Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

Great game last night and delighted with Munster win. I really do think they made a statement to Irish rugby. Please for the interest of the national team can management pick from players playing at this level. If you are third choice for Leinster the expectation should be you need to move away AND become first choice to play for Ireland. It will be better for the national team and encourage competition/ambition etc

Since this game involves the Ireland squad missing a round of the URC (including an interpro), giving the provinces a few days’ notice of who’s called up would be very unfair.

Id like to think there will be a few more call ups after the weekend. Let's face it there should be.

Yeah but you also want a basic level of working relationship between the two.

Either way, the squad assembles tomorrow for a flight on Tuesday, they had to name it last week.

And I agree. But the broader point being, just cos Farrell picks him doesn’t de facto mean it’s the right decision / he’s picked the better player etc.

Nor does it mean mistakes haven't been made in the past.

Which is fine. The broader point I'm making is that it's oft-repeated on here that Farrell sees them in training / Farrell knows more than us etc. The undertone being we shouldn't question his decisions.

Boards is probably the only place I've come across this notion. I honestly don't think I've ever encountered that attitude in, say, GAA or soccer, say.

They’re unconnected though. Henshaw’s apparent decline does not make Farrell one day younger.

With Aki going to be 37, Henshaw 34, McCloskey 35 and even Ringrose going to be 32 at the RWC, we just can’t look to a guy who’ll also be 34 for the answer.

It’s cruel because Farrell is a quality player but just unfortunate to have been born the year he was.

I think we could be in for a bit of a reality check against NZ, SA and quite possible Aus. The team has quite clearly been in decline performance wise for the last year and while we’ve still been winning most games, which has somewhat papered over the cracks, France brutally exposed us in the 6N and what Munster did to the bulk of the Ireland team last night is very worrying.

There should have been a steady evolution of the team post RWC ‘23, but Farrell opted to stick with the same guys and try to eke out every last result from them. But we’ve seen over the last year that this team is over the hill and needs new blood. But with the latest squad announcement he’s once again failed to do this. I think we all know where this is heading. You look at France, England, NZ and SA and see them brining in new guys, refreshing their squad and building depth, but Farrell is simply refusing to do this. I desperately want us to get past the quarters in 2027 but I just can’t see it happening the way we’re doing things.

SA used 47 players in the Rugby Championship. They absolutely are building depth. Could you ever see us doing that in a 6N? Not a chance.

The Irish Rugby squad is a closed shop. Harder to get out of than it is to get into. Munster made an absolute mockery of Farrell’s selections last night.

It would be a lovely story but giving a player a first cap at the age of 32 would generally be met with outrage on here.

Ahh now. 'Outrage on here'

There's always outrage on here. Hardly the barometer is it?

Ha, touché sir.