James McNabney set for Ireland debut as Farrell makes seven changes

James McNabney could make his Ireland debut on Saturday after being named among the replacements for the Nations Championship meeting with Fiji.

Head coach Andy Farrell has made seven changes to his starting XV following Ireland's 42-12 victory over Argentina, with the 23-year-old Ulster back-row forward in line for his first international appearance.

McNabney has recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him out for the entire 2025-26 season. He returned to action this year and has made just one start for Ulster so far.

Nick Timoney moves to number eight as Ireland deal with injuries to Caelan Doris, Jack Conan and Sean Jansen. Mack Hansen replaces Hugo Keenan at full-back, while Jamie Osborne and Bundee Aki form a new centre partnership.

Jamison Gibson-Park returns at scrum-half, with Rob Baloucoune and Tommy O'Brien also coming into the backline. In the forwards, Ronan Kelleher and James Ryan are promoted to the starting team.

Ireland will host Fiji at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday before facing South Africa the following weekend.