Preview: Ireland v Romania
The Irish are coming off the back of a convincing and easy 50-7 victory over Canada, while Romania will look to bounce back from their 11-38 to France on Wednesday.
Centre Robbie Henshaw will miss the encounter as he is still not match fit and coach Joe Schmidt said he is not prepared to risk the 22-year-old's participation at the tournament by playing him against Romania.
Schmidt, who has turned Ireland from a demoralised unit into a team regarded as dark horses for the title in just two years, said Henshaw's hamstring injury had perhaps been more serious than at first thought.
Schmidt is mindful too that his team face their potentially two stiffest tasks after Romania against Italy and France.
"It was just that at the start of the week we felt we had to take it a little bit easier than we first thought with Robbie [Henshaw]. He is fully running now and we just felt we'd rather not push ahead. Soft tissue injuries can be quite complicated. If you get a re-injury on the same site then you are in a situation where his World Cup could be in doubt.
"So we've taken no risk. There are times to take risks but this is a great opportunity for Darren Cave," said Schmidt
Cave comes into the starting line-up after Luke Fitzgerald filled the role against Canada, in one of 12 changes to the starting line-up.
Romania were dealt a blow to their preparations as influential back row forward Valentin Ursache was handed a one week suspension after the being found guilty of a dangerous tackle during their opening match.
The 29-year-old is one of the team's most experienced players with over 60 caps to his name since making his debut in 2004.
Players to watch:
For Ireland: Jamie Heaslip will want to set the tone with his leadership while the halfback pairing of Eoin Reddan and Ian Madigan will be aiming to run the show. Nathan White will be earning his fifth cap and front row partner Richardt Strauss is sure to provide plenty of grunt.
For Romania: Captain Mihai Macovei will want to continue to lead from the front but their biggest asset will be their pack of forwards working as a unit. At scrum time, it will be up to veteran prop Paulica Ion to provide a solid platform.
Head to head: The front row battle between Paulica Ion and Cian Healy will be a tough contest in the scrums while both sets of loose forwards will be in for a tough day. Ireland's backline certainly has more fire power with the likes of Simon Zebo, Tommy Bowe and Jared Payne, so it will be up to Catalin Fercu, Ionut Botezatu and Paula Kinikinilau to stand up to the potential onslaught.
Previous results:
2005: Ireland won 43-12, Dublin
2003: Ireland won 45-17, Gosford (WC pool match)
2002: Ireland won 39-8, Limerick
2001: Ireland won 37-3, Bucharest
1999: Ireland won 44-14, Dublin (WC pool match)
1998: Ireland won 53-35, Dublin
1993: Ireland won 25-3, Dublin
1986: Ireland won 60-0, Dublin
Prediction: Ireland may have made 12 changes to their starting XV but this is an ideal match for their players to stretch their legs. Romania could pose a challenge up front but will run out of steam as the match wears on. Ireland will claim an easy 40 point victory.
Teams:
Ireland: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Darren Cave, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip (captain), 7 Chris Henry, 6 Jordi Murphy, 5 Devin Toner, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Nathan White, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Paul O'Connell, 20 Sean O'Brien, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Paddy Jackson, 23 Rob Kearney.
Romania: 15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Adrian Apostol, 13 Paula Kinikinilau, 12 Csaba Gal, 11 Ionut Botezatu, 10 Michael Wiring, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Daniel Carpo, 7 Mihai Macovei (captain), 6 Viorel Lucaci, 5 Ovidiu Tonita, 4 Valentin Poparlan, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 Andrei Radoi, 1 Andrei Ursache.
Replacements: 16 Otar Turashvili, 17 Mihaita Lazar, 18 Alexandru Tarus, 19 Johannes Van Heerden, 20 Stelian Burcea, 21 Florin Surugiu, 22 Florin Ionita, 23 Florin Vlaicu.
Date: Sunday, September 7
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
Kick-off: 16.45 (15.45 GMT, 18.45 EEST)
Expected weather: A balmy cloudless evening with a mild temperature of 17
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Romain Poite (France), Leighton Hodges (Wales)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
