Cian Treacy has a story today ahead of Farrell's expected confirmation as Lions head coach today.
He reckons POC will join Farrell on the Lions coaching ticket, and Simon Easterby will be the Ireland interim head coach.
Who was saying that?
Aside from anything else, Henshaw's form is garbage and he doesn't deserve to be anywhere near an Ireland 23. The mind boggles that anyone would suggest moving Ringrose to the wing in order to accommodate him in the team.
And, Ringrose is not a winger.
I'd be surprised if Borthwick is not named as forwards coach (again. Simon Easterby would be anointed as AF's natural successor in the longer term.
They were talking about it on OFB on Newstalk
two guesses...
youll probably get it in one
Oh, off the ball. Yea they're talking nonsense
they may have but the main suggestion came from a much more 'left wing' source
Ringrose started on the wing for Leinster, it's not a completely out there idea. I'm just not sure why you'd bother now with the form that Henshaw is in.
It's pretty out there. He's been moved there in matches because of injury in recent times, but he hasn't started there for Leinster since the 2015/16 season.
He had allot of room for improvement!
hes stood in there in games previously as well..... but we must be in a very very unhealthy place of we have to shoehorn a 13 into wing due to the lack of options available.
i dont think we're anywhere close to there to be honest. Nash, balacoune and Daly are all capped players who, after a good training camp, could be solid for the championship. Stockdale could feasibly move across at a push, and is in good form.
Uncapped we have Russell, TOB, McIlroy and Kilgallon who are in good form. Plus i wouldnt yet discount J Osbourne as an option there either.
i cant at all see a set of 12 Henshaw, 13 Aki, 14 Ringrose being any better than say, 12 Aki, 13 Ringrose, 14 Nash.
the former has one player not in good form, and the other two playing in positions they dont play their best rugby in.
Whilst I'd consider it unlikely, I wouldn't rule Ringrose out of playing on the wing entirely. He's moved there in the past for Ireland and moved there this season for Leinster too including the last 25 minutes away to LAR.
It would be far less disruptive though to keep Ringrose at 13 and have a straight swap for Hansen. Given Hansen plays on the right wing for Ireland, I would say Stockdale's chances are significantly hindered at being the replacement given he plays almost exclusively on the left wing.
I wouldn't be surprised if they make it a straight fight between 2-3 guys in training camp to prove themselves for the jersey and wouldn't rule out any back three player that's named in the squad.
I should clarify I neither expect it nor would advocate for it. But, if Henshaw was in better form, it would make sense in a "get your best players on the pitch" type of way. I think he is too important to our defensive shape to be moved though and, as mentioned, not sure what Henshaw brings to the table at the moment.
Lots of change happening in Irish rugby:
2024 6N
Sexton gone
Earls gone
Mick Kearney gone -Any word on his replacement?
Nucifora effectively gone
Humphrey’s coming
2024 Tour to SA
Catt going
Goodman coming
2024 Nov
Farrell ‘gone’
Easterby double jobbing
POC, Fogarty, Goodman remaining
2025 6N
2025 Lions tour
Farrell, POC going
Fogarty going? Hammond going?
Boat load of Irish players going? 15/16 players?
I think if we had two Ringroses one of them would be a permanent fixture on the wing.
I'd be surprised if it would be less than 15.
Also Farrell starts his Lions gig in December so he'll still be with Ireland in the autumn.
Interesting. Gatland handed the role to Howley in Sep 2012 and 2016.
Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong (if he's still standing), Iain Henderson (?), Ronan Kelleher, Joe McCarthy, Andrew Porter (A Jack McGrath in waiting), James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Josh van der Flier, Bundee Aki, Ross Byrne (?), Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park (?), Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw (if he's still standing), Hugo Keenan, James Lowe (?), Jimmy O’Brien (?), Garry Ringrose, Jamie Osborne
A conservative guess would be 14
Jamie Osborne - zero Irish caps, part of a "conservative" estimate for the Lions.
The old uncapped Lions bolter days are long gone
No, this isn't the case. The official confirmation is out and it says he'll step away before the November Internationals.
Ha! Ok take him out.
13 then
High hopes for Osborne. Hands, Size, Speed, Left foot all in his favour. Both Henshaw and Ringrose at Leinster not in his favour.
Henshaw is not what he was. If anything, Hume is playing better.
Agreed. Ringrose has also been poor. He's not guaranteed anything either.
Ringrose is guaranteed to start. Not in any doubt whatsoever.
Happy for Farrell. Some impressive stats from his tenure in this thread:
Couldn't win the World Cup tho. Therefore he should have been sacked and a proven winner in o Gara brought in.
He'll be capped and starting for Leinster by then if he doesn't get injured.
Now possibly but you also need to remember alot will change between now and the announcement, someone like Ahern who isnt even capped now could easily find himself on the plane 15 months time.
It’ll be interesting who is named captain next week when the squad is announced.
Gerry Thornley mentioned on a podcast during the week that he would be quite surprised if O’Mahony gets the nod (he didn’t clarify, but this seemed like an informed view), and that he thinks it will be either Ringrose or Ryan (this sounded more like an educated guess compared to his POM opinion).
Regardless of whether it’s Ringrose or Ryan (or anyone else for that matter), I just hope there’s clarity and we don’t go for a co-captain approach!
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