It's that time of year again as Ireland get ready to defend a Six Nations title won in 2014.

With that in mind and with many starting positions up for grabs, Off The Ball were joined by Keith Wood and The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley to pick the players they think should be in the XV to face Italy in the opening match.

Injuries and worries over key players conditioned the lineup with the likes of Jonathan Sexton definitely out and concerns over Sean O'Brien, Jamie Heaslip, Cian Healy and Conor Murray among others.

Listen into the Wednesday Night Rugby podcast to find out why Keith and Gerry picked the team they did:

Here is Keith's team: