Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

50HX · 15-10-2025 02:40PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907822#Comment_123907822

V tier 1 teams we don't do squad rotations, outside of the match day 23 there maybe some rotation

darkened_scrum · 15-10-2025 02:48PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907781#Comment_123907781

Can you name the younger players you mean here please? What would be your XV against NZ?

pickarooney · 15-10-2025 02:53PM

Henshaw always starts the season slow and gets written off. I wouldn't bin him yet but it's last chance saloon

crusd · 15-10-2025 02:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123905457#Comment_123905457

Updated with ages at date of 2027 W/C quarter finals.

Forwards

Hookers: Dan Sheehan (Leinster)- 29, Rónan Kelleher (Leinster) - 29, Gus McCarthy (Leinster) - 24. Props: Andrew Porter (Leinster) - 31, Jack Boyle (Leinster) - 25, Michael Milne (Munster) - 28, Tadhg Furlong (Leinster) - 35, Finlay Bealham (Connacht) - 36, Thomas Clarkson (Leinster) - 27. Locks: Joe McCarthy (Leinster) - 26, James Ryan (Leinster) - 31, Tadhg Beirne (Munster) - 35, Cormac Izuchukwu (Ulster) - 27, Iain Henderson (Ulster) - 35. Backrow: Caelan Doris (Leinster) - 29, Josh van der Flier (Leinster) - 34, Ryan Baird (Leinster) - 28, Jack Conan (Leinster) - 35, Nick Timoney (Ulster) - 32, Cian Prendergast (Connacht)- 27.

Backs

Scrumhalves: Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster) - 35, Craig Casey (Munster)- 28, Ben Murphy (Connacht) - 26. Outhalves: Sam Prendergast (Leinster) -24, Jack Crowley (Munster) - 27, Ciarán Frawley (Leinster) - 29. Centres: Bundee Aki (Connacht) - 37, Robbie Henshaw (Leinster) - 34, Stuart McCloskey (Ulster) - 35, Garry Ringrose (Leinster) - 32. Outside backs: James Lowe (Leinster) - 35, Mack Hansen (Connacht) - 29, Jamie Osborne (Leinster) - 25, Jacob Stockdale (Ulster) - 31, Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster) 30, Tommy O’Brien (Leinster) - 29.

Its a massive problem

Podge_irl · 15-10-2025 02:55PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907877#Comment_123907877

He didn't end the last one particularly well either.

Clegg · 15-10-2025 03:01PM

Delighted that Doris is back. World Class player who makes us immediately better.

Big call on Paddy McCarthy too. There's a place available as Porters back up. Has looked good in his appearances this season.

https://twitter.com/IrishRugby/status/1978475655621931055?t=rZQMycbQlH7J2k74l-Jsdg&s=09

Podge_irl · 15-10-2025 03:01PM

Reasonably uninspiring. I would feel better if they were at least playing Osborne at 12, but they aren't going to I imagine.

Former Former Former · 15-10-2025 03:02PM

a few differences vs Thornley

Clegg · 15-10-2025 03:04PM

Shayne Bolton, Edwin Edogbo and Brian Gleeson will travel with the squad as well. Looks like they're this test windows development players.

Former Former Former · 15-10-2025 03:04PM

Paddy McCarthy the big surprise obviously.

Blade is a bit of a head-scratcher.

FtD v2 · 15-10-2025 03:05PM

Shayne Bolton, Edwin Edogbo and Brian Gleeson travelling to Chicago as training panelists too.

crusd · 15-10-2025 03:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907893#Comment_123907893

Caolin Blade…..need to maximize the over 30's involved at this stage in the world cup cycle!

At least including Ahern and McCarthy is a positive i suppose

AbusesToilets · 15-10-2025 03:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907811#Comment_123907811

I feel like chasing rankings is such a pointless exercise. We're not going to drop out of the top 6, being realistic. The way the draw works, there's always the likely hood that there's a team playing badly when the bands are finalised, that will be playing better come the WC, who gets thrown into a pool of death. There's too much vagary involved to stress about it.

To be brutal, it hasn't mattered when it's come to losing QFs what our ranking has been. We've been up, we've been down, the results have been the same. Perhaps it would be better to focus on building a better team, than chase ranking points.

Clegg · 15-10-2025 03:08PM

Squad announcement also stressed that Keenan, Joe McCarthy, Izuchukwu and Nash are all unavailable due to injury.

Former Former Former · 15-10-2025 03:09PM

Also:

The Ireland XV squad to face Spain on Saturday, 8 November in Leganés will be named next week.

AbusesToilets · 15-10-2025 03:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907902#Comment_123907902

Where is Blade coming from? No shade to him, but seems very left field. I'd have brought Harry over Frawley too tbh.

1 new player in the backs is crazy imo. There's so many guys tearing it up, that are just being ignored again. There's what, 20ish games before the WC, and we're wasting a fifth of them without any real changes. I don't see what Stockdale has shown over JOB either for FB, not to mention Jimmy covers more positions.

aloooof · 15-10-2025 03:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907926#Comment_123907926

Presumably he feels he needs some experience at SH, with Murray retiring; but I go back to the point I made about Casey only getting 22 mins vs Tier 1 Nations last Autumn. He was unlucky to be injured during the 6N's, but if he had gotten more game time and experience in the AI's (and he's been excellent for 12-18 months now) it might've freed Farrell up to selected Murphy, Devine or Gunne as the 3rd choice now.

And therein lies a broader point; conservatism can compound further down the line.

It's a pretty underwhelming squad, tbh, and not all that surprising.

TRC10 · 15-10-2025 03:19PM

They do make it hard to get excited about Irish rugby don’t they

crusd · 15-10-2025 03:27PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907822#Comment_123907822

Picking players in their 30's who are not going to make a first choice 23 is not balance. Its bizarre

AbusesToilets · 15-10-2025 03:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907941#Comment_123907941

It's a great point. Younger guys don't get picked, due to lack of experience, so they never get experience. I like Blade a lot, but he's really unlikely to challenging for a starting berth in 2 years. Casey should be, one of the younger guys could be too.

shootermacg · 15-10-2025 03:31PM

Andy and the friends he's made along the way :D Any chance of DJ Church for the banging tunes?

Former Former Former · 15-10-2025 03:31PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907926#Comment_123907926

Unless Murphy is injured, I presume Blade is there for an experienced head who can cover against the ABs in a pinch (which he did quite well against SA last year, in fairness to him).

As for "so many guys tearing it up, that are just being ignored again", I'm not sure there are many tbh.

Podge_irl · 15-10-2025 03:34PM

I don't see what the point of the 4 octogenarian centres and Frawley is. Just leave Henshaw out, he doesn't deserve to be there (and he absolutely can not cover 13 anymore).

Podge_irl · 15-10-2025 03:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907974#Comment_123907974

You have to assume he will bring other players in for e.g. Japan, but if he is going to announce this as the squad for the 4 test series why not include one other young 9? Just have 4 of them if you really think you need the mature backup.

AbusesToilets · 15-10-2025 03:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907865#Comment_123907865

I'd go for something like

Porter
Sheehan
Clarkson
Ahern or Murray (not sure if they typically play TH lock)
Ryan
Baird
VdF
Doris
JGP
Whichever 10 shows up best
Lowe
Osborne
Ringrose (if fit) Gavin if not
TOB
JOB or Hansen
McCarthy
McCarthy
Furlong (if fit)
Ahern or Murray
one of Prendergast, Soroka, Gleeson, or Timony
Casey
The other 10
JOB or Hansen

In terms of young players specifically, I'd like to see the young centres rewarded. Gavin, Cooney, Forde, Postlewaith. Backrow players like Soroka, Gleeson, Timony, and I'm sure there's others I'm not thinking of at the moment. Some of the SHs, like Gunne, Murphy and Devine.

bingobango12 · 15-10-2025 03:37PM

Whatever about Henshaw and Henderson (I don't agree with either being picked), having Blade in the squad is crazy stuff. Is he not 3rd choice 9 now at Connacht? Any 1 of Gunne, Murphy, Devine, Doak, even Ethan Coughlan who had a good 30 minutes last week should be there ahead.

aloooof · 15-10-2025 03:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907974#Comment_123907974

The point being, if he had given Casey more gametime and experience, it would've freed him up to select a young guy in that 3rd choice role, which is kinda what you want.

Any of Murphy, Devine, Gunne or Doak could've been selected and it would be preferable.

The conservatism with Casey had prompted further conservatism with Blade.

johnh6767 · 15-10-2025 03:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907962#Comment_123907962

Don’t disagree with this either but changing for age is a tricky decision, Henshaw a good example who could have a massive role to play despite him getting older and slower. I always think about how we prematurely wrote off Sexton too early

darkened_scrum · 15-10-2025 03:49PM

Blade is a very disappointing and honestly bizarre pick. Otherwise it's a good squad.

aloooof · 15-10-2025 03:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123907879#Comment_123907879

11 of those guys will be 34+ come the next RWC . It's becoming a big problem tbh.

Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

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