He also pointed to the Argentina result as a foundation for growth, saying the performance had to be built on rather than treated as a one-off.

The most talked-about selection is at back row. Nick Timoney is in line to start at number eight after an impressive display at openside against Argentina, where Josh van der Flier started on the bench. A win would be his 16th cap. Ulster’s James McNabney is among the replacements and could win his first cap, having been held back by a knee injury in the summer.

Fiji are coached by Jake White, and Tuisova returns to the side. James Ryan has said he is not frustrated by his latest exclusion and that everyone has a part to play. Ryan has also said the squad is not thinking about South Africa yet.

The stakes go beyond Saturday. Ireland sit third in the northern hemisphere table on 15 points, behind England, and a strong run in this window would boost their chances of reaching the first Nations Championship final, at Twickenham on 29 November. South Africa visit the Aviva on 21 November in a rematch of last year’s 24-13 defeat, which Ireland will treat as a chance for revenge.

The game is live on Virgin Media One, with commentary on RTÉ Radio 1’s Sport Extra and a live blog on rte.ie/sport.