Ulsters David Humphreys leads the side after being preferred to Ronan OGara at fly-half with flanker Simon Easterby, skipper for the defeats by New Zealand and Australia, dropping to the bench.

Humphreys is joined at half-back by his promising Ulster team-mate Kieran Campbell in the only other change to the threequarters.

With veteran lock Malcolm OKelly ruled out through concussion and rookie Matt McCullough suffering from a dead leg, Leicesters Leo Cullen links up with Donncha OCallaghan in the second row.

Simon Best features at prop in favour of John Hayes, who is named among the substitutes, while Ulsters Neil Best plugs the gap left by Easterbys demotion from the back row.

Uncapped Munster hooker Jerry Flannery features on an experienced bench which includes Hayes, Mick ODriscoll, Easterby, Peter Stringer, OGara and Girvan Dempsey.

OSullivan was expected to make more changes for the easiest match in his sides autumn schedule but the Ireland boss revealed he wanted to take another look at certain combinations.

He said: We hoped to give some guys a go who werent involved over the last two games but injuries limited that. We wanted to get some new players on the pitch.

I wanted to look again at the way Andrew Trimble and Gordon DArcy played together because they looked very good as a partnership against Australia.

The back row have also been playing very well. Denis Leamy has been the success of the autumn internationals and his chemistry with Johnny OConnor is good. Were trying to build for the Six Nations.

Romania arrived at Lansdowne Road on the back of their first ever victory over Canada after completing a last-gasp 22-20 triumph in Bucharest last Saturday.

There are two changes to that team with centre Ionut Tofan and scrum-half Petre Mitu coming in for Romeo Gontineac and Lucian Sirbu.

Ireland can expect a bruising forward battle with the Romanian pack made up entirely of their French-based professionals.

Agen lock Sorin Socol will lead the assault up front with Biarritz prop Petru Balan, Pau openside Alexandru Manta and Perpignan number eight Ovidiu Tonita also featuring in a rugged-looking forward line-up.

Ireland team to face Romania at Lansdowne Road on Saturday (1230):

G Murphy (Leicester), S Horgan (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster), G DArcy (Leinster), T Bowe (Ulster), D Humphreys (Ulster), K Campbell (Ulster), M Horan (Munster), S Byrne (Saracens), S Best (Ulster), D OCallaghan (Munster), L Cullen (Leicester), N Best (Ulster), J OConnor (Wasps), D Leamy (Munster).

Replacements: J Flannery (Munster), J Hayes (Munster), M ODriscoll (Munster), S Easterby (Llanelli), P Stringer (Munster), R OGara (Munster), G Dempsey (Leinster).

Romania team:

C Fercu (Arad), G Brezoianu (Dax), I Tofan (Metro Racing), V Maftei (Aurillac), I Teodorescu (University Cluj), I Dimofte (Arad), P Mitu (Tarbes), P Balan (Biarritz), M Marius Tincu (Pau), P Toderasc (Brive), S Socol (Agen, captain), C Petre (Tarbes), F Corodeanu (Grenoble), A Manta (Pau), O Tonita (Perpignan).

Replacements: C Popescu (Tarbes), M Socaciu (Rovigo), C Mersoiu (Perigueux), C Ratiu (Dinamo Bucharest), L Sirbu (Metro Racing), X Gal (University Cluj), D Vlad (Steaua Bucharest).