Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

I agree about Ahern! But, Niall Murray has been great on an average team! I think Molony has been the best 2nd row amongst the provinces this season.

Someone mentioned in one of the other threads that Connacht approached him but he choose Exeter instead

I have my doubts about Farrell actually taking a squad as big as 42 to NZ. That's bigger than Gatland's British Lions squads, although interestingly the squad for 2017 was bigger than in 2013 and 2021. Maybe getting replacements to NZ is trickier, so it makes sense to go bigger initially. Anyway, I've had a stab at picking a squad, assuming he does take this larger than usual panel...

LH: Andrew Porter, Cian Healy, Jeremy Loughman, Josh Wycherley

H: Ronan Kelleher, Dan Sheehan, Rob Herring

TH: Tadhg Furlong, Finlay Bealham, Tom O'Toole, Martin Moore

SR: Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Iain Henderson, Ryan Baird, Joe McCarthy, Thomas Ahern

BS: Caelan Doris, Josh Murphy

OS: Josh van der Flier, Peter O'Mahony, Nick Timoney

No. 8: Jack Conan, Gavin Coombes

SH: Jamison Gibson-Park, Conor Murray, Craig Casey, Nathan Doak

OH: Jonathan Sexton, Joey Carbery, Ben Healy

LW: James Lowe, Mack Hansen

IC: Robbie Henshaw, Fua Leiofi Bundellu Aki, Ciarán Frawley

OC: Garry Ringrose, James Hume

RW: Robert Baloucoune, Andrew Conway

FB: Hugo Keenan, Michael Lowry, Jimmy O'Brien

That's 43 players, so I have to lose one. I could leave out a lock or a scrumhalf, but I think I'd be tempted to leave Cian Healy out in an effort to accelerate the development of other options. Wycherley to me looks like he's the one who could be on a trajectory to break into the XXIII come World Cup time. Demented Mole were saying in their podcast that the fact he's on the small side hurts his chances, but sometimes a smaller player can be more physical than a heavier one if he's got good power-to-weight ratio and excellent technique/mechanics. Then you've got good players in Dooley, Byrne and Loughman. There's an element of flavour of the month to it when it comes to deciding between them. All capable players.

I don't think Farrell fancies Moore, so maybe taking only three tightheads would be quite likely. Healy or Loughman could cover in an emergency. I like Moore. I think having him in the mix would add something to the squad. Farrell, coming from his rugby league background, probably thinks he's not well enough conditioned.

A back up panel of the same size could look something like:

LH: Edward Byrne, Peter Dooley, Andrew Warwick, Eric O'Sullivan

H: Dave Heffernan, Niall Scannell, Diarmuid Barron

TH: John Ryan, Stephen Archer, Jack Aungier, Keynan Knox

SR: Ross Molony, Jean Kleyn, Kieran Treadwell, Niall Murray, Jack Dunne

BS: Jack O'Donoghue, Cian Prendergast, Marcus Rea

OS: Alex Kendellen, Scott Penny

No. 8: Max Deegan, Rhys Ruddock

SH: John Cooney, Caolin Blade, Kieran Marmion

OH: Ross Byrne, Harry Byrne, Jack Carty, Jack Crowley

LW: Simon Zebo, Jordan Larmour

IC: Stuart McCloskey, Chris Farrell, Tom Daly

OC: Stewart Moore, Jamie Osborne

RW: Keith Earls, Tommy O'Brien

FB: Mike Haley, Shane Daly, Ethan McIlroy

Some good players in there.

Most people would probably have JOD ahead of Murphy, I'm guessing. I'm a Murphy fan though. It sounds a bit like something Matt O'Connor would say, but I like his ability to dominate collisions. Plus, going for the most physical options possible in the reserve backrow (6. Murphy, 7. Timoney, 8. Coombes) would, to my mind, be a good way to compensate for the slight drop off in quality (Conan v Coombes debatable on this front) if you had to use them. I can imagine an ultra-physical backrow trio being useful in a French World Cup.

Kendellen is really putting himself in the mix with his recent performances. I can't see them actually taking Murphy, so if POM goes as a blindside that would open up a spot for him as an openside.

Josh Murphy is insanely overrated

O'Donoghue and Prendergast are far better options at 6

This cannot be a serious question.

The only thing we'd learn by not bringing Sexton, is that the other options are nowhere near as good, which we already know now. So we'd actually learn nothing by not bringing Sexton. We'd essentially just be forfeiting a chance of a test win in NZ. Carbery has been given plenty of game time over the last year. 4 starts out of a possible 10. If he hasn't established himself as a viable option in that time, it's nobody's fault but his own.

And fwiw I think Carbery has been good lately.

I'd potentially leave Sexton at home. For 5 reasons.

1. The 22/23 season is going To be a long one. Giving him a summer off and a proper pre season may stand to him to have the body right for the WC.

2. It gives us a look at 1 or 2 other potential captains and leaders.

3. It gives us a chance to took at other options at outhalf.

4. A hypothetical but It prepares Ireland for the potential scenario where Sexton goes down with an injury before a WC Quarter final.

5. It's a 5 game 3 test tour of New Zealand. Is he durable enough for it??

On yhe flip side. Id bring him because it's a 3 test tour of New Zealand and he is our best option at 10 and captain and we need to find out about his durability.

He wasnt brought on the lions tour because there was worries over his durability and he hasn't been fit for all games in the last 2 years nations.

You can't out run time..

I'd imagine Healy will go as no.3 and start both games v the Maori. That's probably what I'd do too. I think he's come on a lot this season and added a lot to the attacking side of his game.

Although I wouldn't be totally averse to taking a punt in Frawley.

How many cards has he got?

Think he'll make the Connacht team, seriously physical player, people calling him seriously overrated is strange. He's been really solid for Leinster and put in lots of big performances, just unlucky he's a number of Irish players in front of him.

He's a quality signing for Connacht imo.

In fairness, on our last tour to the SH, Carbery started one test and Sexton two.

Ideally we'd see that reversed this year but even seeing Carbery get one test start would be good enough. That would be added to his starts against Argentina, France and Italy this season. He's getting enough game time, hopefully it continues.