Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

How is it possibly laughable?! This is such a ridiculous take.

Do you think there is any semblance of rugby IQ amongst all of Richie Murphy, Leo Cullen, Jacques Nienaber, Andy Farrell etc that might differ from your way overly simplistic analysis of his game, when they've all backed him at a really young age?

I very much hope he will be the starting 10 for Leinster for the remainder of this season.

Bizarre to pick out a random phase or two where it didn't work out for Crowley. Sure you could do the same for SP where he dithered on the ball and got emptied or went one way, then the other then booted it out on the full.

It's great that we got some minutes into SP. Pity we didn't do the same in other positions like LH. I've my concerns about him being a starter based on what I saw, he's a really lovely passer, that probably stood out most. I'd like to see him get game-time now for his club at Heineken level.

Ironically, he'd probably get better learning of match experience with Ireland than Leinster in terms of he'll probably have more of an armchair ride for most of his games with Leinster, which will make him look great but not really testing/performing under pressure.

It'll be interesting to see if Leo and co. go with him for the next while.

My point on the two specific scenarios I pointed out was that it was during sequences where there wasn't an obvious impediment to stall our momentum. Sometimes you have great plans and the opposition come up with a dominant tackle and win the gainline, or sometimes someone gets in for a quick poach etc and slows your ball - but in the two scenarios I'm talking about we largely have good quality front foot ball, and still seem to be out of ideas within two or three phases and running into each other behind the gainline.

As I've also said - I'm not basing this solely on his brief and very good cameo from Saturday either.

Do you (and others who seem to defend him to the death) accept the fact that it seems like Andy Farrell is critical of aspects of his game?

Because if you accept that (and I don't know how you couldn't) then you start to think about what might that be? His defending is largely excellent. His kicking from hand needs a little improvement IMO, but his kicking from the tee is trending the right direction and pretty good. His actual passing from hand is good. He has a good quick pass and seems to have good width to his passing (not as good as Prendergast here though).

So to me, a lot of what makes a good out half he is clearly doing very well on and has all the capabilities. The obvious area of weakness for me right now is his command and structuring of the attack.

let’s forget prendergast v Crowley for now

No matter how you dice it Ireland were poor this autumn.

In the forwards.
I would be very worried by the form of Bernie, porter and Joe McCartney. They are usually excellent players but this autumn they did not play as they usually do. Very quiet.
the lineout was very poor with very little clean quick ball won at the back

In the backs.
Our back 3 of Hanson Lowe and Keenan played like the new rules don’t suit them.
Neither wing is fast enough for these new rules.
Keenan is usually a lovely player but seems out of form and lacks spark.
Gibson park another great player looked like the new rules don’t suit him either, he has a great pass but offers no running threat and that is a problem as opposing teams are staying on their feet at ruck time.

If our 9 and 10 don’t offer a running game, our breakdown is too hard to clear and so we don’t have super quick ball, and our lineout is not functioning properly and offering fast ball off the back , we are going to struggle going forward.

The coaches need to change things fast.

And my response to you is that significantly better rugby minds than any of us on here, people who are across all the detail of the gameplans, the data, who see these guys train and how they carry themselves in the squad, have decided that far from it being laughable, that they have had faith in him to start our last two internationals.

As indeed, they did for Henderson, POM, Murray etc to be on the bench. So I imagine if I scrolled back up I would find no quibbles or questions from you about the selection of any players.

To be clear, I have zero interest in debating Prendergast.

My point is merely that if you're going to invoke "coaches know best", then a) there's not a whole lot of point discussing selection on this forum and b) be prepared to have it thrown back in your face any time you question a selection.

I think 3 starts together at club level, and a few probable sub appearances (I didn't check these).

Is it that obvious that the lineout can be fixed

None of the half backs played particularly well

The attack looks at its lowest point in years

There's a big difference between your comment "no point discussing selection on this forum" - something I'm happy to do in good faith with anyone, and someone claiming the very notion that he be selected is "laughable". There has to be some common sense applied.

Also thought Keenan has his best game v Oz

Casey didn't look shaky, I thought he had two excellent performances.

JGP was nominated for European Rugby Player of the Year just this year. He was absolutely outstanding in some of his performances earlier this season, and was really good (especially defensively) against NZ just a few weeks ago.

Look at times with Leinster, even id look good at 9

I felt he lacked control in the NZ although made some great tackles

Same with casey

why are some people discounting Frawley

He was very good against Fiji and yes he was poor against the all blacks but so was most of the players.
Bealham made some clangers against Australia , should he be discounted now.

I like Frawley and what he offers. It took stones to what he did in South Africa and if Farrell had backed him after the all blacks game I think Frawley would have repaid that.