Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

That's exactly it for me, it's a kind of steady introduction of options.

November 2025: Paddy McCarthy & Tommy O'Brien (debuted in summer, but established in test squad in Nov)

Six Nations 2025: Jack Boyle

November 2024: Sam Prendergast, Tom Clarkson, Gus McCarthy, Cormac Izuchukwu

Summer 2024: Jamie Osborne

6 Nations 2024: Calvin Nash (had debuted v Italy pre RWC, but meaningful minutes in 6N), Ciaran Frawley (first start), Oli Jager

I'm hoping we'll see another few guys come through in this forthcoming 6N - possibly Edwin Edogbo, the Ward brothers or JJ Kenny.

I'm hoping we'll see another few guys come through in this forthcoming 6N - possibly Edwin Edogbo, the Ward brothers or JJ Kenny.

Edogbo would be a great addition, we don't get that sort of bulk very often. Not sure about his ability to last 80 minutes of a test match, however.

I would love to see Zac Ward named, but I'm still wary of Kenny - too often we've seen wingers burst on to the scene, look amazing, then their flaws become more evident over time. Give him a run with Ireland A and see how it goes.

Remember playing POM Murray & Healy in last year's 6 nations

That set Ireland back a year in blooding squad depth

P McCarthy has looked good in his caps to date, but to me he still looks badly undersized. Hopefully he puts on some mass in his injury layoff because right now he’s dwarfed by pretty much every international tighthead.

I heard tomorrow, can't remember where.

It's not very significant granted, but if a player was to have debuted on those minutes he's be a year into his test carreer now. On the one hand we got a sentimental and anachronistic retirement circus for the three lads, and on the other we are a year closer to the World Cup with a big hole were the third choice scrum half should be. Maybe there is noone putting their hand up, etc. But the same argument as I've used on the Sexton thing applies, the coach must prepare players to play for Ireland regardless of their limitations if he sees them as next off the rank. Would the results of last year's 6N be any different if Murray and Healy had been excluded?

That's the same reason I think the Murray thing is a little more critical. FR was something we were panicking about 2-3 years ago but it's looking a lot healthier today, SH is a problem though. JPG is getting on, people aren't fully convinced by Casey (who has always had a question over his size) and then there is a group of players who have had very little exposure to test rugby, some of them well experienced in club rugby. That group needs to be examined at a higher level.

Tightheads generally tend to be bigger and heavier than loose heads to lock the scrum out. Case in point is Porter who had to slim down when he moved to LH to get around the pitch. Cian Healy started playing some of his best later career rugby when he dropped weight. He went from 125kg at the 2015 WC to 115kg two years later. It helped improve his mobility around the pitch.

“I suppose at the World Cup, I was 125kg then I dropped to 120 and I just didn’t like it up and around that so this year I dropped it right down. I was 114 coming back in after the summer. I’m kind of hovering around 115 now and pretty happy with it.”

Performances of old are returning.

“Yeah, I just got rid of the **** weight. There is no belly weight or anything like that. I’m probably the leanest I have been since, Jesus, I don’t know, 2008 or so. I’m feeling good. I don’t feel like I have any excess weight.”

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/international/cian-healy-in-flying-form-after-losing-weight-and-lifting-the-fitness-1.3286183

Seems a dynamic and powerful guy to me. I’m sure weight will inevitably come on as he gets older but dynamism is often more important than extra weight when carrying/tackling and I wouldn’t want to see him lose that. Likewise scrummaging in the front row appears to be largely based on technique. Having big heavy second rows behind you doesn’t hurt either.

Anyone any notion of what size the Ireland XV squad vs England might be?

The kit bill will be enormous lol