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LAST CHANCE SALOON
Aside from pride and resurrecting hopes of rejoining the championship title conversation, this Irish squad will also be hoping to avoid the unwelcome statistic of becoming the first to lose the opening two games of a Six Nations campaign for the first time since the tournament s expansion in 2000.
Given England s surprise loss at home to Scotland the day before, last Sunday s game in Cardiff against a Wales team at a low ebb saw opportunity knock.
49 - Reggie Corrigan - Leinster, Ireland (47 caps). Honours: Celtic League 2001.
Corrigan is one of those who had made the breakthrough during the difficult days of the 1990s and had a period out of the international picture before becoming the cornerstone of the Irish scrum around the 2003 World Cup.
A consistent performer who was rock solid at the set-piece, he captained Leinster to the Celtic League triumph in 2001 and retired in 2006.
48 - Shane Byrne - Leinster, Saracens, Ireland (41 caps). Honours: Celtic League 2001, Lions 2005 (4 Tests).
A late bloomer, Byrne had to bide his time until Keith Wood retired, but once he got his chance the Blackrock hooker made the most of it.