This is absolutely not a "Farrell can do no wrong" post, but in reality players get their chance in the international training squads and that is going to be what the coaches select them on. And Coombes has been in a lot of training squads, so he's clearly not doing something the coaches want - something I can only assume that was not corrected in the few caps that he has had.
I think he probably deserved more caps. But given he is behind probably our current best player and a 6 times Lion I'm pretty sanguine about it - I don't think it would make any big difference.
35 is not outrageous but we're in serious danger or going back down the same avenues again as we've done since time immemorial. Brining aged players to a WC because they have credit in the bank and expecting them to work miracles. While younger players who have shown great form for their provinces stay at home playing URC.
There were plenty of posters on here who thought a 35 year old POM was too old to be in the 6N squad for the tournament just gone. He had plenty of credit in the bank too and was a former Lions captain. And he blocked the selection of Ryan Baird. Which is it?
Which is it?
I don't know, you'd have to ask the posters in question. I was a huge champion of POM's selection right up to his last game and I'd have loved to have had him on Saturday night.
Izuchukwu or Soroka for me. They tick a lot of boxes. Powerful, excellent lineout jumpers, good ball skills.
In fact I'd liken Vermuelen more to Coombes than to Conan i.e. a heavy tight carrier.
Izuchukwu who mostly plays as a lock for Ulster and never plays no.8? Soroka who has 11 senior appearances for Leinster?
Gavin Coombes should be worried about Brian Gleeson behind him rather than two-time Lion Jack Conan and Ireland captain Caelan Doris ahead of him.
There are levels here, and Coombes has never shown that he's in the same league as the other two.
11 senior appearances doesnt hinder Farrells view
Paddy mc & Edogbo were called in with v little/less.
Hansen was capped after 9 appearances for Connacht, albeit he was Brumbies b4 that but I'd wager that had little to do with his selection
Hope Soroka gets a real crack at it with Leinster
players get their chance in the international training squads and that is going to be what the coaches select them on
training squads
And I think there's an obvious point that this would be a mistake, as training now doesn't have nearly as much contact as a game setting.
Never shown it where, at club level?
Just for reference these are Izuchukwu's appearance positions for Ulster for the season just gone.
And Alex Soroka who also doesn't seem to play no.8 and has never played a CC game for Leinster:
Plus if Ireland want to go deep in a RWC - They play the last group game and Doris gets injured, low and behold the 35 yearld Conan is starting a QF. The less athletic and powerful Jack, who can no longer play the 80 effectively.
Alongside jvdf (34), Beirne (35), Furlong (34/35).
The way were going here, 35 year old Henderson will also be brought as another 'bench player'.
Which is exactly how it should be.
Some guys need a lot of chances, others need one.
And most of the truly top-class players are usually in the latter category.
Don't forget the 37 year old Aki in the no. 23 shirt!
Joking aside, the no.12 jersey is becoming a major problem with Aki on the wane and Henshaw playing badly.
Didn't Johnny Sexton need several chances to breakthrough with both Leinster and Ireland and he went on to be arguably our best player of the professional era? That seemed to be documented in detail in his autobiography that I read.
Exactly this; there are 2 risks at play here imo:
Yep, he was definitely a late bloomer. His weird physique didn't help his cause.
But on the other hand, when his really big chance came, he took it and he never looked back.
Totally agree. And too add to this. Ireland were doing well until Furlong and Stu went off. they were the only one making yards in the carry.
How did the ABs beat Ireland? Simple, kick long and just give Ireland the ball, over and over.
Leinster have been dining out on the back of a great front row and a top openside. We saw against Munster and again against a pretty average NZ that that pack have nothing for proper teams. They can't force compressions, they're literally being driven backwards when they carry.
Andy has literally transferred the Leinster game plan to Ireland, and if that plan / team isn't good enough to beat Northampton or Munster, how is it supposed to win against international teams. This plan and team struggled against Wales and Italy and got pumped against France.
It's not a case of the players being too old, it's a case of the players being too old and not fitting the new game plan.
I think Andy is a few games away from being dropped, and rightfully so. He's tried nothing and he's fresh out of ideas.
Definitely his weird physique. I was like that guy is good, but his physique….
Yes, I think they are better options for 6/lock position than Coombes. That's typically what the bench spot is used for, rather than a bench 8
Sexton had to endure the catastrophe that was Declan Kidney as a coach for Ireland. I wouldn't hold that against him.
Tadhg Beirne too. That's our 2 best players of the last decade.
Why is Conan normally in the bench spot so? Doris was there at the weekend. The mental gymnastics going on here are interesting. In that case should we bench Ryan Baird for versatility purposes?
Andy is nowhere near being dropped. The IRFU would do nothing of the sort. They rather let him at it until RWC 2027 when we again bring an out of form and aging team to exit at the QF stage.
Are you saying he's as good as Conan and Doris?
When people talk about Coombes and his scoring record, they don't talk about just last season when Doris & Conan scored the same number of tries as him.
They talk about what he has achieved since he made his Munster debut in 2018- he has played 123 competitive games for Munster scoring 51 tries, he has only one Irish try because he has has been limited to 154 mins.
His European record is 12 tries in 20 games, this compares favourably v V Conan 13 in 61 games or Doris 8 in 38 games.
A fairer comparison than one season would be the last three seasons, 14 + 7+ 8 = 29, Doris 4 + 7 + 8 = 19 Conan 3 + 4 +8 = 15
Taking those last 3 seasons James Lowe played 54 games scoring 31 tries.
Doris + Conan are better than Coombes in certain areas, but one thing he has a nose for and that is the try line.
So I hope this helps you understand the calls for Coombs to be brought into the Irish team on the basis of being a try scoring machine.
Who did Lord Johnny have to endure at Leinster when he couldn't break into their starting team?
Michael Cheika who Leinster won their first Heineken cup ever under?
Declan Kidney who Ireland won their 1st Grand Slam of the professional era under? And also won 2 Heineken Cups with Munster?
Not claiming either coach was perfect. But sometimes talent needs more than once chance. By your logic Sam P should be playing AIL with Landsdowne by now.
You really don't understand why out of the Ireland captain and a two-time touring Lion, that one would start and the other would be on the bench?
Another point to add is that it's in an area that Ireland were weak at during the 6 Nations. I think we were held up something like 5 times over the line? With the rule-change to the goal-line drop-out, it becomes a bigger issue.
The point I'm trying to make is that we have developed zero alternative to the two-time touring Lion who will be 35 at the next RWC. The next option has 3 caps and can't get a look-in despite 3-4 seasons of high level performance for his province.
