RWC 2027 squad prediction

connachta

Very likely the U20 this year are in fact the last generation to postulate for 2027, bar 1 or 2 exceptions.

very few if none U23 in the plane to France this year for example

So we have seen the players and can start imagining the list!

(age in September 2027)

Main XV

Porter (31) Sheehan (29) Salanoa (29) Edogbo (24) Ryan (31) Baird (28) McCann (27) Doris (29) Casey (28) S.Prendergast (24) Forde (26) Ringrose (32) J.O'Brien (28) Hansen (28) Keenan (31)

Bench

Milne (27) Stewart (26) Furlong (34) J.McCarthy (26) Prendergast (27)/Jansen (28) Doak (26) Crowley (27) H.Cooney (24)

Extended

Loughman (32) Kelleher (29) O'Toole (29) N.Murray (27) VDF (34)/B.Gleeson (24) Blade (33) Frawley (29) J.Osborne (26) McIlroy (27)

stephen_n

I don’t know but I reckon Sexton will be the 10.

Lost Ormond

Here are threads posted 4 years before some of the other world cups...

I would def have a few older players picked. we will def pick a lot more players than you have who are in their 30s

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2057474430/your-irish-23-for-the-2019-rugby-world-cup

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2056389107/your-irish-22-for-the-2015-rugby-world-cup/p1

connachta

I'm not in favour of 34+ players in the team, Sexton excepted as we have no-one behind (that includes POM Murray and Healy, even if they do good -sometimes-)

My team has a lot of players in it in their prime (26-31)

Locke_Lamora

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058288140/rwc-2027-squad-prediction

McCann is getting very little game time for us right now, so that's a ballsy pick given the rate that leinster and munster are churning out backrowers. I have faith that he'll be a late bloomer but he doesnt look like a 7 at all to me. Surely one of hodnett or penny is more likely. Timoney might still be there or thereabouts.

I don't think Prendergast senior will have what it takes to hold on to his place in the squad over the next few years.

Hugh cooney benching over osbourne is an odd one to me. He seems a more natural defender but his size works against him and Osborne can play across the backline.

Havent had a proper think about this or double checked ages yet so can't really nail down a good guess right now.

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120356743#Comment_120356743

But very few players in their 30s and every team to win world cup has a fair few players into their 30s.. Yes a lot are in the prime age but you need quite a few players who are older than that age if you are to do vwry well in a world cup

Cosmo Kramer

If those other threads tell us anything it's that 1) trying to predict these things four and a half years out is a mugs game and 2) that the up and coming star at your province that you think is going to be a 50 capper for Ireland most likely isn't and will probably be playing in the English Championship or the Pro D2 by the time the 2027 World Cup comes around, if he's playing professionally at all.

Podge_irl

Playing a mugs game is the fun part of it though!

connachta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120359510#Comment_120359510

Yes, come on play the game, opinion about my squad? 😛

ersatz

Even with a surplus of back rowers Will Connors will still be in the conversation injury permitting.

I'll have an attempt at this:

33 man squad, as follows (age in brackets is the player's age on 1 Oct 2027):

Forwards: Dan Sheehan (29), Ronan Kelleher (29), Tom Stewart (26), Andrew Porter (31), Jack Boyle (24), Roman Salanoa (29), Tom O'Toole (29), Sam Illo (26), James Ryan (31), Joe McCarthy (26), Harry Sheridan (26), Edwin Edogbo (24), Thomas Ahern (27), Ryan Baird (28), Caelan Doris (29), Ruadhan Quinn (23), James Culhane (24), Gavin Coombes (29).

Backs: Matthew Devine (25), Craig Casey (28), Nathan Doak (25), Sam Prendergast (24), Jack Crowley (27), Harry Byrne (28), Jamie Osborne (25), Garry Ringrose (32), James Hume (29), Ciaran Frawley (29), Hugo Keenan (31), Mack Hansen (29), Robert Baloucoune (30), Jordan Larmour (30), Tommy O'Brien (29).

Extended Squad: Niall Murray (27), Dylan Tierney Martin (28), Fintan Gunne (24), Jude Postlethwaite (25), Stewart Moore (28), Liam Turner (28), Brian Gleeson (23), Alan Spicer (23).

Average age of the squad: 27.6 years. (avg age for my expected 33 man squad for this year's RWC is 28.0).

Podge_irl

Furlong is only gonna be 34...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120361443#Comment_120361443

I'd love nothing more than for him to still be fit and firing by then, as I found the THP selection to be the most underwhelming arguably, but didn't include him based on the sheer amount of rugby he's missed over the past few years.

If he's still playing at even 70% of his best, he's still in the #3 shirt.

Podge_irl

Has he missed that much? The first three rounds of this 6N are the only international matches of note he has missed in the last 3 years.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120361532#Comment_120361532

Yeah, but he's played less than Johnny Sexton for Leinster over the same period.

Over the past three seasons he's played in 21 games for Leinster. I know there's an element of the IRFU managing a centrally contracted player's minutes in that, but he has had more than his fair share of injury issues since the Lions tour.

jonok28

Ireland need to learn from their world cup mistake. They went with virtually the same squad every match, teams like South Africa and New Zealand rotated there entire squad throughout the tournament and allowed their depth to shine through. Ireland should be able to replace every single position with someone playing at a similar level.

33 Man squad:

LH Jack Boyle(25), Andrew Porter(31)

HKR  Dan Sheehan (29), Ronan Kelleher (29), Tom Stewart (26)

TH Tom O'Toole(29),Tadhg Furlong(34),Paddy McCarthy(24)

LK James Ryan(31),Joe McCarthy(26),Edwin Edogbo(24), Thomas Ahearn(27)

FLKR Ryan Baird(28),Josh Van Der Flier(34), Caelan Doris(29),Gavin Coombes(29), Ruadhan Quinn(23), Brian Gleeson(23)

SH Craig Casey(28), Jamison Gibson-Park(35),Nathan Doak (25)

FH Sam Prendergast (23),Jack Crowley (27), Joey Carbery(31)

W Mack Hansen (29), Robert Baloucoune(30), Jordan Larmour (30), *

C Jamie Osborne(25), Garry Ringrose(32),Cathal Forde(25),Jimmy O'Brien(30)

FB Hugo Keenan(31)

The squad above is more robust in the pack and packs more of a punch.

I'd have Porter, Kelleher and Furlong coming off the bench and providing a rock solid scrum in the last quarter of the game. Edogbo and Quinn or Coombes offering fresh legs and a huge amount of bulk off the bench. If Gibson-Park is still around, I'd love to have his ball speed at the breakdown in the squad in the final parts of the game when teams are tired.

I have Paddy McCarthy covering both sides of the scrum and be a pivotal rotational prop who allows Ireland to be aggressive in their squad formation. Obviously you would have another prop on standby should one go down but it is worth the risk.

At SH, you have quick ball speed and experience.

At FH, Prendergast and Crowley both have X-Factor and are safe hands. In Carbery, hopefully in 4 years time he has regained some of the form and fitness that made him Sexton's heir. I would have Carbery as a back up for Hugo Keenan and be at a position I think he can excel in.

The Irish wingers all have X-Factor and hopefully spend the next 4 years improving defensively. I would also leave the door open for Ireland to bring in a winger from another country with Irish heritage to compete for an Irish jersey.

A fairly sizeable reshuffle at centre. Jimmy O'Brien would be covering 13, the wing and fullback.

The average Squad age would be 28.0.