Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

We ought to get into whatever black magic Wales use to get the draws they get, and they wonder why they have such a good RWC record...

Backrow though is the most competitive position in the squad.

We have a test lion on the bench, as well as Coombes, Prendergast and Baird in the wider squad. Not to mention that Beirne (I know he is injured) and Henderson have experience at 6.

Then we have Connors to come back in and Deegan who featured in the AIs. Not to mention experienced internationals like Murphy and Ruddock not getting a look in.

There's a lot of talent knocking on the door and VDF is WPOTY and Doris is playing like he will be player of the six nations.

I think we should play someone different (one someone) against Italy to bed in an additional option in with an otherwise first choice backrow and build familiarity in the Italy game.

Huge question if you ask me. I like the looks of Coombes, but not there yet.

Be better than Doris and conan at 8. He's not.

Would like to see Coombes get a run in 6 Jersey v Italy and larmour get a run at 14.

Not looking for wholesale changes just a look at an additional player in the pack and the backs.

Derak McNamara goes into great detail on how statistically brilliant POM is. While it can be unseen on first viewing POM brings a balance to the back row that Not many others can.

Coombes and to A degree Baird could be more X factor options at 6 but you’re really running the risk of unsettling a back row that is preforming better than any in the world.

I would like to see a change for the Italy match and think Coombes could have bigger impacts from the bench than Conan but POM is preforming very well and should keep his jersey

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but I don't think Coombes as a 2nd row should really be an option for Ireland. Fine to fill in at provincial level, like Ruddock or Jerome Kaino, but play him where he's actually great. We have Henderson, Bierne and Baird who can play 2nd row to a much higher standard and fill in at 6.

I desperately want Coombes to get his chances to make a claim before the world cup, but I fear he's running out of time and the coaches have a lot of faith in our 6 and 8 options (with good reason). Didn't Coombes fall fairly ill when he was rumoured to get a start last year? Really felt for him then and it's possible that set him back. People are disagreeing a lot about Conan's form vs Coombes, but I reckon the persistence with Conan is likely to be the different qualities he brings over Coombes that the coaches might value playing next to Doris or just generally suits the team better.

I'm more intrigued by Hodnett - surely he's overtaken Timoney for the 3rd choice 7 race (VDF + POM)? Depends on how well Connors continues to play having just come back from his injury and how the weigh his tackling ability against everything Hodnett brings. Leinster fans might feel for Scott Penny but I think Hodnett is much more of a breakdown threat and his carrying is better as well.

I absolutely agree that Coombes shouldn't be a first choice 2nd row for Ireland, but in the context of a RWC squad of 33 players, having people who can cover multiple positions is very valuable. Players get injured or suspended and suddenly you're looking at playing players out of position in knockout games.

Try scoring isn't really a good metric in this context, especially for a backrow. If that were the case then Scott Penny, with 25 trys in 50 appearances, would be knocking down the door for selection.

I agree. Superb player and he reminds me a little of VDF about 5 years ago. But, he's not ripping up trees. In fact, I think he will be capped against tier 2 nations. I would say that he'll be a lad who gets about a dozen caps over his career. I rate Hodnett higher.

Worth noting that it looks like there will be a back row cum second row in the Ireland squad next weekend. It just won't be Coombes. I'm not sure he's as close to the 23 as many people think.

But like any of these players about whom we always hear "WHAT MORE DOES HE HAVE TO DO", the answer isn't looking great against rubbish URC teams. It's about doing what Farrell asks of them.

And the reality is, a lot of the time, the player in question just isn't good enough to do that.