Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

Honest question; do you think if Farrell picks Prendergast ahead of Crowley for Chicago it would be a mistake?

Crowley had a stinker in December away in Castres and the media jumped all over it. No consideration was given to the fact that it was probably the Munster packs worst performance of the season, where a gamble on starting Gleeson didn't pay off and that Craig Casey also went off injured in the first half. Subsequently this seems to have stuck in peoples minds and defined his season while his brilliant recovery performance against Northampton away was largely ignored because Munster lost and the Sam narrative was in full swing.

It could all be reversed come 6N time depending on how the next few months go but isn’t that what we want in every position on the pitch?!

I think there's an argument that at 10, moreso than any other position, you want a settled selection building towards a RWC, given how pivotal a position it is.

I remember George Hook* as far back as the 2011 RWC making the case we were the only Tier 1 nation who didn't know our first choice 10 going in to the RWC.

*Yes, consider the source, but there is the crux of a point there.

For this AI's I still think I'd like to see both starting 2 games, but the closer we get to the RWC, I think we need a settled option.

Yeah that's what the evidence shows. I don't mind them giving Prendergast a chance last year. The thinking was sound. He showed great talent in some areas of 10 play in his early career. He was genuinely a cut above the rest in 10 specific play at U20s level (passing, kicking and organising the backline).

I think they knew about his obvious deficiencies in carrying and tackling and hoped they would develop over time. And now we're in the phase where if those aspects don't develop then it's a failed experiment. But the experiment was a good idea. Until he develops those other crucial aspects (if he ever develops them) he is likely to be behind Crowley, who is more rounded.

There will probably be some more sharing the jersey to give him the chance to either reduce the deficiencies or find mitigations before the world cup. If the world cup was tomorrow and you had to pick the strongest 15, Crowley would be the man to start. But the world cup isn't tomorrow, so they'll continue to develop both of them. I'm mostly fine with that

Yeah the possibility of a third or fourth contender would mean they'd probably need to make a decision to drop one of the contenders.

Bernard Jackman is talking about Connacht signing Carbery for next year. I like the idea but I've no idea how realistic it is. He might force the issue if he came back on great form too.

Good point (despite the source 😁). You could argue that France are the only top team who know their 10 at the moment (albeit we’re still two years out from RWC2027).

Wasted on the wing??? Spoken like a forward.

What about his kicking for touch, catching and positional play? Is he James Lowe good at that kind of kicking?

But, more seriously, maybe it’s the start of something new?

I'd rather start Doris and get a good 50 minutes out of him. We've seen Conan have major impact off the bench relatively recently also. He and Sheehan turned the England game around for us.

Would also rather McCloskey at 23 or a different utility back. Henshaw looks to be on the decline as a player. Maybe an impact role from the bench for 20 minutes might work? Don't like it though. Thornley hasn't always gotten these calls right. Hope he's incorrect on this one in particular.

We're going to miss McCarthy for this one. Finished the season well and carried that on for the Lions.

I watched clips of Ireland v SA in the last World Cup and the pace from the key playmakers in passing , running and decision making just looks very different to today. 2 years ago they were at their pinnacle and today it’s hard not to feel that they are not post peak. Still great players. But post peak and 2 years down the line is quite worrying. Hopefully the introduction of the younger players will help bridge the gap

Even if you go back a further 2 years to the AI's where we beat NZ 29-20, the starting 15 was as follows (it was mentioned on some podcast during the week, I forget which one):

1. Porter
2. Kelleher
3. Furlong
4. Henderson
5. Ryan
6. Doris
7. VdF
8. Conan
9. JGP
10. Sexton
11. Lowe
12. Aki
13. Ringrose
14. Conway
15. Keenan

The likelihood is we'll see a very similar looking team announced for this weekend, so it is hard not to think this team are post-peak and in need for some new blood, imo.