Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

Well if you look at the two selected centres, you've got two battering rams. And Henshaw is hellishly difficult to tackle as is Aki. So I'd say that's where to look for reasons.

I can understand the selection of POM for this game. Scotland have potentially the best attacking game in this competition. We'll need someone who is an expert at slowing the oppositions ball at the ruck. That's what O'Mahony has been brilliant at for years.

Caelan Doris has become the most effective ruck cheater in Europe in recent years. Having the two of them in the backrow makes sense.

I can understand the selection of POM for this game. Scotland have a strong backrow when it comes to ruck time, Ritchie and Darge if left unchecked could make a mess of our ruck ball. Baird's prowess is in the lineout and carrying in wide channels, he's not top level when it comes to securing quick ruck ball. Conan is an elite carrier, but again not noted for his ruck work. POM is the opposite, not a top level carrier, but his game is all about the ruck and lineout. That's where he is/was elite.

The Curry's made a mess of our ruck ball for the 1st 50mins of the England game, the POM selection is to ensure that Scotland don't do the same. That's all POM will play barring injury to others. His job is to secure our ruck ball and lineout ball.

The sh*thousery angle is just clickbait. He may engage in that but that's not why he was picked.

Edit: Scotland team just named and they've picked Dempsey and dropped Ritchie. Think that helps us if anything. Dempsey is a good carrier but hardly a world beater. I'd have Ritchie over him any day.

well done to POM, well deserved and shows he is still a fantastic player for ireland .

Would he put retirement on hold for another shot at the lions ?

Would be a great way to end an excellent career.

I agree with POM starting due to the impact the bench is going to have when they all come on, but why is it well deserved? Has he not been injured and missed most Munster games this season?

The Scotland team has been named. They've gone 6-2 for their bench.

My off the top of the head data says Sheehan is the better. But there are so many intricacies to the lineout that it's hard to know. I'm sure there's some stats guru out there with data, but I don't know of them.

Like that throw that Itoje got penalised for. Without the intervention of the ref (kudos to Ben O'Keefe for that one) we'd probably have been blaming the hooker. Itoje's little push was so innocuous looking but so effective.

this comment hopefully ages badly! I reckon he will go better Sunday than last outing

What’s that got to do with anything? I asked why is it well deserved for POM to start as the poster stated. I never mentioned anyone “deserving” to start so am interested to hear why it’s deserved for POM to start when he’s played so little this year. Exact same thing I’d ask if someone said that it’s well deserved that Baird starts.

How? we are nearly mid way between world cups and we are reverting to POM instead of investing gametime in the likes of Izuchukwu/Baird/Prendergast or even Tom Ahern at 6.

Likewise at LHP I think we should be getting Jack Boyle some meaningful gametime instead of waiting until the summer when we play Portugal, georgia and Romania.

Murray In the 21 shirt I get given Casey is injured