Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

roverjoyce · 11-03-2025 10:02AM

Jesus they are talking already about giving the 3 a fitting send off on Saturday

What is the point of them playing?

What other team /sport does this to players over the hill.

CONSI · 11-03-2025 11:08AM

big financial hit for the IRFU from this 6 nations. not what they needed after a big loss last year. 6 million down, money that could have helped the provinces a lot

Clegg · 11-03-2025 11:10AM

The IRFU aren't going to be down 6 million. They never budget to finish first in the Six Nations.

Greengrass53 · 11-03-2025 11:12AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123251584#Comment_123251584

Exactly. What's the deal with Murray, Pom and Healy. Thought they were now retired. Forgotten but not gone?

Paul Smeenus · 11-03-2025 11:47AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253103#Comment_123253103

They budget to be top two, so we'll be down a million if England get 5 points against Wales.

Jump_In_Jack · 11-03-2025 12:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253100#Comment_123253100

Is the 6 million loss based on a grand slam win versus coming 3rd?
That's an amazing statement if true; that one match could have meant that much more money.
It just shows how much pressure the Irish management would have been under to win it, and therefore the decisions they made around selection and tactics would have to have been purely to get a win, and no mind towards developing anything for the future.
By that I mean, the selection of wings, and 10 were in the opinion of the Irish management the best available choices and the strategy and attack/defence systems that were implemented were with a view to winning.
Critiquing selection/strategy/attack/defence systems I think the Irish management may not have had a good outing against France. Part of that would lead on from the decisions made throughout the campaign and even from the last AI, in respect of blooding new players and getting a more potent attack in place.

The match at the weekend was disappointing on many levels, I think the management have to take some criticism on board.
Did they get the balance wrong between blooding new players and using experienced players?
After this 6N we probably need to start building towards the next World Cup in autumn 2027.
How we evolve our play and bring the next generation up to the standard expected will be a very interesting endeavour.

hold my beer · 11-03-2025 01:02PM

There was an article on RTE about it this morning. A lot bigger gap between 1st and last than I thought.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/six-nations/2025/0310/1501342-jackman-6m-drop-in-6n-income-would-cost-irfu-dearly/

AbusesToilets · 11-03-2025 01:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253248#Comment_123253248

they budget for finishing 4th iirc

Paul Smeenus · 11-03-2025 01:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253518#Comment_123253518

"The IRFU, while never budgeting for a grand slam campaign, have become used to top-two finishes – runners-up and back-to-back champions in the last three seasons – and are likely to have budgeted accordingly. " That's form the artilce @hold my beer shared.

The article isn't definitive, but I assume they have a bit more insight than us. I know you're right in that they did make coming fourth part of their KPIs on their financial report a number of years ago (and also included getting past a RWC QF), but I wouldn't be surprised if they'd lifted that target.

awec · 11-03-2025 01:38PM

I refuse to believe the IRFU budget for finishing 4th based on how we've been doing recently. A 4th place finish for us would be absolutely rubbish.

AbusesToilets · 11-03-2025 02:11PM

I'd be surprised if they abandoned a successful financial strategy in time of serious economic distress, both generally and in rugby specifically

Tommysocks11 · 11-03-2025 06:01PM

I think the problem is nienbar and goodman, with catt we were creative with pods and decoy runners, with goodman we seem bereft of ideas only one out runners, nienbar gets his teams to overpower the opposition and uses blitz defence, works most of time for leinster as its basically the irish team but different story when we come up against SA, france and England etc, also regarding joe mccarthy, no wonder he is lazy and complacent as he broke through last year and has been undroppable since even though his displays have been poor, it seems it's harder to get off than onto the irish 15, same story with POM, healy and Murray etc

johnh6767 · 11-03-2025 07:04PM

Leicester chasing Crowley according to media reports, £600k per season contract. They obviously smell blood and see an opportunity to pounce after what many feel was poor decision making / disrespect shown by Irish management . Big loss for Munster and Ireland if it happens but I totally understand if he decides to leave Ireland behind him , harder to drop the red jersey than the green I suspect!

The Iron Giant · 11-03-2025 07:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123254693#Comment_123254693

If he's happy to bail on his international career after being dropped to the bench for just four or five games, good luck to him. He's not entitled to be Ireland's starting 10, nobody is. I personally think he should have had a start or two in this 6 Nations campaign but he's hardly been left in the wilderness for years.

This notion of 'disrespect' is laughable. Should he have started a couple of games recently? Yeah probably. But disrespect? Give me a break, he's a professional rugby player and wasn't as if he was sent off to the Ireland A team.

letsbefair · 11-03-2025 07:11PM

The only reason they are going for Crowley is that they can't afford Sam

mod: warned for trolling / baiting.

niallm77 · 11-03-2025 07:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123254705#Comment_123254705

Ouch 🤣

letsbefair · 11-03-2025 07:25PM

Mea culpa, I was trying to be funny given the last few days

ersatz · 11-03-2025 07:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123254693#Comment_123254693

Every single Irish player who is a regular in the 23 over the last number of years would be paid better in the UK or France.

TRC10 · 11-03-2025 07:28PM

Wouldn’t begrudge him at all if he opted to go abroad and make bag. He was playing well for Ireland before being cast aside in favour of a guy who did nothing to earn the jersey. And then limited to short cameos out of his favourite position even when the other guy was stinking out the joint. He has every right to feel hard done by. If he does leave these shores I think the apathy that Munster fans currently feel towards team Ireland will turn to distain.

letsbefair · 11-03-2025 07:30PM

However there is an attractive tax/pension deal in Ireland and the players are better looked after and tend to have longer careers.

The Iron Giant · 11-03-2025 07:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123254748#Comment_123254748

Cast aside? It's been five games, not five years. Good chance he'll start in the Autumn series and maybe even this weekend.

If he's that precious or entitled that the toys are out of the pram after two months, the team is better off without him.

He has a great career ahead of him (with plenty of starts for Ireland) and we need two out-halves who can step up - and he's one of them. But if a 25 year old with 23 caps gets their nose put out of joint that easily, well then see ya later Jack. He's not Dan Carter, Johnny Sexton or Owen Farrell - yet anyway.

vetinari · 11-03-2025 07:52PM

He was dropped for a guy who'd played about 15 professional matches??

Prendergast has yet to show himself to be better than Crowley.

That also scuppered any chance he had of going on the Lions.

If Crowley had started this six nations, he'd definitely be on the plane.

How exactly would you expect him not to be pissed off?

Horrendous man management from Farrell.

niallm77 · 11-03-2025 07:53PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123254830#Comment_123254830

Farrell/easterby #1 priority is ireland in the short medium and long term and not the Lions.

AbusesToilets · 11-03-2025 07:54PM

be a good time for him to go. Sign a 2 year contract, make himself available in time for the WC.

The Iron Giant · 11-03-2025 08:03PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123254830#Comment_123254830

You do realise that in any situation where you try or try to develop new players that they displace (temporarily or permanently) players with more caps than them - that's kind of how it works. Yet you expect that if they don't show that they're better within 2 or 3 games, they should be sent back to where they came from and never heard from again.

Do you think Murray should have left Ireland as soon as Casey started being named on the bench? Should Stockdale leave the country because Nash got the call-up ahead of him last weekend? How about Frawley when he kicked us to a win against South Africa and then hasn't really been seen since? Of course not, its a squad game and nobody is entitled to the jersey. You stick with it and come back better.

Munster fans need to stop being so precious about Crowley, its embarrassing. He's still young, he'll get his games and he'll probably smash it and as a Leinster fan, I can't wait to see it.

Should he have been dropped to the bench for all the 6N games so far? Probably not. Personally I'd like to have seen them rotated a bit more with the starts split but its the coaches decision and hindsight is a wonderful thing. Had Ireland beaten France and Italy, Prendergast would have been the starting 10 of a Grand Slam team.

I hope Crowley is pissed off and I hope it drives him to become better than he already is. But if he jumps ship as soon as he's pissed off, then have at it. He hasn't earned the right to demand the jersey, nobody has.

Podge_irl · 11-03-2025 08:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123254830#Comment_123254830

You do realise Farrell is the one picking the Lions squad right?

I'm not getting into the 10 debate, but if he is pissed off enough after one 6N to just up and leave that's not on the Irish coaching team. I don't really think he'll leave though.

standardg60 · 11-03-2025 08:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123254783#Comment_123254783

If he doesn't start at 10 this weekend after Sam's sh1tshow I wouldn't blame him for feeling disheartened.

I noticed last night on ATH for France's first try that Nash was put in the 10 channel to defend any break off from the maul with Sam 'hidden' on the wing where he was way too deep. Immediately spotted by Dupont who went that side. If we're setting up defence solely to cover a known frailty, it will be quickly exposed at international level.

Worse, having to do it in the first place means that player is not ready to be in the team yet, and the rest of the players know it.

The Iron Giant · 11-03-2025 08:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123254885#Comment_123254885

I agree. I wouldn't blame him either, I'd understand being disheartened to some extent. But leaving the country based on it… if anyone thinks that's a rational decision (not saying that you are saying it), they need their heads checked.

sprucemoose · 11-03-2025 08:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123254865#Comment_123254865

but SP hasnt really earned it either? he barely played for leinster before he played for ireland and he hasnt exactly shot the lights out since then either (he also hasnt been anywhere near as bad as some are making out either). JC on the other hand, has won a 6N where Ireland were a last-minute drop goal away from a grand slam, won a test in South Africa and at club level has won a URC. he also has generally played really well (arguably much better than SP) when coming on at 10 and yet has been relegated to limited gametime at 12/15 since

so if youre saying JC hasnt 'earned' the right to demand the jersey, i dont really think you can say SP has really 'earned' anything yet either

sprucemoose · 11-03-2025 08:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123254877#Comment_123254877

it would be on them though, i think farrell has done brilliantly overall during his tenure but its also not crazy to say that he and now easterby have not handled the current OH situation well at all

Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

Comments