Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

yes this is the full 23 squad and I recollect 30 for preferred starting 15

New Zealand won their last World Cup with a 32 year old Dan Carter, 32 year old Ma'a Nonu and 33 year old Conrad Smith in their starting backline versus Australia.

Yeah, but the last two RWC winning sides had an average age of 26.9 (2011) and 28.5 (2015) respectively, and as @Clegg highlighted there are multiple old guys in there including 4 guys 30+ in the 2015 Final.

For the backs on the side that lost the 2023 Final the average age was 28.7. Youngest player (and only one under 26) was Will Jordan (25 yrs 8 mths).

Was listening to the BBC NI Ireland Rugby Social podcast – was recorded live on Wednesday night at Armagh RFC. Conor Murray was very interesting on how Andy Farrell will put pressure on James Lowe – says he’s seen Farrell do it before when Lowe wasn’t performing. Farrell knows what different players will respond to, and Murray says he’ll be harsh and critical of Lowe – because he knows that’s what will make Lowe respond.

Humphreys has been looking at how to ensure kids coming out of schools playing front row are technically good scrummagers.

The way Best and then Murray wax lyrical about Hugo Keenan is also something to behold – Murray talks about him as “half coach, half player” and a guy that make video presentations during game week to the other back three players.

Then listening to Cian Tracey on the Indo Sport podcast. He’s in Portugal at the Ireland camp and says Jack Conan has been raving to him about Bryn Ward.

Here, wingers make their debuts at 27/28

Our wingers are rarely the athletic freaks you get in NZ. Stockdale is about the only one in the last few years (at least) who has size, pace and attacking ability and he made his debut around 21.

Of the back three in the current 6N squad, Keenan, Osborne, Baloucoune and Stockdale all made their debut aged 24 or younger. If Hansen was fit, he’d be in the same bracket.

Only Lowe (project player) and TOB (ravaged by injury) were older than 24 making their debuts.

If anyone is interested in facts like.

I think the argument would be more the fact that they didn't trust healy for more than a few minutes per game. So they left Porter on for over 70 minutes. Turns out they had a viable option in Boyle who they could have played for the more normal 20 or 25 minutes per game.

Nobody wants to play Porter for 75 minutes per game. That only happened through perceived lack of options. But it turns out Boyle was a viable option who was blocked by Healy, who they didn't really trust

That's the argument I would make.