Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

clsmooth · 12-02-2026 02:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229543#Comment_124229543

I’d be really excited to see Ward, Edogbo and Izuchukwu in the 23 this week. All athletes with high ceilings. I think a 3/5 6N and being competitive against England with those guys getting some decent game time would be a successful 6N with an eye to the long run.

clsmooth · 12-02-2026 02:21PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229549#Comment_124229549

Do you want to explain what you think they would do if the shoe was on the other foot for clarity?

phog · 12-02-2026 02:22PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229566#Comment_124229566

Nah

longjohn200 · 12-02-2026 02:22PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229296#Comment_124229296

Other than your opinion, why would resting some front liners in an otherwise stale team be a foolish move?

AF is larely very consistent in his team selections and he has been rewarded with good wins. The past 18 months has been different and to be honest I'm a bit fed up with the notion that front liners need to played into form.

Rayray98 · 12-02-2026 02:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229560#Comment_124229560

I don’t see why we wouldn’t have the personnel, other than LHP is more or less the same players available. Possibly Hansen also.

It’s just down to weather the players actually perform, that rubbish we saw last week is unacceptable.

Rayray98 · 12-02-2026 02:25PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229561#Comment_124229561

Tbh I might have agreed until I saw last weeks performance…I honestly think only 4 wins out of 5 could possibly compensate for that. That along with the complete no shows versus SA and NZ during the autumn and this team really needs to actually put in a big performance and get a win in a big game for a change.

clsmooth · 12-02-2026 02:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229583#Comment_124229583

I think a 4/5 6N travelling away to England would be an excellent return at this stage. If we did that with blooding a few players I’d bite your hand off. Would be a little less enthused if it was done by selecting the tried and trusted and managing to roll the clock back with a big performance in Twickenham.

lawrencesummers · 12-02-2026 02:32PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229575#Comment_124229575

because the team is not playing well and could br beaten and there are a lot of players who need to improve before the England game because their level against France simply won’t do.

Rayray98 · 12-02-2026 02:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229597#Comment_124229597

It would be an excellent return, pre tournament that was what I wanted irrespective of we win the tournament or not. The reality is we are a team in transition with ALOT of injuries and have our 2 toughest games away from home, 4/5 wins is an incredible return in those circumstances.

Like you though, 3/5 and some new players getting a look in wouldnt be too bad provided the 2 losses were respectable…but that performance in Paris was a disgrace, they need to compensate for it which for me bumps up the “competitive” requirement versus England to a win being required.

sydthebeat · 12-02-2026 02:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229577#Comment_124229577

well if the reported team is the one named, then no, its not at all the same players?? not sure how you can claim it is, with only 2 changes?

there would be 5 changes alone to the starting 15, and 3 changes to the bench (even allowing for the clarkson / furlong swap and the JGP / Casey swap)

maybe you are misremembering that ireland line up?

paddy mc, baird, TOB, Henshaw, Hansen all missing from the XV, and Aki, porter and prendergast from the bench… thats 8 completely new players in that didnt play that game against Australia, not sure how you can claim its more or less the same players.

put on top of that 1 player debuting and 3 players making their 6N debuts.

AbusesToilets · 12-02-2026 02:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229612#Comment_124229612

I want to see some evidence of functional system being implemented, that can allow us to challenge the top teams. We've been at sea since the WC, chasing diminishing returns.

johnh6767 · 12-02-2026 02:45PM

https://x.com/RugbyVous/status/2021592055093297187?s=20

it’s very much along the lines of what Rog was saying in the (very good) interview around the importance of letting the next gen of players get game time at club level and repeatedly fail to allow them develop. Our approach is to watch them fail and then murder them by script in social media and forums. It’s often a provincial war clad in patriotism

Rayray98 · 12-02-2026 02:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229619#Comment_124229619

I wasn’t talking about the rumoured team I was talking about the players available to Andy, he has the personal availabile to him…the question is weather he’ll use them or not.

Clegg · 12-02-2026 02:50PM

The Italy team has been named. Brex was ruled out before the game, but there's no Capuozzo either despite being deemed fit again.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2021940834493698143

hold my beer · 12-02-2026 02:50PM

When are we getting the team?

Rayray98 · 12-02-2026 02:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229635#Comment_124229635

I do feel recently there is evidence of what Ireland are trying to do, especially in the Australia game, but I’ve yet to see a coherent 80 minute performance that would fill me with comfort with this team.

With Mike Catt, it took about 20 months before his attack clicked (the Japan game in the autumn), by that time frame with Goodman we are looking at the autumn 2026 before we would expect to see results. That’s when I expect to see the improvement on show consistently but right now all I want is just a coherent 80 performance…not too much of an ask surely.

Rayray98 · 12-02-2026 02:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229655#Comment_124229655

No Varney either

Rayray98 · 12-02-2026 02:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229659#Comment_124229659

I’m about 6 minutes I’d imagine!

ionadnapóca · 12-02-2026 02:55PM

15 Lorenzo PANI (Zebre Parma, 9 caps)

14 Louis LYNAGH (Benetton Rugby, 10 caps)

13 Tommaso MENONCELLO (Benetton Rugby, 35 caps)

12 Leonardo MARIN (Benetton Rugby, 18 caps)

11 Monty IOANE (Lione, 43 caps)

10 Paolo GARBISI (Toulon, 50 caps)

9 Alessandro FUSCO (Zebre Parma, 21 caps)

1 Danilo FISCHETTI (Northampton Saints 59 caps)

2 Giacomo NICOTERA (Stade Français, 37 caps)

3 Simone FERRARI (Benetton Rugby, 70 caps)

4 Niccolò CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 59 caps)

5 Andrea ZAMBONIN (Exeter Chiefs, 15 caps)

6 Michele LAMARO (Benetton Rugby, 50 caps) (c)

7 Manuel ZULIANI (Benetton Rugby, 39 caps)

8 Lorenzo CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 34 caps)

Replacements

16 Tommaso DI BARTOLOMEO (Zebre Parma, 7 caps)

17 Mirco SPAGNOLO (Benetton Rugby, 20 caps)

18 Muhamed HASA (Zebre Parma 5 caps)

19 Federico RUZZA (Benetton Rugby, 68 caps)

20 Riccardo FAVRETTO (Benetton Rugby, 9 caps)

21 David ODIASE (Zebre Parma, 3 caps)

22 Alessandro GARBISI (Benetton Rugby, 20 caps)

23 Paolo ODOGWU (Benetton Rugby, 7 caps)

Clegg · 12-02-2026 03:00PM

Team is out. Good side named with a very impactful 6-2 bench split. Really like the forwards to be sprung from there.

Get Baird back in the side along with Porter and Paddy McCarthy and you've the makings of a very strong pack.

https://twitter.com/i/status/2021946727046267334

DBK1 · 12-02-2026 03:03PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229707#Comment_124229707

Michael Milne is surely feeling a bit disappointed but apart from that it’s good to see a few changes.

FtD v2 · 12-02-2026 03:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229721#Comment_124229721

Yeah, I don't get that pick. Picking Tom O'Toole in the 17 shirt when he's not playing there for Ulster is stupid to me.

Paul Smeenus · 12-02-2026 03:06PM

Not keen on O'Toole covering LH. He's had a very good season, notably never playing that side of the scrum.

darkened_scrum · 12-02-2026 03:09PM

Good team, I like it. Loughman still sticks out a bit but the injury situation is what it is. Hopefully we can get a lot more from the back 5 of the pack this week, they were blown away last weekend. VdF dopped is not something I thought we'd see in this tournament but fair call.

KrustyUCC · 12-02-2026 03:10PM

Ireland: Jamie Osborne; Robert Baloucoune, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Cormac Izuchukwu, Caelan Doris (capt), Jack Conan.

Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Tom O'Toole, Tadhg Furlong, Edwin Edogbo, Tadhg Beirne, Nick Timoney, Jamison Gibson-Park, Jack Crowley.

Larbre34 · 12-02-2026 03:12PM

Very exciting selection, can't wait to see them get stuck in.

Particularly looking forward to Edogbo getting into the fight.

ionadnapóca · 12-02-2026 03:13PM

Whats the point of 6-2 v Italy? Esp when you have a choice between Beirne (tired) and a young lad bursting with energy - Bryn Ward. If they felt he wasn't ready, then Cian Prendergast and vdF can feel rightly aggrieved.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229721#Comment_124229721

Discouraging to see TOT picked at LH. Milne must be injured.

Im delighted to see Baloucone but I have allot of sympathy for Stockdale and TOB. Esp. Stockdale. Its just not in his armoury to go and do what Farrell asked of him in Paris.

AbusesToilets · 12-02-2026 03:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229665#Comment_124229665

it's year 3 though, even allowing for the shift to a kicking dominated game, we should've seen the system gelling long before now.

shootermacg · 12-02-2026 03:14PM

MOD EDIT poster warned

Rayray98 · 12-02-2026 03:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124229770#Comment_124229770

Because we have enough versatility on the backline and bench.

With how attritional rugby is nowadays getting an extra forward on the bench is crucial.

Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

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