Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

If Wales beat Italy with a BP it'll be a dilemma whether I want to see England lose and get the wooden spoon or beat France and allow us a shot at the title.

Assuming we beat Scotland which is a major assumption after today.

I feel more confident playing Scotland after the performance they put in today. Hard to see them getting to the same emotional and physical pitch again next weekend. I think we on the other hand have plenty to improve on and an extra day of rest/no travel.

Crowleys inexplicable missed touch against Italy at 80 mins is really coming back to haunt us. This is elite level rugby.

I was thinking the same about the 2019 comparison, a very structured game that gets figured out but one that’s based less on skill and dynamism than on set piece and method, difficult for players in a system like that to adjust on the fly, particularly when other teams are embracing a more unstructured system that thrives on broken play.

Potentially. But the point he is making is that Sheehans mistake was as if not more costly r.e the bonus point but many here are only focusing on Crowleys kick which was bad, while ignoring others mistakes. Thats the point.

Calling him out while ignoring others shows the hypocrisy of it all. A 5m lineout is not a guaranteed try. Sheehans try was. So the comments bringing up his kick v Italy are a thinly veiled means of having a kick at him. If they weren't, the posters would bring up the other opportunities for a try we left behind. But they don't.

I said it here a few weeks ago, and everything since in my mind has backed my opinion up. This wasn't about Prendergast. It was about Crowley and it took getting to a point where Prendergasts performances couldn't be justified anymore that a pivot by many then went to Byrne and Frawley. Anyone but Crowley.

I left it there because it was so toxic but its continued here.

Facts are we win a six nations with Crowley at 10 in his first starting season. Lead NZ in a test match before he was substituted and drew a series away to S.A the current world champions. And now when Crowley came on against Italy we were facing down a home loss to Italy after an embarrassment away to France, two losses from 2. But its turned around with him at 10 to 3 wins, a home game for a triple crown and the possibility of a championship.

Hes not Sexton or an O'Gara. His place kicking is sus and needs improvement but he's our best option at 10 and we are in the position we are now, with a chance for a triple crown and a championship in some big part because of him not in spite of him but many here just want to pile on.

Our 10 situation has improved with him now starting both defensively and in attack.

9 is now just as big an issue with inconsistent performances.

Biggest issue is our scrum.

It's amazing we're still at the point where people won't accept that Sam Prendergast was picked ahead of Crowley because he was playing better than the latter. He hasn't been perfect but there have been enough good performances in blue and green to justify his continued selection.

Discipline will be a key component of a win next Saturday. France lost the heads completely in that regard, they played with 14 men for 20mins of the game yesterday.

A well organised and disciplined defensive effort will ask a lot more questions of the Scottish attack than France did yesterday.

You knew France had gone full French when Dupont was picked off for an intercept and followed it up by throwing the ball 5m forward behind his own try line in the next play. There were several illegal clearouts and a late tackle too. It was a real throwback to France of 10 years ago, lose the heads totally when the game isn't going your way.

Maybe but 4 months ago you wouldnt have given Harry byrne a chance at any CC games for Leinster. It all depends on how prendergast reacts to his first real test as a player. Technically, phsyically and mentally he has to look for some answers.