Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

Supporters can tend towards hyperbole when they're team is doing well, but in this case i think it's true that Prendergast has gone through a phase change in his performances.

At the beginning of the season the crowd of pretenders for the 6 jersey looked quite congested: Aherne, Izzy, Baird, Prendergast. Cian has shown the first two a clean pair of heels and Baird has been crocked since a good showing in the Autumn series.

Soroka has looked good and progressed, he'll be a contender after the next RWC.

You are obviously a Scott Wilson fan 🙂. Sam Illo?

Sorry, should be Illo on the bench.

You've named McNabney at 6 in both selections, a player I haven't paid much attention to but will keep an eye on now.

My suspicion is that Billy Bohan is going to leapfrog Jack Boyle who is not predicted to return until early 2027 - that's a long time to be out.

Yeah, I think he looked exceptional last season, and probably was capped last summer if he didn't do his ACL in international camp. It's always an if with a player coming back from that type of injury to see if they can maintain their athleticism etc, but that seems less a concern nowadays.

He won't be back till next season from what I know of him, but he brings elite size to the back row (6ft 5ins, c. 118kg), quickness, power, and handling. He played over 1,100 mins for Ulster last season as a 22-year-old. I'd be very high on his potential (and it's a position with lots of talented players - Alex Soroka, Dave McCann, Ruadhan Quinn, James Culhane, Sean Edogbo etc).

I think you could be right on Bohan too - he is only going to get better and better IMO.

Yeah, he's excellent, I just rate Jude Postlethwaite a bit higher. You could just as easily pick Postlethwaite at 13 (or Forde at 13) and put Kelly in the 23 shirt.

There are a good few good young options coming through in the centres, including guys I haven't mentioned here like: Hugh Gavin, Hugh Cooney, Harry West (as a 13), Ben Carson, Charlie Tector and then of course Jamie Osborne is still only 24 as well.

In 2009, D'Arcy was only back from an horrendous injury and Roberts was one of the best players in the world at that point, so no injustice there. He absolutely should have got a cap in 2005 - the test 12s on that tour were Jonny Wilkinson, Gavin Henson and Gareth Thomas - but there was some sort of personality clash with Woodward, to the point where Woodward (falsely, allegedly) said D'Arcy took himself out of contention.

So he was hard done by but nothing scandalous.

Plus, Greenwood's only Lions test cap was during that 3rd test in '05. He went on 3 tours, but his pick in '97 (before he'd even been capped for England, and one of a number of unorthodox selections on that tour) was attributed as much to some of the selector's friendship with his Dad as anything he'd done in rugby at that point. He wasn't some neophyte either - he was 25 when he went on that tour.

He got injured badly on that tour - but he was never breaking up the Gibbs-Guscott centre pairing in any event.

It's not surprising for me he's not involved this weekend- they've largely rotated heavily, and most of the squad will play across these two match weeks (last week and this week).

I don't expect him to be in the 23 for the final - he was there for the semi because Frawley was carrying a knock.

I wouldn't have Sam Prendergast in the Irish squad this summer, but Farrell definitely prefers him to Harry Byrne historically. a lot of rugby still to be played, and how Leinster's season finishes and the role those two play in it will probably go a long way to determining it.

I actually had a look at trying to forecast Ireland's squad for the Nations Series. We're playing 3 games between July 4th and July 18th.

When we played 5 games in NZ in 2022 we picked a 40-man squad, when we played 2 in SA in 2024 we picked a 35-man squad, so I'm forecasting we split the difference here and bring 37 players down on this one.

A lot will depend on injuries - I'm really unsure around the status of guys like Rob Baloucoune, Jacob Stockdale and Tadhg Beirne, but my best guess at the squad is here below.

I've gone for 20 forwards and 17 backs, as follows:

• Hookers: Dan Sheehan, Ronan Kelleher, Tom Stewart
• LHPs: Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy, Billy Bohan
• THPs: Tom Clarkson, Tadhg Furlong, Finlay Bealham
• Locks: James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Joe McCarthy, Darragh Murray, Edwin Edogbo
• Back Row: Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan, Nick Timoney, C Prendergast
• Scrum Half: Jamison Gibson Park, Nathan Doak, Craig Casey
• Out Half: Jack Crowley, Harry Byrne, Ciaran Frawley
• Centre: Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, Jude Postlethwaite
• Back Three: Hugo Keenan, Tommy O'Brien, Robert Baloucoune, James Lowe, Jamie Osborne, Zac Ward

Development Players: Bryn Ward, Sam Illo

Assumed injured: Jacob Stockdale, Jack Boyle, Mack Hansen, Ryan Baird

Where there are calls to be made?

• LHP - I'm assuming here Paddy McCarthy is back and able to play meaningful minutes down the stretch. I think if so he goes, with a view to getting Bohan on the bench against Japan. Bohan has more upside than bringing Loughman or Milne IMO.
• THP - I wouldn't personally pick both Furlong & Bealham. One should be left at home to bring one of Sam Illo, Scott Wilson or Tom O'Toole IMO.
• Locks - Seems unlikely we'll bring all of D Murray, Edogbo & Izuchukwu. I've assumed Izuchukwu to be on the outside of those three based on the 6Ns.
• Out Half - if healthy then Crowley & Frawley are sure to travel, as I mentioned, I'd have Harry over Sam, but remains to be seen how Farrell sees this
• Centre - given contract status and 6N selections I fully expect both Aki & Henshaw to be selected. I'd go for Jude Postlethwaite over Tom Farrell (who may well be injured anyway I think) as he is a lot younger with more potential upside.

James Lowe's contract situation still needs to be resolved - so it could the guys I've selected here as wingers, or it could only be Tommy O'Brien (if Baloucoune & Stockdale are hurt, and Lowe leaves Leinster). If that's the case, Shayne Bolton probably comes in, Jimmy O'Brien probably comes in and hard to know who's next up after that.

I'd be surprised if we brought more outside backs than back 5 forwards, especially considering Frawley is included as a halfback. Maybe Izuchukwu would get in over one of Postlethwaite or Ward.

Yeah, I guess it's how I classify guys like Jamie Osborne that determines that.

It's so hard to know, as I said above, where things are in the back three. I think there's a strong argument to bring some new blood there - one of Shayne Bolton or Zac Ward IMO.

Did you miss a back row in your original post? Or are you including Bryn Ward?