Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

He’s got a range of tone that he can bring to a game, from serious to whimsical. I think it adds to the drama.

Agreed, I think Timoney’s performances have been better than Doris’ at 7, so if he’s to be VdF’s backup building towards a RWC, I think he needs to start the game vs Wales.

It's a funny one to get away with it as well as we did on Saturday. Maybe Ford's terrible touch finders off both the scrum penalties saved it becoming a much bigger issue. Can't imagine the scrum getting owned like that will end well very often.

I dont think the style of coaching or systems at the provinces makes a lot of difference. A lot of blame for the poor form of the Leinster players in the National team seems to have gone the way of Nienaber so conversely after the England game maybe we should congratulate Nienaber for his contribution.

Have we any coach in ireland at all that can sort out our scrum, we are supposed to have a lions front row and big joe pushing them but we are getting minced in most games, our pack is as heavy as any so that's not issue, to me it seems like there's no will on the coaching side to fix it, against all blacks in world cup quarter final it cost us as porter was pinged at least 4 times, can we not sit down these props and hookers in a classroom setting and show them clips etc and then the IRFU sack fogarty and employ one of the world's best scrum coaches and maybe every few weeks during the season they get together with him for a day or two for coaching sessions

we the lions front row and irish front row of furlong, porter and sheehan/kelleher not all at one province, could fogarty not step in their intermitently and work with them…if I'm honest I dont know what fogarty does in the irish set up..

As We have really the same weight or thereabouts as most international packs our coach has to be called into question…Feek had Ireland very competitive at scrum….

In recent years Ireland have started the 6N very well compared to other teams before things level out towards the final round or 2.

It was often pointed out that this was in large part because the sizable contingent from Leinster were used to playing together and the club vs country playing style weren't a million miles removed from each other.

So it's perfectly logical to "blame" (he's responsible for winning games with Leinster only) JN for our lack lustre start this year as the 2 systems are no longer interchangeable.

The return to form against England is probably due to time spent running reps of the AF system

I dunno, what teams in this highly competitive championship are going to be playing 4 different no.10s in rotation across the 5 games? That's not a realistic expectation. Jack and Sam will share the minutes and rightly so. Better to have the 2 front runners dividing the playing responsibilities between them rather than diluting it across 4 players.