Canberra's Ireland rugby duo set sights on England

Mack Hansen and Finlay Bealham, Ireland's 'Canberra kids', have been selected to face England in a blockbusting Six Nations Championship opener in Dublin.

Winger Hansen has, as expected, been given a place in the starting XV despite all the recent criticism aimed at him after he received a suspension for criticising a referee during a United Rugby Championship match for Connacht.

The 33-year-old front rower Bealham, his Connacht teammate and old friend from Canberra, has also been brought in as a late replacement at tighthead for Ireland's injured prop star Tadhg Furlong for the Aviva Stadium clash on Saturday (Sunday AEDT).

It's the first squad picked by Simon Easterby, who's standing in as coach while Andy Farrell is on British & Irish Lions duty, and both his Australians could be in the running for a place on the tour back home with the Lions should they excel in this edition of the Six Nations.

Hansen is a mercurial talent who's been at the centre of controversy this year after being handed a six-week ban – three of which were suspended – and having to apologise and attend a course on match officiating following his post-match outburst about the referee in Connacht's defeat by Leinster.

The 26-year-old had complained the officiating made it feel as if Connacht were playing against 16 men, comments which reportedly made the official Chris Busby consider it the tipping point to make him quit professional refereeing.

Easterby has made two personnel changes to the team which Farrell selected in the win over the Wallabies in November, with centre Garry Ringrose recalled in place of Robbie Henshaw, while Ryan Baird comes in at blindside flanker for a rare start.

The visiting headline act will be the appearance of the identical Curry brothers, Tom and Ben, who'll become the first twins to play together - both in the back-row - in the history of the England's men's rugby team.

The Australian influence on the Six Nations was somewhat reduced when Scotland's Melburnian captain Sione Tuipulotu was forced out of the tournament with a pectoral muscle injury which also threatens his hopes of a trip with the Lions, for whom he was being tipped as a potential captain.

In their team to face Italy in Edinburgh on Saturday (Sunday AEDT), Stafford McDowall will start in place of Tuipulotu at inside centre, while former skipper Jamie Ritchie will play in the back row, with former Wallaby Jack Dempsey on the bench having recently returned from injury.

The Italians have also got an Aussie in their line-up with Melbourne's 30-year-old flyer Monty Ioane picked on the wing.