Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan today recalled Victor Costello for Sunday's World Cup quarter-final against France in place of the unfortunate Anthony Foley.
Costello missed last weekend's heart-stopping 17-16 Pool A defeat to Australia with a thigh injury, but got the nod after returning to full fitness and will start at number eight as the only tactical change to Ireland's line-up.
Winger John Kelly replaces the injured Denis Hickie, who flew home on Tuesday after rupturing his Achilles tendon just before half-time against the Wallabies.
Kelly made a significant contribution to Ireland's cause after entering the fray last weekend, not least in setting up a Brian O'Driscoll try in the corner.
While that decision was a formality for O'Sullivan, dropping Foley was a tough call but, he insisted, the right one. After all, this weekend is "all or nothing stuff".
Costello will link in the back row with Keith Gleeson and blindside flanker Simon Easterby in a trio O'Sullivan believes is the best combination to combat the dangerous French loose forwards.
"It is really about getting a balance to this back row and getting the right combination," he said today. "We are in a position to do that because of the quality of players we have in that sector and so it makes sense to pick a combination that suits a typical gameplan.
"It is often tough on the guys who are often out of the team not having done anything wrong, but that's how it works. If you have that sort of latitude in your squad, it is smart to use it. It is back to the old adage of horses for courses. We think this is the best combination for this game. It's as simple as that."
O'Sullivan was full of praise for Foley, for the professionalism and team unity he has always displayed, but which is often hard to bring to the fore when faced with the disappointment of not making the side.
"It's very tough to leave a player of Anthony Foley's calibre out of the team," he said. "Anthony Foley is one of the best rugby brains in the back row anywhere in the world. He has been a stalwart for us in the last few years in the back row.
Ireland's record against France over recent years is particularly impressive, but their three victories since 2000 will all become largely irrelevant come Sunday night under the Telstra Dome roof.
"This is all or nothing stuff. We have got to win on Sunday or we go home on Monday," said O'Sullivan. "It's a one-off shot at the game. If we win we go on to the semi-final.
"It is that balancing act of getting things right to win the game." The balancing act that brought Costello into the side, also saw Ronan O'Gara retained at fly-half for the first time this World Cup ahead of David Humphreys.
Peter Stringer is set to win his 41st cap and in doing so would become the most capped Irish scrum-half of all time, beating Michael Bradley's record set between 1984 and 1995.
Ireland:Girvan Dempsey, Shane Horgan, Brian O'Driscoll, Kevin Maggs, John Kelly, Ronan O'Gara, Peter Stringer, Victor Costello, Keith Gleeson, Simon Easterby, Paul O'Connell, Malcolm O'Kelly, John Hayes, Keith Wood (capt), Reggie Corrigan.
Replacements:Shane Byrne, Marcus Horan, Donnacha O'Callaghan, Eric Miller, Guy Easterby, David Humphreys, Anthony Horgan.