Irish ring the changes for second test

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Ireland coach Joe Schmidt rang the changes on Thursday as he named his side for the second test against South Africa at the weekend, preferring to stick to plans to rotate selection rather than keeping the winning combination from Saturday's upset win in the first test. Five changes to the starting line-up and five to the bench include a first cap for South African-born lock Quinn Roux against the country of his birth. Stuart Olding replaces Luke Marshall at centre with Craig Gilroy in for Keith Earls at wing in two backline changes. The suspended CJ Stander is replaced by Rhys Ruddock in the loose forwards while Ian Henderson returns to flank in place of Jordi Murphy. Henderson played lock in the 26-20 win over the Springboks in Cape Town last weekend and Roux takes his place in the second row. Tadgh Furlong replaces Mike Ross at tight head prop for the clash at Ellis Park. "We've brought 32 players with us this on this tour and this will means 30 of them will have had a match day involvement," said Schmidt. "We wanted to offer opportunity to our players while at the same time being very conscious of the opposition. "I'm hoping that the players who have come in will pleasantly surprise just as players who were probably unvalued last week certainly showed their mettle. It's a huge challenge to those players who have come in, to try to match what the players put into the game last week. "There are some really tired bodies from last week so sometimes it's better to put in fresh players over experienced ones," the Irish coach added. Ireland's win at Newlands was their first on South African soil over the Springboks in more than half a century after their first tour to the country. The second test sees Ireland play at Ellis Park for a first time and the three-match series concludes in Port Elizabeth on June 25.

(Reuters)

(Editing by Toby Chopra)