Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

Both have started 2 games, if the media made a silly comment about any player liek they have about Sam Im sure you would get the same response from Farrell

It was a comment made so the media could start the same Sam v Jack nonsense again and Farrell called them out on it.

But the argument has never been "what goes on in training doesn't count, even if we can't see it".

The argument has been "even tho we don't see the players in training, it doesn't mean we haven't seen enough of them to not have an informed opinion on who we think should start".

That's a completely different argument.

There's also the argument that training doesn't have anywhere near as much full contact as a match. That's all valid when offering an opinion that on selection that doesn't match Farrell's.

It's not a harsh comment on Baloucoune - it's not his fault, but that's the reality of his career to this point relative to his talent. He's had a horrendous time of it with injuries.

You would have thought after his 21/22 season where he scored 9 tries (including a hat trick in an away win in Toulouse) that the sky was the limit for him, but he's struggled so much to get on the field the last few years its hard to have any kind of sunny view on his career.

Jimmy O'Brien, by contrast, to me is a guy who is far less talented than Baloucoune, but has tended to make the most of the opportunities he's gotten.

As I've said, a huge slice of that is luck, but unfortunately that's just the way things are.

That reads way more like "a career blighted by injury" than "a career of mediocrity".

Here's the point; would the same poster have said the same about Tommy O'Brien prior to this season? I don't believe he would.

It's way too harsh on Baloucoune in a way he's never willing to be of other players.

The internet blows minds. There is no grand conspiracy. Take a step back

But if TOB has come in and played really well, then why did the idea of Baloucoune getting more gametime in Nov lead to the OP mentioning "career or mediocrity".

Again, it's just way too harsh, imo.

Here's what you said:

Probably worth noting that one game against third tier opposition does not absolve a career of mediocrity, in the eyes of any reasonable observer at least.

Absolutely bizarre discussion. Anytime the word “molecast” pops up you know things are going to take a weird turn.

Which was is response to:

The Molecast mentioned it in their latest episode, but the A Team backline was streets ahead of the main team's one. TOB is the only player I'd say would make a combined team imo, and that's only if he was playing at 11. Crazy to me that Baloucoune isn't playing this Nov. Picking Stockdale ahead of him is crazy.

There is no reading of this where your "career of mediocrity" quote isn't directed at Baloucoune.

But by all means feel free to clear this one up. Who exactly are you claiming had a "career of mediocrity"?

It's overly harsh (and absolutely standard fare from you…)

Looking at the photos from the captains run, Hansen's hand seems to be very heavily strapped. There was murmurs earlier in the week that he wouldn't be available the weekend.

He got picked again the week after the SA game, and scored a try against Fiji but was middling at best that day. By the time the 2023 6Ns rolled around, he was injured again.

He played a fair bit in 23/24 - 16 games for Ulster (1,170 mins) but was a bit poor that season (only scored two tries). He then missed virtually all of last season with injury (played 2 games for a combined 99 mins).

I think he's supremely talented but he's definitely guilty of drifting out of games and switching off. I would love to see him become the player we all think he can be, and he'd definitely bring something different to the Irish side.

Ridiculous statement, don't you know that Tommy O'Brien is one of the greatest Irish hurdlers of all time?

'At his peak' and 'great player' are not the same.

Well then who were you referring to when you said "career of mediocrity"….?

Because, whatever way you slice it, you absolutely did say that. It'd be pretty straightforward to clear all of this up.

And this is the 2nd time I've asked you. So which one of us really is doing the ignoring here?