Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

I agree tomorrow is a massive match in the context of how this team is playing and how effective it can be against the better sides.

I also agree there has been many selection mistakes made by Farrell in the past (Stockdale, Finlay, Earls, Murray, Burns etc) & i would be the first to critisicse.

e.g. I still think it's a shortsighted to be persisting with Sexton in a starting role and as a captain. Is it a mistake? Depends if you are willing to sacrifice winning now for a potential gain. I can 100% understand Farrell selecting him and it has been finally justified since Nov. Also didnt agree with moving Porter to LH. Didnt think Keenan would make a real international FB. But again i can understand the logic and it has been vindicated.

But it has to be said Farrell has improved as a selector (albeit he has gone all in on Leinster personnel and style of play). But fair is fair he has got the team he wants and has been consistent in his selections. There is a sound logic.

I can understand why he wants PO'M for this game. Yes it is a change from vdF, Dorris, Conan but PO'M has been the bench cover. I dont agree with Murray selection but again it's consistent.

If the wheels fall off tomorrow there should be a rightful inquisition. I think Ireland will win and i do hope they are the more mentally robust team to stick in the game. I put a good bit of stock in what Sexton said after NZ game in Autumn.

“We weren’t clinical in the first half but then, fair play. This team has worked a hell of a lot on our mental side of the game so to bounce back and come again was testament to the management and leadership group and the players themselves to come back and be clinical in the second half.

“Because previously, we would have said ‘Ah, we didn’t take our chances’ and we would have . . . not given up but we would have put the heads down a bit. But we kept pounding away and we got our rewards.”

Having said that: 1st team to score a try will prob be the match winner!

And yet Leinster has used him in 31 European games and chose him ahead of Carbery. Are they wrong?

That’s about his level though. Good enough to get you to the knock out stages in Europe. Could do a job in some international games but not up to the top level physically. In that he is just to slow to seriously interest defenses. Still think he has the best game management of any of the tens bar Sexton. Pity he doesn’t have Harry’s athleticism.

Ireland gonna get beat by 14 here ....laugheable

A lot of work ons for this game like Venjur has pointed out. We definitely miss the extra physicality which Porter and Kelleher provide.

POM and Beirne are classy footballers, but to me it seemed that both really struggled to make an impact in open play. Don't think we can start with both in the same side.

I thought our back three were excellent. They simply must be the starting trio for the Scotland game. Keenan is our best 15 by a mile and that's not a slight on Lowry either. He's a wonderful player. No weaknesses.

Lowe has the great ability to ride tackles and keep atta is going when really they should've died out. Conway is great under the high ball and has an excellent kicking game. There's great balance to that trio.

Flannery “...the scrum is fixable. Tadgh Furlong is the best tighthead in the world. He won’t be happy with that”.

Its like Flannery never watched the match.

Meant to post this here rather than the match thread.

We genuinely missed Ryan. He's not as big as Henderson but I think he's every bit as physical and also tidier at the lineout, which definitely struggled in his absence.

Beirne at lock just doesn't do it for me. I've seen it in games against Leinster especially where he just just doesn't have the mass to impose himself in tighter areas. He's a backrow forward for me. Excellent at running those shirt lines and busting a tackle. But don't ask him to get into an arm wrestle.

Yes because it's much harder to look good when you come on with 15 to go against an exhausted opposition than to play 65 against a manic team with fire in their balls.....Not.

Thought Aki went better than Ringrose myself. His distribution was good, made some excellent passes out wide.