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Sources: Saints to hire Eagles' Moore as coach

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is expected to become the New Orleans Saints' head coach, barring any unexpected developments, league sources told ESPN.
Moore has been the top candidate for the vacant Saints job since completing a pair of interviews with New Orleans last month.
The Saints are making sure they do everything by the book so as not to break any rules and risk potential penalties. New Orleans learned from the lesson of the Arizona Cardinals, who were penalized for tampering with then-Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, whom they eventually hired as their head coach.
Arizona and Philadelphia ultimately agreed to a draft compensation penalty as a result of a phone call between Gannon and the Cardinals that took place during a no-contact period in advance of Super Bowl LVII.
The Saints, with their history of being in the NFL's crosshairs, don't want to bend or break any rules and therefore will wait until after Super Bowl LIX on Sunday before working to try to finalize any agreement with Moore, according to sources. The sides are not expected to have any challenges to get a deal done, sources said.
Moore is expected to have his salary more than doubled, and possibly tripled, and few would be willing to surrender an opportunity like that to become one of the NFL's 32 head coaches.
Moore privately has told people he is interested in and wants the Saints job, according to sources, and the Saints want him, which is why a deal is expected to get done once the sides can meet again after Super Bowl LIX, barring an unexpected breakdown in contract talks.
Although he declined to elaborate earlier this week, Moore told reporters Monday that he had a "great" experience meeting with Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and other team officials in Philadelphia last week.
Moore has no previous head coaching experience in the NFL but has enjoyed success as a playcaller and oversaw an Eagles attack that ranked eighth in the NFL in total offense (367.2 yards per game) this season, including second in rushing (179.3 yards per game).
The Saints are the last NFL team with a current head coach opening. They fired Dennis Allen during the season, with special teams coach Darren Rizzi filling in on an interim basis.
Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury opted not to pursue the Saints job, and Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady opted to stay in Buffalo instead of pursuing a second interview with New Orleans. A third candidate, Aaron Glenn, interviewed virtually with the Saints but was ultimately hired as the head coach of the Jets.
The Saints also interviewed Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka multiple times, and they also showed interest in Mike McCarthy before he opted to focus on the 2026 coaching cycle instead. Rizzi also interviewed for the job.
UFC 312 takeaways: Du Plessis-Chimaev next? Zhang should make a move ... up

Dricus Du Plessis did it again, defeating Sean Strickland a second time, but this time he dominated to retain his middleweight championship at UFC 312 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Saturday.
Du Plessis is 9-0 in the UFC and hasn't lost a fight since October 2018. But if he wants to become one of the best fighters in the history of the 185-pound division, he has work to do. He'll face a bigger challenge next time if, as expected, Khamzat Chimaev gets the next title shot.
In the co-main event, Zhang Weili dominated Tatiana Suarez to retain her strawweight championship. Zhang looks unbeatable and has pretty much cleaned up the division. Can a move to flyweight to chase a title in a second division be in her near future?
And what started as a great night for local fighters on the card with a 19-second TKO win for Quillan Salkilld, ended with a disappointing performance by the other seven fighters from Oceania on the card.
Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale and Sam Bruce offer their takeaways from the two title fights and the rest of the Australia card.
Du Plessis is an early candidate for Fighter of the Year
On the surface, this might look like a lazy, obvious takeaway. But there's more to it than that. I understand that just because Du Plessis won convincingly at UFC 312, that doesn't make him a favorite for Fighter of the Year. In fact, this fight on its own really doesn't do much in securing that award. He already had a win over Strickland, and many expected him to get another one.
The reason he could be a strong candidate is how 2025 might fall into place for Du Plessis. By putting this matchup behind him, he sets the table for a potential title defense against Chimaev, in what could be one of the biggest fights of the year. And if Du Plessis wins that, there's a real possibility he could be a top-five pound-for-pound fighter as well as top five in popularity. And then what? Alex Pereira at light heavyweight? It's certainly very, very possible. Du Plessis took the opportunity to issue something of a challenge in Pereira's direction after Saturday's win. And all parties may be down for that fight.
The cherry on top would be to have him fight in South Africa in late 2025. The likelihood of that happening is on the low side. The logistics of pulling off a show in Africa, when the UFC typically has its marquee annual events at the end of the year in New York and Las Vegas, always makes it a long shot. But the UFC and Du Plessis have talked a lot about trying to get there.
Du Plessis could fight three times this year, and the idea of him beating fighters such as Chimaev and Pereira doesn't seem far-fetched. The sport slept on him for a while, but watching him fight smartly and execute in the rematch against Strickland, showcasing how much he's improved over the past year, makes it hard to overlook him. -- Okamoto
It's time for Zhang to move up, attempt to become a two-division champ
Zhang Weili wins via unanimous decision over Tatiana Suarez in a one-sided victory in Sydney at UFC 312.
Tatiana Suarez was expected to be a difficult challenge for strawweight champion Zhang Weili. Instead, Zhang put together a clinic in a dominant unanimous decision victory to defend her title for a third time during her second run as champion.
And now it's time for Zhang to move up in weight and attempt to join Amanda Nunes as the only women to hold titles in two weight classes. She would be wasting her time otherwise.
Outside of Rose Namajunas, Zhang has owned the opposition at strawweight with wins over Yan Xiaonan, Amanda Lemos, Carla Esparza, Joanna Jedrzejczyk (twice), Jessica Andrade and now Suarez. And without a clear contender in sight, there is no better time for Zhang to make the move to flyweight. Zhang would immediately be slotted to face the winner of the expected title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Manon Fiorot. Given Zhang's recent dominance, it would be difficult for anyone to pick against her.
Zhang's second run as strawweight champion has been even more impressive than her first, and her dismissal of Suarez has placed her squarely in the conversation as the greatest woman ever to compete at 115 pounds. Suarez entered the fight unbeaten and as a highly decorated wrestler and was expected to use her ability to pin Zhang's shoulders to the canvas. But after Suarez secured a takedown in the opening minute, Zhang successfully defended the next 14 attempts from the challenger. Each time her takedown try was fended off, it drained Suarez.
In the last two rounds, it was clear that Zhang's experience was too much for Suarez to overcome. Before this fight, Suarez had been dominant against the rest of the division, rarely dropping a round and overpowering whoever stood across from her. But against Zhang, Suarez was in over her head. She found out the hard way that Zhang is head and shoulders above the rest of the division.
Zhang departing for flyweight would open up strawweight to a new champion, and she would have the opportunity to become the biggest star in women's MMA. -- Hale
The Australian fans showed up; the fights, not so much
In the opening fight of UFC 312, Australian Quillan Salkilld knocks out Anshul Jubli and the crowd loves it.
This was not a card featuring the pick of the talent from Australia and New Zealand. It was lacking significant star power from the region. Still, the UFC was able to pull a near-capacity crowd in what was the second of a three-fight deal with the New South Wales government.
What local tourism operators -- and more importantly, the fans -- will be crying out for next time around, however, is a far better lineup of talent inside the Octagon and not sitting in Row 1, as Alexander Volkanovski, Israel Adesanya and Jack Della Maddalena all were. That was partly down to timing, scheduling and the nature of the UFC, with Della Maddalena and Kiwi Carlos Ulberg set to fight in separate bouts in London next month, when wins for each man could secure them title shots at welterweight and light heavyweight, respectively.
The best the Oceania region could offer at UFC 312 was a 19-second KO from "Dana White's Contender Series" graduate Quillan Salkilld, whose thumping right hand floored Anshul Jubli in the first fight of the day. The fans who were still making their way to the arena during that one were denied any other real local highlights thereafter, though another Contender Series graduate, Jonathan Micallef, did emerge victorious from an entertaining fight with Kevin Jousset, and Jake Matthews finally strung back-to-back wins together.
But it was slim pickings for fighters from the region otherwise, as Jack Jenkins was submitted in Round 3 and Jimmy Crute was judged to a controversial majority draw with Rodolfo Bellato.
UFC president Dana White has long been a fan of the Australian market, and there have been far stronger cards, such as in Perth last year and in 2023, and even last time out in Sydney, where Strickland upset Adesanya. But the stars just didn't align for UFC 312, and the locals will demand a higher-caliber card next time out. -- Bruce
'Unacceptable': Brunson, Knicks routed by Celts

NEW YORK -- The Knicks, who opened their season with a blowout loss in Boston, entered Saturday night viewing their rematch with the defending-champion Celtics as a measuring stick as they approach the All-Star break.
They exited Madison Square Garden with a clear answer about where they stand: far behind the Celtics, who routed the Knicks 131-104 just like they did in October.
The 27-point setback -- New York's largest of the season -- was eye-opening. The Knicks had won seven of eight before Saturday's game and were 1 games behind the second-place Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
"Unacceptable," said Knicks captain Jalen Brunson, who scored a team-high 36 points on just 18 shots. "We're not where we want to be."
One day earlier, he said he looked forward to seeing how his team measured up with Boston after showing improvements -- and cohesion with newcomers Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges -- since the start of the campaign.
But many of the Knicks' same problems from opening night showed up again Saturday. Specifically, they had no answer for Jayson Tatum, who threw down an enormous dunk on the second play of the contest en route to scoring 40 points. The All-Star seemed to get whatever he wanted in one-on-one matchups with New York's wings, and shot 13 for 26 overall and 7 for 14 from the arc.
The Knicks (34-18) were without perimeter stopper OG Anunoby, who's dealing with a foot sprain. But the Celtics were down two starters: guard Jrue Holiday and former Knick Kristaps Porzingis, who was a late scratch due to a non-COVID illness. Luke Kornet was told late in the pregame process that he'd be filling in for Porzingis. Kornet shot 7 for 7 for 14 points and added 12 boards and three blocked shots.
"Big Luke played his ass off today," Tatum said of Kornet.
Tatum was the best player on the floor, though, and said he enjoyed putting on a show with famed actor Denzel Washington sitting courtside with friend and Academy Award-winning film director Spike Lee.
Boston (37-16) dominated most of the game, but the Knicks -- powered by Brunson's trips to the free throw line -- cut their deficit to three midway through the third.
That's when Tatum and Derrick White provided all the Celtics' scoring during a 19-3 spurt that essentially sealed the win. Tatum sat the final six minutes of the game, and massive pockets of the crowd -- including Lee and Washington -- started heading for the exits several minutes early.
The Knicks -- 23-6 against sub-.500 clubs, but just 11-12 against teams with records .500 or better -- are trying to prove they belong with the league's elite. They're 0-3 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Celtics, who sit in first and second place, respectively, in the East. And the Knicks dropped both of their contests against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who own the league's best mark.
"We've had a target on our back the whole year, and we understood that going into the season. I think every game [against us] is probably a measuring stick," White said. "It's just on us to have the right mindset."
In the other locker room, the Knicks said that as much as they might have improved during the season, they still aren't close to the Celtics' level yet.
"We've got a lot of work to do. Simple as that. There's no sugarcoating it. There's no moral wins," said Towns, who finished with a quiet nine-point, nine-rebound outing. "If we've got aspirations, which I know we do, then we've got to find ways to win games like tonight. That's a team that's in the race. Great teams, championship teams, they test your discipline. And we've got to work on keeping our discipline for all 48 [minutes]."
Grizz star Morant's dad ejected for berating refs

Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant's father was ejected late in the fourth quarter of Memphis' 125-112 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night for making repeated "overtly disrespectful statements about the integrity of the officiating crew," according to a pool report with referee Josh Tiven.
"The fix is in!" Tee Morant shouted from his FedExForum courtside seat immediately before he was ejected, a source who attended the game told ESPN.
Tiven, the crew chief, said he was aware that the fan was Morant's father when he requested security remove him from his courtside seat during a dead ball with 2:10 remaining.
"The fan continued to repeat overtly disrespectful statements about the integrity of the officiating crew, so as the crew chief, I approached security and asked that he be removed," Tiven told a pool reporter.
The younger Morant was asked after the game why he thought his father was ejected.
"He probably got kicked out so I didn't [get ejected]," Ja Morant said. "Probably complaining about something to the ref."
Asked if he or his players requested Ja Morant's father be removed, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said: "Not to my knowledge. No."
Ja Morant finished with 16 points, going 6-of-19 from the floor, but he had just four free throw attempts. The Grizzlies had a 39-21 advantage in free throws attempted.
"I kind of knew it because [one official] started getting mad when I asked him a question, and didn't want to talk," the younger Morant said. "But we ain't gonna go there."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dubs tout Butler's impact in debut: 'He's a force'

CHICAGO -- Jimmy Butler went into his Golden State Warriors debut without a practice or even the benefit of going through the morning shootaround before facing the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
Butler wasn't allowed to participate in his squad's morning walk-through because not all the players in the five-team, nine-player trade that landed him with Golden State on Wednesday had completed their physicals until late Saturday afternoon. So, Butler had to make his Warriors grand opening knowing a total of three plays that coach Steve Kerr gave him, along with some new terminology.
Still, Butler looked like the player the Warriors went out and traded for before immediately providing him with a new two-year, $111 million deal. He made 7 of 12 shots, got to the foul line 13 times and scored 25 points to help the Warriors overcome a 24-point deficit and rout the Bulls 132-111 at the United Center.
His 25 points were Butler's most in a debut for a new team as well as the most in a first game by a Warrior since Kevin Durant in 2016.
But it was the aura Butler brought to the Warriors that might have stood out the most, according to Kerr.
"I'm most impressed with his passing," Kerr said. "His passing changes everything. ... The skill, the strength, the ability to get to the free throw line.
"And in the end, it goes beyond that. Just his presence out there. He's a lion. He's a force."
Even four-time NBA champions Stephen Curry and Draymond Green could feel Butler's impact. For just over two quarters, Golden State (26-26) looked like it was going to sleepwalk its way to a third straight loss. The Bulls (22-31) raced out to an 83-59 lead with 8:30 remaining in the third quarter.
Then Butler got to the foul line for two of his 11 made free throws. Shortly thereafter, Curry exploded, scoring 22 points in the final 7:54 of the quarter. By the time Curry buried his fifth 3-pointer of the quarter, the Warriors led 97-93 on the strength of a 38-10 blitz.
"At no point was it ever like, ah, body language dropping," Green said. "That's kind of what you've seen this year. We get down, it's kind of like snakebitten mentality. And it was total opposite [tonight], which is why we came back. No problem."
Green said a major reason for that was Butler's presence on their side. Having the six-time All-Star gave the Warriors a different type of confidence that had been missing all season. Green was asked if he, Curry and Kerr felt a little more of the championship swagger on Saturday night because of their new teammate.
"One-million-percent," Green said. "I wouldn't necessarily say we have championship swagger. We have championship pedigree. The championship swagger is what we're trying to find again."
And that is why the Warriors took on Butler, who had a tumultuous split with the Miami Heat after six seasons and two NBA Finals appearances.
For Butler, this seems like one of the best spots to jump-start his 14th season. The Warriors need all his strengths, including his ability to get to the foul line, create his own shot inside, drive, kick and defend. All the things he does best are pretty much the "opposite" of what Curry does best, as the Warriors' franchise player noted.
While Curry made 8 of 16 3-pointers, Butler took one attempt from beyond the arc. And while Curry went to the foul line eight times, Butler made 11-of-13 from the stripe and probably could have gone to the line more had he played longer than 29 minutes in his first game since Jan. 21.
Due to multiple suspensions by the Heat, Butler played in just his sixth game since Dec. 20.
"Tired. Extremely tired," Butler said afterward. "Like somebody that had a month off. Not that I wanted a month off, but I got going a little bit. I got to do a ton more of conditioning, but I'll get it back. It's only a matter of time."
After Curry's third-quarter barrage, Butler and Green fueled the Warriors at the start of the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 17 by the time Curry checked back in with just over seven minutes remaining.
Butler made 3 of 4 shots, including a two-handed dunk, and went 4-for-4 from the foul line for 10 points in four fourth-quarter minutes to seal the game.
Kerr said he is counting on Butler to help the Warriors close out games, something they've struggled to do for much of the campaign.
"Everybody on the roster, everybody on the coaching staff [was] continually telling me to be who I am, be myself," Butler said. "And it'll work out just fine."
"I was trying to do what I thought was right," he added, "and then it was like, 'Oh well, everybody's telling me to be me, so go do it.'"
The only thing that looked different about Butler outside of his conditioning was his jersey.
Besides wearing a Warriors uniform, he is donning No. 10 for Brazilian soccer star Neymar.
And the name on the back of his jersey reads "Butler III," an ode to his late father. Butler said his father died exactly one year ago.
He said that -- along with Saturday's game being staged in Chicago, where he played his first six seasons with the Bulls and developed into a star -- made it a fitting start to his Warriors career.
"This is where I began my career," Butler said. "My father passed a year ago today. Today's [also] the birthday of one of my very, very, very good friends.
"Life comes full circle, and it works in the craziest ways."
Lakers-Hornets trade nixed; Williams fails physical

LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers said Saturday night that their trade with the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams was rescinded, with sources telling ESPN's Shams Charania that the 7-foot center failed Los Angeles' physical exam.
That physical showed multiple issues, sources said. It was not failed due to his back, however.
Williams has played in only 85 out of a possible 212 games (40.1%) through his first two and a half seasons with the Hornets. Los Angeles was confident in his medicals, sources told ESPN at the time the trade was agreed upon.
Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka expressed confidence in the acquisition after the trade deadline passed Thursday while acknowledging that a physical would need to occur.
"We fully vetted his health stuff, led by Dr. Kris Jones at UCLA Health and Dr. Leroy Sims on our team, and he's had no surgeries," Pelinka said. "So these are just parts of, he's still growing into his body. We vetted the injuries he's had, and we're not concerned about those. We will have a chance to have a physical and continue to do a deep dive and make sure that what we've talked about and seen in the [electronic medical records]. ... So we'll still have that step in the process of doing a full physical before the trade becomes official."
Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht, along with Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap and Los Angeles' 2031 first-round pick, was the return going to Charlotte. The trade was agreed to Wednesday night and became official on a trade call to the league office Thursday after the Lakers' 120-112 win over the Golden State Warriors.
Because the deadline has passed, the trade was not allowed to be amended to account for whatever new medical information the Lakers might have discovered in their evaluation of Williams.
In a statement Saturday night, the Hornets said they are "excited" to welcome Williams back to the team.
"After the other team aggressively pursued Mark, we made the difficult decision to move him," the Hornets said. "We have always held great respect for Mark's talent, work ethic, and character. We are thrilled to see him rejoin our roster as a dynamic presence at the starting center position. His return strengthens our team, and we look forward to the impact he will make on and off the court."
Pelinka offered a different version of events, saying Thursday that Charlotte presented the deal.
"This opportunity came to us," he said then. "Maybe it's in some sense like the L.A. housing market. Not every house is listed. And sometimes you become aware of something that's available that's not on the market. And when you see the perfect house, you're willing to go get it, even if you have to be aggressive to do it. I think that's how we looked at the Mark Williams opportunity when we opened up discussions with Charlotte."
Williams was listed as questionable for the Lakers' 124-117 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Asked before the game if Williams would play, Lakers coach JJ Redick said, "The trade is still pending so no answer there."
The deal was supposed to give Los Angeles a vertical-spacing big man to play alongside Luka Doncic while also opening a roster spot for the Lakers to pursue another player on the buyout market. With the trade rescinded, the Lakers are back to 15 rostered players, meaning they would need to waive someone to open up room to sign a player. Los Angeles is $1.6 million below the second apron and cannot exceed that amount to sign another player.
The deal falling through also means the Lakers will be sticking with their current center rotation for the immediate future, with Jaxson Hayes in the starting role in the wake of the Anthony Davis-Doncic blockbuster. Behind Hayes are two-way centers Trey Jemison III and Christian Koloko.
The other big man on the roster, Christian Wood, has yet to play this season after suffering a setback in his rehab from knee surgery. There is no formal timeline for his return.
Bencic wins first WTA title since becoming mother

Switzerland's Belinda Bencic celebrated with baby daughter Bella in her arms after beating American Ashlyn Krueger in the Abu Dhabi Open final to claim a ninth WTA title and first since becoming a mother.
The former Olympic champion, 27, battled back from a set down to overcome 20-year-old Krueger 4-6 6-1 6-1.
Bencic's victory came just 10 months after the arrival of her first child and less than four months since her return from more than a year out on maternity leave.
"It's been a while," she said, greeting an appreciative crowd at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre.
The former world number four's last WTA title came at the Abu Dhabi Open in February 2023.
"I am super happy to be back here in Abu Dhabi. I didn't imagine this. I am also getting a little bit emotional," she added, after the courtside presenter broke down in tears when presenting her award.
"I was working really hard to even play, coming back. So to also win a title in front of my family, it's really special.
"To my husband and my daughter Bella, I love you so much. It was a big dream for me to come back and play in front of her and to win a tournament."
When Bencic returned to the sport in October her world ranking had dropped to 1,213, but she reached the fourth round of the Australian Open on her Grand Slam return and her run in the Abu Dhabi Open has helped her break back into the top 100.
Victory means she will now move as high as 65th when the rankings are next updated.
World number 51 Krueger, who has moved quickly up the rankings herself in recent months, looked capable of completing an upset to claim what would have been her second title and first at WTA 500 level.
Bencic was broken four times in losing the opening set but quickly regained the form that helped her claim an upset of her own by beating top seed Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals.
A clearly disappointed Krueger was gracious in defeat, saying in her courtside interview: "It is so impressive you coming back and being a mother, it's really inspirational, so congrats and good luck."
Alcaraz to face De Minaur in Rotterdam Open final

Carlos Alcaraz will face Alex de Minaur in the Rotterdam Open final on Sunday after defeating Hubert Hurkacz in the semi-finals.
The 21-year-old top seed won 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 against Poland's Hurkacz at the ATP 500 indoor hard-court event.
World number eight De Minaur, 25, booked his place in the final with a straight-set semi-final victory over Mattia Bellucci.
The Australian third seed cruised past his Italian opponent 6-1 6-2.
Four-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz made a slow start to his debut at the event and quickly found himself 3-0 down, before fighting back to take the first set.
"I think he had chances to make it 6-0 so I just tried to fight for every ball, every point," said the world number three.
With the second set going to a tie-break, both players squandered chances to seize the advantage. It was a double fault from Alcaraz at 5-4 up that handed Hurkacz the opportunity to draw level and the 27-year-old took the set after the Spaniard netted a simple backhand.
Alcaraz found his stride in the third set, however, and he reached the final with a forehand winner after a thrilling contest.
"I just tried to stay in there, keep fighting all the time and it paid off," added Alcaraz.
De Minaur's last-four tie was a stroll in contrast.
Bellucci had knocked out Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas on his way to the semi-finals but De Minaur was too strong for the 23-year-old qualifier.
De Minaur, who won all of his matches in Rotterdam in straight sets, was runner-up to world number one Jannik Sinner in the final last year.
"The Dutch crowd always treats me very well, and I love coming back here, so hopefully I can get a title this time," he said.
Ireland ready for Murrayfield chaos all over again

In an attempt to withstand the Scots, Easterby has reinstalled firebrand flanker Peter O'Mahony to the starting line-up for the first time since last summer.
O'Mahony has history in this fixture, and given it will be his first start since being replaced by Doris as captain, the Munster veteran will not be short of motivation.
"He loves these games, obviously he loves the Six Nations, he loves representing the nation, and he always adds something different, something a little bit special," observed Doris.
"He's got 110 caps, 111 tomorrow, so a wealth of experience there, and just a good fella to have around camp. Last week, he was great even though he wasn't involved.
"There is a bit of an added edge from him this week as well. He's always someone who I enjoy having alongside me in the back row."
O'Mahony's return adds even more know-how to an Irish side packed with experience, the 23-man matchday squad totalling 1,220 caps compared with Scotland's 864. Fly-half Sam Prendergast is the outlier. It will be the 21-year-old's first away game for Ireland and Scotland will undoubtedly set out to unsettle him.
Ireland's experience told against England, especially during a dominant second half when Jack Conan and Dan Sheehan made huge impacts off the bench.
Not short of Test experience either, Scotland are also hardened by previous pain at Irish hands. Townsend set up defensively in Dublin last year, but stirred by the home crowd, his side may go all-out to make it another frantic afternoon for Ireland.
It will not be anything Ireland have not encountered in the Scottish capital before.
Navigate the mayhem once more and they will be this weekend's big winners.
Late Daly try gives England precious victory over France

England: M Smith; Freeman, Lawrence, Slade, Sleightholme; F Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Stuart, Itoje (capt), Martin, T Curry, Earl, Willis
Replacements: George, Baxter, Heyes, Chessum, Cunningham-South, B Curry, Randall, Daly
France: Ramos; Penaud, Barassi, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Jalibert, Dupont (capt); Gros, Mauvaka, Atonio, Roumat, Meafou, Cros, Boudehent, Alldritt.
Replacements: Marchand, Baille, Colombe, Auradou, Guillard, Jegou, Le Garrec, Gailleton.
Referee: Nika Amashukeli
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen