Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

Is the Ireland A match on Friday going to be televised?

Bundee can't play in any of the games but he almost certainly will be in the world Cup squad so he may as well be in camp for training.

Likewise there's quiet a few injured players who I could see being in and out of camp but wouldn't be named in the squad as they are injured.

I just checked. He can play vs Australia if he did a coaching intervention program.

No idea if he did or not.

The more I look at that SA teamsheet the worse it gets. We're going to need a hell of a performance on Saturday. Their bench could really be vital.

Theres zero time for sentimentality in professional sport. We're playing the world champions here, Farrell will absolutely start his strongest 15. If Murrays picked to start its because hes either shown something more then everyone else or because the first up isn't match fit.

All the lovely sound bytes aside, I can't see any world where he picks Murray to start just because it coincides with his 100th cap.

I agree our coaches have a lot of credit in the bank. They can afford to not go 100% full strength or at least not rush someone back unnecessarily.

I'm not saying ireland should play 5 debutants v South africa. I just think we should try integrate 1 or 2 additional players in against tip opposition with a large number of our front line players around them.

Take the back row. It's about 18 months since someone other than Doris, Pom, vdf and Conan were the 4 chosen as the 4 back row options for a serious test match. And that was when Stander played in the 21 6 nations with 3 of the options.

They may be our 4 best back row options but we really need a look at a Coombes or a Timoney, pendergast or Baird in a game against top opposition.

Similarly what's the negative with playing someone other than keenan at full back if keenan is rusty let him play v Fiji and then integrate him back in for Australia.

I don't mind them going strong for this game if they make 5/6 changes for Australia. South Africa rocking up and kicking the sh*t out of us could have devastating psychological consequences similar to England in Lansdowne Road in 2019. But that being said, I don't like how guys like Keenan and JGP (both top players) are seemingly being rushed back having not played in months and zero form coming into such a tough game. Reeks to me of Murray in 2019, coming straight back in while clearly still injured and no chance of anybody else getting a look in while he was playing rubbish. By being so short-term focused, Farrell is putting more pressure on to get a result. I don't get the sense that SA will be too fussed if they don't win this game. We clearly care a lot more.

I think we can safely assume there will be changes for Fiji. But Australia aren't a team I'd fear massively right now, and that's their 4th game of a 5 game tour at the end of their season so they'll be knackered. That's a perfect game to throw some guys in against decent opposition, and if we lose, who honestly cares? We know we're a better team than them when we're at full strength. Being in a better position with regards to the World Cup is far more important than results this November.

Sexton and Healy should be gone after the South Africa game. There's nothing we will learn from the playing v Fiji and Australia and we desperately need to look at other options particularly at loose head. I've been impressed with Loughman of late. If he's the 3rd choice LH then we need to get him capped.

They've missed quite a bit of rugby. Including the tilts v Ulster and the Sharks. They could come in cold and underperform. I know they're central to the team.

And Murray was arguably the best player in the world in 2018.

And he's not in the team in 2022.

Lads, the idea that beating the All Blacks in July 2022 shouldn’t matter in November 2022 is absolutely bananas.

But yet you never, ever stop going on about how good Cooney was in 2020 or whenever it was supposed to be?

The issue is the automatic assumption that guys are being rushed back and aren't ready because conservative etc.

At what point do people concede that the coach of the #1 ranked team in the world might know what he's doing? Maybe these lads are fit and raring to go, and just weren't risked for the URC.

Cooney is in his bollocks the best SH in Ireland btw. He isn't now and he never was.

The coaches picked him because of this form(and pressure from the media)

Sorry but that’s complete and utter manure. If coaches are making selections based on media pundits (some failed coaches). Then they would have no right to be in the job in the first place. He got into camp on his form for Ulster alright. The coaches had a good look at him and deemed him not good enough. As evidenced by “Still he got few minutes even with Murray not going well”. Which would suggest that despite what some fans thought of him playing well in one system. He couldn’t transfer it to another setup. At times in the last 5 years or so. Marmion has been “the best scrum half in Ireland” Blade has been “the best scrum half in Ireland” Cooney has been “the best scrum half in Ireland”. In the eyes of supporters. Yet the only one to actually get past Murray thus far, was JGP.

Isn't the team of the year heavily weighed to players who don't play international matches? So its not actually a very good indication at all as to who is the best player per position. Craig Casey was on the team of the year last year but i dont think anyone would argue he is the best scrum half in the league.

Marmion, Blade and Cooney are not all top class scrum half's. They are all good scrum halfs who look good for their provinces and could do a job at international.

My recollection of Cooney is he had the great year in 2020, was called into the irish squad, looked like he would get the starting place and then covid. When the internationals had come back he had lost all form and been dropped by Ulster.