Scrum of the Earth /

Peter Stringer's somehow displaced Eoin Reddan as Ireland's scrum-half for the first of Ireland's two Test's against the Wallabies.

Reddan was a key figure in Wasps' Guinness Premiership renaissance, especially towards the latter stages of the season and interim coach Michael Bradley appears to have abandoned the adventurous skills of Reddan in favour of the attritional pass-machine from Munster, who has spent most of the run-in behind Tomas O'Leary.

Rory Best replaces Jerry Flannery at hooker, which is another surprise. Flannery's natural aggression and vigour in the loose was a key component of Munster's charge to European glory and is widely seen as the natural British Lions number two courtesy of his accurate throwing.

Ireland: 15 Robert Kearney, 14 Shane Horgan, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c), 12 Paddy Wallace, 11 Tommy Bowe, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Peter Stringer, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Denis Leamy, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Rory Best, 1 Marcus Horan.

Replacements: 16 Jerry Flannery, 17 Tony Buckley, 18 Mick O'Driscoll, 19 Shane Jennings, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Geordan Murphy, 22 Girvan Dempsey.