Agree on the Ulster backs, but there's no mystery.
Dwayne Peel and Jared Payne left.
Our backs play was non-existent last season, and laboured this. Our defence has fallen off a cliff.
Six Nations squad due out today
POM reported as captain. If he has a contract, then it's the right call for the coming tournament and summer tour.
I know the argument for not moving on from the 3 senior players will be that wasn't what we did with Sexton. But he was clearly still head and shoulders above the young guns behind whereas with Healy, Murray and O'Mahony there are clearly viable younger options that should now be given their chance. More importantly there's enough experience in the squad not to have POM as captain. He's not going to be around in 2025 is my belief
POM as captain is 100% the right call
now just sort out his contract
What have the poor referees of Connacht done to deserve that punishment.
For once I'd like to see Ireland go with a captain who won't be nearly 40 at the next World Cup. But this is Irish rugby we're talking about so I don't have high expectations.
Pretty frustrating call if true.
Best was too old to be captain for 2019 WC. Sexton was too old to be captain in 23 and pom will be too old by 27.
Hopefully it's only a short term appointment until end of the season
Think POM as captain is clearly the correct call. Captain for 2 years and then see who is best placed before the next WC and appoint then.
I don’t buy the whole thing of appointing a captain with the next WC in mind. A lot can happen in that time span. New leaders will emerge and players who might be on the cusp of captaincy could improve further or drop a level for that matter.
Best's captaincy was supposed to be "short term". Sexton's captaincy was supposed to be "short term". Ireland are too sentimental and never ruthless enough to take the captaincy from established players and move on when they need to. If POM is named captain, we'll see the exact same sh*te play out again over the next 4 years.
IF it’s POM it’s not for the next World Cup it’s for the next year or two. It’ll be no big deal so let’s all fetch our pitchforks and start arguing about World Cup cycles and same mistakes over and over.
Sure we've heard it all before
There is zero chance of POM being captain at the rugby world cup in 4 years.
Always the optimist, TRC
It would be bizarre for the Ireland captain to not be on a central contract, so if the rumours are true I can only assume he has been sorted out.
Unless it is just for this six nations. Give it to O Mahony now and appoint the long term successor to Sexton in the summer.
POM being captain means we won't see Baird start, for that alone I think its a bit questionable.
Am I wrong? Does POM being named captain not seem awfully familiar to Best and Sexton being made captain at the start of the last two World Cup cycles, and still being captain when the World Cup came around when they were 37 and 38 respectively?
We've got 3 outstanding young 6s in Baird, Ahern and Prendergast. Why not give them a go at the start of a new cycle like other nations would, instead of persisting with the tried, trusted and failed?
I'd have both Baird and Abern ahead of him.
We have but it still won’t stop you
It’s really not
PoM is a mainstay in the Irish team and had proven time and time again how vital he is
he’s fit, he starts
You're a mainstay until your not.
Baird is playing at a very high level and has scope to be a generational level player. Why not blood him now? Feels like he's ready to me.
Baird's form deserves a shot, POM is 34 and has made 1 appearance this season. You could easily argue for Prendergast too.
Forwards (19):
Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University)(15)
Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers)(36)
Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne)(46)
Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere)(41)
Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College)(36)
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf)(72)
Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf)(125)
Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy)(79)
Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne)(26)
Jeremy Loughman (Munster/Garryowen)(4)
Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University)(5)
Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution)(101) (captain)
Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch)(12)
Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD)(59)
James Ryan (Leinster/UCD)(59)
Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne)(21)
Tom Stewart (Ulster/Ballynahinch)(2)
Nick Timoney (Ulster/Banbridge)(3)
Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD)(57)
Backs (15):
Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians)(52)
Harry Byrne (Leinster/UCD)(2)
Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon)(13)
Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution)(9)
Ciaran Frawley (Leinster/UCD)(1)
Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(30)
Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers)
Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD)(36)
Jordan Larmour (Leinster/St Mary’s College)(30)
James Lowe (Leinster)(26)
Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor)(15)
Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen)(112)
Calvin Nash (Munster/Young Munster)(1)
Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD)(57)
Jacob Stockdale (Ulster/Lurgan)(37)
Training Panellists:
Oli Jager (Munster)*
Thomas Ahern (Shannon/Munster)*
Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)*
Ireland are too sentimental and never ruthless enough to take the captaincy from established players and move on when they need to.
Pretty sure they did with Heaslip, who was a short-term appointment?
Pretty underwhelming squad. No uncapped players in official 34. With 3 uncapped "development players". Why not just name them in a 37 man squad.
Pom captian.
Continuity squad, logical captain for the short term. Certainly doesn't seem to be any planning for the long term future there but that's not really a surprise.
He's made 2 appearances. Cos he's been injured.
Boring
I can understand the calls for his inclusion, and he's a young player with loads of potential, but I think "scope to be a generational player" is overstating this.
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