Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

Selection Can't be based on week-to-week form. But farrell has a season of form generally above Henshaw. So how does it make sense to keep selecting Henshaw?

Tom Farrell is younger than both Aki & Henshaw!!

It's such complete cobblers - 'now don't pick a guy who's been playing better than the 3 incumbents for over a year....' , why? Cos you can't be picking international teams on form now, can you!?

And then, even sillier, ' now you can't be going picking Tom Farrell at centre, cos he'll be 34 at the next RWC.....' why not? As the guys he would be replacing would be 34 & 37 then!! Like how does that make sense exactly!?

Basically, for some reason, there's a bunch of prominent posters on here continously defending stupid, self defeating, stuck in the mud selection policies by AF , by saying incoherent things like you shouldn't select on provincial form (!?) , and that you shouldn't introduce a centre now who might be around for the next RWC, then aged 34, when he's actually younger than the staid, clapped out international players he should be replacing right now!!

This is all just such nonsensical nonsense!!

Ah jaysis, I hope Edogbo isn't injured again. Gleeson's injury looked ominous, hopefully it's not too bad

Delighted for Farrell. Given our injuries at fullback I'm a bit mystified as to why someone like Lowry or Haley haven't been looked at.

(Or is the plan to play Osbourne there?)

Osborne? No, I wouldn't say so. I think he can do a number of positions very well but I'm still to be convinced that he's top-quality in any of them.

McCloskey/Ringrose isn't a combination I can remember ever starting for Ireland. Could be an interesting pairing if it comes about.

Translation : Aki and Henshaw are out of the NZL game.

I still remember when the Irish coaches, while they were coaching the lions, say that McCarthy could make test 2…4 months later and he’s still not fit.

It’s at the point where if he couldn’t get a call up now then when will he?

The issue for any Irish 13 looking to break into the squad is Ringrose. He's been one of the best outside centres in the world for a long time now. He's simply better than the other options.

He's generally been available for most of Farrell's tenure and if he's been injured/suspended mid-series Farrell has preferred selecting a centre within the current squad.

Was Gleeson going on this tour as a development type player? I.e. tackle bag holder and getting used of the international setup?

If not, why haven't we added another no.8 to the squad? Conan and Doris currently are both not fit for selection I believe. Doris hasn't played since May and has had shoulder surgery. And Conan was withdrawn late before the Munster game with a knee injury and hasn't played since the Lions tour. Surely be to God we are not going to have them both in the match day 23 vs NZ? With neither of them having had played any rugby yet this season in their first games back from injury.

My Gavin Coombes conspiracy theories are growing by the day.

I think Doris might be available for NZ. The podcasts said he might be and might even be available for Leinster this week agaisnt Zebre this week. But I don't know if he's travelling to Chicago today.

Osbourne is fast becoming the new Frawley, plugging gaps without nailing down a starting position. We've seen so little of him for an extended run in any particular position it's hard to see how he'll go.

Doris was the water boy for Leinster I believe at the weekend, that’s usually and indication that he’s not far away from being fit.