Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

arsebiscuits1 · 12-07-2022 4:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119327310#Comment_119327310

I'm backing Jack Boyle to leapfrog the lot of them! Break out season incoming!!

Dubinusa · 12-07-2022 5:53pm

I'm hoping Milne makes a return and lights it up. I think Boyle needs to grow physically. Same with Wycherly. Loughman can do a job in the meantime. He was really impressive this season. At loosehead, as far as young prospects go there's

Wycherly

Milne

Reid

Boyle.

Tightheads that are young bucks

O'Toole, he's in pole position

Aungier

Clarkson

Knox, French

And coming along soon there's Rory McGuire! Scott Wilson, who looks superb! Kieran Ryan! Underage also and McSweeney, who needs a lot of development.

Haddon is an u19 with potential and Michel is going into Connachts academy.

I think gearing up for 2027 will be interesting.

12-07-2022 6:00pm

There is pretty high hopes in Leinster Schools circles too about Paddy McCarthy, Blackrock's SCT winning THP this year. He's Joe McCarthy's younger brother, and has generated a good deal of hype as well.

ionadnapokot · 12-07-2022 7:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119327264#Comment_119327264

Im not sure if either would cut the mustard... but beggars cant be choosers. Maybe Jack Boyle is everything we hope in can be & in 12 months time please!

TRC10 · 12-07-2022 11:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119328333#Comment_119328333

I'd be very surprised if Boyle is a test quality prop in 12 months time. Our best hope is that Loughman becomes a solid, if not unspectacular international, like a Wyn Jones, George Bower or Mike Ross. If he can get to that level in the next 12 months, that's good for us.

If Wycherley puts on some size and hits the ground running next season, I can see him coming into the mix because his skills are exceptional and he'd fit in really well with the brand of rugby we're playing.

Milne has the physique, he just needs the game time. There's an opening there for him with Dooley leaving and Healy getting on.

Maybe if Dooley nails down the 1 jersey at Connacht and finds some good form, he could become an option.

dregin · 14-07-2022 8:23am

https://twitter.com/IrishRugby/status/1547264594237857800?t=myejWa0jphRX7sMVtQVe9Q

Clegg · 16-07-2022 10:34am

Andy Farrell got his squad management spot on. It's clearly a very happy side with players pushing each other. He was criticised for not bringing many new faces into the side for the tests, but clearly he values squad cohesion above else, knowing they were on to something good.

The results speak for themselves. A series victory in New Zealand is one of the greatest achievements in Irish rugby history.

The Ireland players who faced the Maori side will also feel like they contributed a lot as well. A victory against that Maori side is no easy task, and a lot of young players and fringe selections shone through in that victory. They'll feel valued and that they have a chance to stake a claim for a World Cup spot as well.

el Fenomeno · 16-07-2022 11:29am

Only a very casual fan, but curious among those who know what they're talking about - what was the mood on Farrell when he got the job versus now after this achievement? Or is judgement still being reserved until after the WC?

Poorside · 16-07-2022 11:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119345145#Comment_119345145

Lot of people were saying in was typical IRFU penny pinching a bit, and not looking at the continuity aspect. Right now he can do no wrong and he's done enough already to be held in high regard for a long time.

Clegg · 16-07-2022 12:13pm

I think Ireland has added an extra wrinkle to their attacking plan. We're making an awful lot of pop passes to a runner taking a tight line off the shoulder. New Zealand found it very difficult to track and we made a lot of extra metres in attack. I can't remember us making those passes so frequently during the Six Nations.

We know Ireland's attack is based around giving Sexton, or the first receiver, as many options as possible. We usually go for the pull back pass as it screens the defence and opens a gap. But that tactic has been heavily scouted and it's harder to pull off. Adding the short passing game means the opposition can't blitz for the pull back pass as frequently. Keeps the defence unsettled.

Tommysocks11 · 16-07-2022 12:44pm

Fantastic win and also with Henderson and kelleher to come back in to give us extra options in the pack, I'm thinking henshaw is a better 13 than ringrose too but both Fantastic players, well done ireland

16-07-2022 1:08pm

Where have all those "same old, same old" heroes gone now ? you know all those people complaining about Farrells promotion, there were loads on here when he was announced as Joes replacement.

Poorside · 16-07-2022 1:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119345457#Comment_119345457

Henshaw was always a good 13, I remember thinking it was mad him going to Leinster when Ringrose had just broken through. Think he'd be happy enough with his decision though.

Clegg · 16-07-2022 2:33pm

My main take away from this tour is that the entire Irish side, from players to coaches, are very smart. Towards the end of the Six Nations I had the impression that opposition sides were beginning adapt to how Ireland played. So we slightly altered the gameplan to make it less obvious as to when the screen pass was coming.

After the first Maori game and first test we cut back on the sloppy kicking and tightened the defensive line. Made it so much harder for New Zealand to break us down. The change to the gameplan, as well as game to game alterations, speaks volumes as to how talented the entire set up is.

razorblunt · 16-07-2022 2:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119345177#Comment_119345177

To add to this, it’s incredibly admirable what Farrell and the coaches have done since they pivoted away from “Joe-ball” before the autumn series last year. Many coaches would have stuck to their guns and try to force it and refuse to acknowledge it wasn’t working but they went the other way.

AbusesToilets · 16-07-2022 3:55pm

I think it's an inspiring style of rugby too, something that teams all the way down can and will look to emulate. Players having the confidence and skill to draw and pass. Love to see it. Ireland are playing some of the most attractive rugby in the game at the moment, not something one would've predicted after Joe's term.

fitz · 16-07-2022 4:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119345958#Comment_119345958

Not something we'd have been capable of before Joe's term either, tbf. I love where Farrell has brought us, but I think folks have started taking what Joe did for Irish rugby for granted a bit because of how disappointing his final year was.

16-07-2022 4:44pm

The quality of some of our attacking interplay was an absolute joy to watch. As recently as even the 2015 RWC it would have been unthinkable to expect our pack to be able to handle the ball and make decisions at pace in those sort of pressured scenarios.

Henshaw gave an absolute masterclass in defending the 13 channel today; you just have so much faith in him when he's there, must be an absolute joy to play with a guy like that.

Former Former Former · 16-07-2022 4:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119345985#Comment_119345985

Absolutely. Today was a continuation of the path that Joe started us on.

Pre 2013 we were beaten before we got off the plane. Joe got us to a point of believing we could beat anyone, anywhere.

Farrell kicked it up a notch the last eight days though.

AbusesToilets · 16-07-2022 7:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119346105#Comment_119346105

Henshaw's reads when he shoots out of the line have been phenomenal this tour. Again and again he shut down any hint of a break out by NZ

bilston · 16-07-2022 11:39pm

Where do we go from here?

We're still 15 months out from the World Cup, so like it or not there is a danger we have peaked too soon again and that teams will find us out sooner or later, albeit that might be hard for teams to do given how we play the game now compared to 4 years ago.

The onus is on Farrell and Co to keep us evolving. The good news is that we actually seem to have developed our game from the 6Ns so hopefully that continues and we don't stand still as we did in 2007 and 2019.

Player wise we need to uncover a third LH prop from somewhere to back up Porter and Healy, another second row and another option at No.8 behind Doris and Conan would be nice if I'm being greedy. Sexton's back up at 10 needs more game time (and needs identified) and someone like Mike Lowry or whoever it might be needs more minutes at 15. Those are the areas where I still think we are a little light in numbers. But I'm being greedy in demanding 3 international class players per position now, which is unheard of in Irish rugby, but those are the standards set now!

16-07-2022 11:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119347498#Comment_119347498

Win the November tests, win the Six nations, win the World cup.

Obvs.

Dubinusa · 17-07-2022 2:13am

I was just noticing that Porter appears to be scrummaging better? Is he turning the corner?

Beirne and Ryan were superb!

Vdf is world class. There shouldn't be any doubt.

Doris really kicked on. He was great these last 2 tests.

Sexton is a demi God

Keenan is a top level fb

There's no fear in the squad! N.Z didn't intimidate our lads. The kiwis look lost. No ideas, no direction and I think Fozzy bear is a goner. Their pack is relatively average. Savea is easily the pick of the litter.

POM has resurrected itself from the abyss and is now amongst the rugby God's on Mt Olympus.

JGP has made the difference in our play.

Great tour!

AbusesToilets · 17-07-2022 3:28am

Kinda wild to think we were a bad pass by Jackson away from winning all 3 tours against the Sanzaar teams

Shehal · 17-07-2022 5:41am

Surely VDF is a contender for World Player of the year? I can only think of Dupont & Alderitt that would be up there with him.

Shehal · 17-07-2022 5:43am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119347498#Comment_119347498

Simple, keep winning and keep evolving just like Sexton said in his post match interview.

Clean sweep the autumn, win the Slam and then win the RWC. If we aim to do all that we'll be fine, what we cant do between now at the RWC is take a backwards step, that's when **** will start hitting the fan.

brokenangel · 17-07-2022 9:04am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119347789#Comment_119347789

It's been talked to death but in the England game, it was because of the red card England decided to push the limits. If you seen the first scrum Ireland hammered them. But they got away with it, then other teams started to try it v Ireland and Leinster. They also got away with it.

Ireland as Farrell said try to stick to the laws and reduce the penalty count, so they count on the ref helping them out. We have done that for years. When the ref lets the opposition away with shite like that we didn't know how to fight back

So I think two things are happening. The front row have figured out how to fight back. Well done the coaching team.

Plus we are not playing against the French/English front row. The big question will be what happens when we come up against them. Looking at the England scrum v Aus they are still at the same messing and getting away with it. An Aus commentators pointed it out they are illegal.

The problem is the ref's have decided just to let them at it.

Our scrum is good enought to hold out most teams but those bigger guys we need the refs to help us out

Dubinusa · 17-07-2022 2:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119348035#Comment_119348035

England are illegal sometimes, and they do get away with it. But they are powerful as a unit. Are N.Z a good scrummaging team? I reckon that should be the question.

Porter seems to have picked up a little. Our scrum was good this series.

salmocab · 17-07-2022 2:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119349054#Comment_119349054

Were you not asking who the scrum coach was after the first game and calling for his head?

Dubinusa · 17-07-2022 3:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119349060#Comment_119349060

I was! Porter was gash! I also said that he will get there. It has taken a lot of tests to get here, Salmo.

Most people with fairly decent eyesight could see that Porter was scrummaging poorly! So, perhaps he's turning the corner? Perhaps the coaching has improved?

I'd say, Porter will be chuffed with his last couple of efforts!

Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

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