Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

iit happens somewhat regularly, its generally with backrows or centres

i dunno if it applies specifically to this situation but it does happen

These boards become an endless provincial row and in many ways that is inevitable and it's a good sign, we are all wedded to our provinces , loyal to them and love them and see the good and less of the bad when looking at the Ireland selections for our provincial players. It becomes even more obvious when we enter a period of step down rather than step up. We are clearly well off France now and I would suspect England will move well well past us this year leaving us probably scrapping with Scotland for third at best. We are well off the pace of the best 5-6 teams in the world now and that has happened quickly. We went into the 2023 WCUP with a genuine chance to win it, I think we have no chance in 2027.

I don't think anyone can honestly say we are in a good place at the moment, stallwarts like Sexton, Henshaw, Ryan, VDF, Furlong, Lowe, Conan, POM, JGP, Ringers, Aki, Beirne, Murray, Etc etc are all either gone or on the wrong side now of the age profile window.

We at some point were always likely to reach a point like this.

This won't go down well here maybe but for me the fundamental problem in Irish Rugby and it's an IRFU failing is the failure to develop decent sources of players outside of a handful of wealthy Leinster schools. Munster and Ulster's production line coming through Munster schools & clubs and Ulster schools & clubs is poor and ineffectual now and in essence what we have now is Leinster getting first dibs at the South county Dublin schools production line and then the rest go south, west or north. The IRFU has sat on this and yes mixed in a few project players from NZ etc to fill in gaps be it JGP or Lowe etc but they haven't done anything to address the problem. The problem is to prop up these provinces the IRFU has actively encouraged Leinster offcasts to move and every one who does is a blocker for any local development and it also allows the IRFU to ignore the failure of a Connacht, Munster or Ulster production line , schools and clubs. It isn't any surprise to me that as Leinster have effectively become the Irish team it risks a period of stagnation as we go through windows where not even the vaunted Leinster schools can turn out multitudes of generational players like Sexton or BOD. The structures and net has to be wider in a tiny country like Ireland. You can't focus down even further to a handful of schools in one corner on the country.

While it's great to have St.Michaels, Rock, Clongowes, Belvo and the rest it has become a crutch for the IRFU and I have little doubt that they have allowed the IRFU to sit back and let a handful of schools feed the game.

Until the IRFU recognises their failings I don't think anything will change. We need more Wallace's, O'Connell's, Bowe's and Best's as until Ireland is the best team once again of an entire island rather than half a dozen schools in Leinster we will have very fallow periods.

We will beat Italy and Wales, probably battle past Scotland and England will wipe the floor with us but what is ahead is a World Cup where we will manage decline as best we can and won't beat the best teams and hope that Rock and Michaels up their game and by 2031 the next Sexton and BOD has appeared and a few more besides.

Yeah, we’ve been blessed w back to back excellent teams for the last 15 years, even going back to 2007 when we were pipped by a Vincent clerc classic. Incredible run that is winding down. Even w excellent players we also had an incredible run of coaches who professionalised the set up to a degree that outdid most other test sides. Getting the better of England for a decade and going toe to toe consistently w France is not something Ireland should be expected to achieve. Rebuilding in all aspects, including management and how province’s are optimised and coordinated is overdue.

James Ryan when he came on showed a level of dog and grit and didn't take a backwards step. No one is going to replace Sexton when it comes to leadership and driving standards but for me right now Ryan has to be captain and on the pitch for 80mins. Huge Doris fan BTW.

Are we really at the stage where suggesting players make different defensive reads based on who is playing inside or outside them is seen as controversial? 

By this logic, no 13 would ever shoot out of the line; they’d simply line up their own man, under the guise of “well, I did my job, and tackled my man. It’s not my job to pre-emptively cover for someone else i.e. make a defensive read”.

The point is, sometimes your job is to make a read to pre-emptively cover for someone else. We saw it a number of times in this game with others narrowing in around Prendergast, particularly on first phase.

Now, TOB’s execution was awful. But that’s entirely different from his decision to shoot.

And based on the quality of Prendergast’s subsequent tackle on Jalibert, you’d be hard pushed to say it was a bad decision.

France may well have scored anyway. But he has to do better there.

But - going back to the original point - can we equally say “Crowley has to do better there” for his missed tackle on Attisogbe?

A totally accurate assessment of the state Irish rugby and one that I'm sure will ruffle a few feathers on here.

There just isn't the same affluence and private school system in Munster and Connacht to emulate the blueprint for Leinster's success. That private school system does exist to some extent in and around Belfast but it's not producing enough top talent at the moment.

20 years ago Munster were successful based off the produce of AIL club teams. That has diminished massively now and needs to be reinvigorated. It's the model too that should be followed in Connacht.

We're also not getting much in the way of GAA converts anymore. And it's showing in terms of catching and kicking skills. We benefited massively over the years from the likes of Shaggy, Kearney and Bowe in this regard. Multi sport athletes have a more rounded skillset.

The stats doing the rounds about the contestables are that there were 19, Ireland won 4 and Francce won 15. Damning.

I must’ve this a listen when I get a chance. For me, Madigan is the best pundit around at the moment.

Farrell Is in a tough position , lose to either Italy, wales or Scotland and I think he will definitely be replaced.
if we finish outside the top 3 the IRFU will have no choice but to make a change.

He will pick as experienced as he can for all the games now, he has no choice as he will know that his job is on the line.

The reality Is Farrell brought this all on himself, giving jobs to paul O’Connell and sexton was bizarre and no way to run a serious set up. You hire the best coaches you can get, and you also need an assistant who is the bad guy and will give the players and other coaching staff plenty of guff. He can say and do things that Farrell can’t.

Farrell does not have that and he is now paying the price.