England v Ireland, Twickenham, February 27
Sexton and Wilkinson to face off
Scrum.com
February 23, 2010
Ireland fly-half Jonathan Sexton lands a penalty, Ireland v South Africa, Croke Park, November 28, 2009
Jonathan Sexton starts at fly-half for Ireland © Getty Images
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Players/Officials: Johnny Sexton | Jonny Wilkinson
Tournaments/Tours: Six Nations
Teams: England | Ireland

Jonathan Sexton has beaten Ronan O'Gara to the Ireland fly-half jersey for their Six Nations showdown with England at Twickenham.

Sexton will lead the line while Leicester's Geordan Murphy returns at fullback in place of the injured Rob Kearney. Keith Earls and Tommy Bowe continue on the wings.

The young Leinster pivot will go up against Jonny Wilkinson after the Toulon man was able to hold off the challenge of Toby Flood and retain the England fly-half berth.

In the pack, tight-head John Hayes will win his 100th Ireland cap, the first player to do so, and Munster's Donncha O'Callaghan returns to the second-row alongside Paul O'Connell. Rory Best will start at hooker following Jerry Flannery's six-week ban for kicking France's Alexis Palisson.

Martin Johnson has resisted calls to drop Wilkinson after a laboured display against Italy last time out and he is again named alongside Harlequins' Danny Care. Riki Flutey and Mathew Tait are named in the centre while Delon Armitage, Mark Cueto and Ugo Monye are given another chance to impress in the back-three.

There are three changes on the bench, where Wasps' Joe Worsley is called in despite sitting out training on Monday. He is joined there by Bath hooker Lee Mears, who replaces Brive's Steve Thompson, and Northampton's exciting fullback Ben Foden.

England: D Armitage (London Irish); M Cueto (Sale Sharks), M Tait (Sale Sharks), R Flutey (Brive), U Monye (Harlequins); J Wilkinson (Toulon), D Care (Harlequins); T Payne (Wasps), D Hartley (Northampton), D Cole (Leicester), S Shaw (Wasps), S Borthwick (Saracens, captain), J Haskell (Stade Francais), L Moody (Leicester), N Easter (Harlequins)

Replacements: L Mears (Bath), D Wilson (Bath), L Deacon (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps), P Hodgson (London Irish), T Flood (Leicester), B Foden (Northampton)

Ireland: G Murphy (Leicester), T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster) capt, G D'Arcy (Leinster), K Earls (Munster), J Sexton (Leinster), T O'Leary (Munster), C Healy (Leinster), Rory Best (Ulster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster)

Replacements: S Cronin (Connacht), T Buckley (Munster), L Cullen (Leinster), S Jennings (Leinster), E Reddan (Leinster), R O'Gara (Munster), A Trimble (Ulster)

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