Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

If Carberrys performances were even a close second to Sextons. Then he would be getting starts. The fact is they aren’t, they are a massive step down from Sextons. Last week was like night and day. I really hope Carberry puts in a performance on Saturday that could put pressure on Sextons place. He hasn’t in the last 18 months though, not even close.

So because it didn't work out for Johnstone, Crowley should just sit tight as 3rd choice?

How can someone be a close second to Sexton in terms of performances when they rarely get chances? I didn't notice how it was night and day, what I did notice is the bench was unloaded at around the point when Carbery came on and when that happened we seemed to play a little too loose especially when the game was already dead and buried at this point. Carbery has only started 1 game against a tier 1 nation in the last 18 months yet people think he's supposed to able to step up to Sexton's level, Carbery needs consistent minutes in order to develop, he needs this game, the Italy game & decent time off the bench versus England & Scotland, giving him a token 5 minutes at the end is exactly the reason why we have such little depth behind Sexton, you reap what you sow.

We have rolled the dice trying to win a 6N this season.

That decision was taken instead of the one where sexton is warehoused for the moment and someone else gets the time and experience with a World cup in mind.

Look at how England have handled Owen Farrell / Marcus smidth.

Time will tell if we can win the 6 nations this year, and time will tell if we have taken the right approach for the WC.

Look at how far backwards wales have gone since losing their experienced leader and on field general AWJ.

One thing is for sure, we are approaching a cliff edge in terms of ability and experience at 10 and it could be a massive disaster for this team.

The only question is when we fall off that cliff and for me you are better off making that decision instead of that decision being made for you.

What have we seen from Carbery with Munster that suggests he’s a genuine Test level starter? Because if he can’t show it there then I really don’t know how you can consider it possible that he shows it at Test level. This idea that he doesn’t get a chance and we haven’t gotten a look at him is garbage. We’ve seen plenty of him with Munster. And nothing he’s done there has screamed international 10.

It’s not even about being better than Sexton, or even being as good as Sexton. That’s a very high bar. Sexton is one of the best players we’ve ever produced. We just need someone who is a genuine Test quality 10. Someone who’s able to move the team about the field, can take advantage of space in the back field and can hold their own defensively, Carbery is the closest we have to that outside of Sexton, but have he really shown he’s high quality in any of those areas above?

I'd actually go further and say Sexton is the best player we've ever had. In terms of talent I think BOD pips him. But in terms of influence and standards set I don't think Sexton can be beat. He also has some personal and team accolades which BOD doesn't.

Whomever finally replaces Sexton will be on a hiding to nothing as he simply won't be as good. We'll need to recalibrate and change how the side plays.

Sure isint he starting one on Saturday

That's a very generous interpretation of things. The only OH who came close to ousting Sexton was Jackson, around the time of the SA tour (not advocating for him, just an example). Carbery has never delivered a consistent level of performance that demanded selection.

Its not generous at all it's a fact

Looking forward to seeing how Joey goes on Saturday, it's a pressure game and he'll be under a microscope for as long as he's on the pitch.

He has a fantastic pack in front of him and a hell of good backline to use so hopefully he plays his natural game and looks to open up France with the ball in hand as much as possible.

So can someone tell me how many minutes Carbery has played this season compared to other Irish 10's. In my option Carty should start this week for the reason he is match fit and has been playing most of the season. I actually don't think Farrell would have had Carty on the bench this week only for Sextons injury and probably only had him on the bench for a token 10 minutes vs Italy to fulfill his commitment to consider him if he resigned with Connacht. I just dont get why ireland keeps going back to Carbery. He needs to be playing for munster week in week out to get form. All I hear, his glass ceiling is much higher!!!! but ffs playing a few weeks in a row is also important. I fully understand wrapping up Sexton for the big games because he is world class and has proven it our the years. Maybe Carty is not good enough but let's also give him another chance. My feeling is the young 10s in Munster will surpass both after the world cup.