Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

My take is I don't think Coombes was dropped for Munster, there was an evolution in our approach as we got more of our squad fit again and decided to try him (and others) from the bench to close out matches strongly. He was starting for the vast majority of the last few seasons. If Munster made a final versus Leinster or Bulls he'd start. Or if they got to play Glasgow all over again he'd start and so would Snyman (all imo). I wasn't too fond of the approach to be honest and posted as much but it did work on occasion against the weaker sides. I think it was a useful exercise by the coaching staff and I'm not going to complain about innovation but if we were at the business end of the season again next year I'd be hoping Coombes starts every day of the week. Maybe Gleeson/Edogbo/Quinn/Aherne can give us that oomph from the bench that JOD doesn't next season if we can keep a few fit.

JOD is well down the pecking order at international level and I'm not sure if you're serious there about him over Coombes possibly in green, he's still a good player at URC and Heineken level but those injuries robbed us a bit of his true potential. He's got the Mick O'Driscoll/Billy Holland role in the Munster squad now, he'll lead us in those dirty away nights in Wales and Scotland when our best players aren't available and his versatility means he's a great bench option.

I think your comment about his game not translating well could be closest to the truth, maybe not the international level bit of it, I think he'd do well internationally (and he has had good performances in green lest we forget, people seem to focus on his last game where he was just back from injury and had an off day as if that's his level and that's that). Just to how Farrell wants his 8 to play. I just think you get Doris to 6 and JvdF at 7 to do the carrying and leave Coombes blitzing attacking and defensive rucks like he's been doing all season maybe there's a fit there. Get him carrying the dirty yards tieing up tackles, offloading, and carrying close to the tryline. I don't think he'd partner well with Baird at 6, Prendergast maybe. Anyway, it's all moot, I don't think he can have done much more to be honest, if it was a player from another team posting those kind of stats I'd wager their fans would be saying the same.

It's a competitive position and Timoney and Prendergast are fine players too who I admire so good luck to them.

I think you'll find we prefer Frisch bitching nowadays.

I don't get why you're getting so worked up by fans calling for an inform player to be internationally recognised. I disagree with Ulster fans saying to call up Balacoune and Cooney, but I don't go "God, why are they still banging on about Cooney and Balacoune? Ian Dowling and Tomàs O'Leary were far superior players anyways".

Because there is squad number limitations, other players are just better in the eyes of the multiple title winning coach.

It's not difficult to figure out.

Potentially he just thinks that his game wouldn't translate well to international level

It probably isn’t anything more complicated than this tbh.

Farrell and POC have seen plenty of him, they know what he’s about and what he can do, they know what they’re looking for, and he’s further away than ever (it would seem).

While you're correct that luck and timing can play a part in things, it also can't be the only explanation.

Like, you said "Doris coming along after Heaslip" - Doris made his debut three years after Heaslip played his last match, and for his first cap he was picked ahead of Peter O'Mahony in a 6N game. He's proof of the exact opposite of your point, that Farrell will throw a guy in, not because he has to but because the guy is good enough.

Likewise Sheehan, two years had elapsed between Best's last game and his debut, Herring and Kelleher were battling it out for the starting jersey - two very good hookers - but Sheehan absolutely blew past both of them. He didn't need an injury or a retirement to claim his spot.

Joe McCarthy started this year's 6N, relegating James Ryan to the bench and a double Lions tourist couldn't even make the 23.

Ditto Crowley, JGP, Baird - and now apparently Sam Prendergast and Frawley have overtaken Ross Byrne, not because Byrne is injured or playing like a drain, but because Farrell sees more in them, like he saw more in Crowley than he did first in Carbery and then in Byrne.

For Coombes this has just never happened. 

It has happened plenty. Every single player will get a 'break' at some point - the difference is that some players will seize the opportunity, others will not. Coombes - like Deegan, Treadwell, Cooney, Baloucoune, Harry Byrne, Hume, Loughman, Burns, Connors, and any number of others - has had opportunities, he just has not seized them.

Doris broke through at a time when there was an opportunity open.

He didn't though. No one would have guessed that the starting back-row in 2020 would be anything other than POM/VDF/Stander - but Doris was picked to make his test debut in a Six Nations opener, pushing POM (who was still only 30) to the bench and shifting CJ Stander from 8 to 6, and Doris has been a fixture ever since.

also agree that his performance in the chance he did get will count against him.

it wasn't "the" chance though. He had played in the Maori matches the previous summer, he'd been capped in the summer tests the year before, he was in every squad for two years, including the Six Nations squad named two months after the NZ 'A' game when he was supposedly banished to the wilderness. The idea that he was given one go and then cast aside for one bad game is not accurate.

For Coombes to get a cap now he needs more than just playing really well.

Well, Conan is out, and he hasn't been picked. I'm not sure what else he needs.