Ireland Team Talk XII: Farrell's First Fifteen

We're going to South Africa

Mad that this could even be questioned. Think he'd walk into any international team bar France.

I don’t see how anyone can watch ross byrne play and crowley play and think its likely that byrne holds onto the job much longer than the world cup. Maybe one more six nations? Crowley just has more upside and has already performed in big games. Byrne is probably the better choice for the world cup.

I’d still say Harry Byrne has a chance. Frawley is obviously liked by irish management. Prendergast hasn’t really played but i guess he has a shot too.

I think if Crowley played for Leinster, he would be the absolute favourite to start for ireland (if sexton was out) by an absolute mile. Most of the backs being leinster players and ireland playing a system way closer to leinster than munster is a big advantage to R Byrne in the short term. He knows the plays and the players intimately.

In the south africa game last year, we played murray and box kicked contestable way more than usual as i think we were concerned about kicking long to their back 3. JGP was just back from injury so maybe that was the deciding factor, but its possible that murray gets picked for tactical reasons regardless vs south africa.

How the **** would playing with a ton of the same backline in a similar system not be an advantage in selection?

Provincial blinders or just complete lack of knowledge of how rugby works?

See my ninja edit above. Crowley has had plenty of time to pick up the Ireland system (more than Byrne in fact).

If he can't figure it out, as you assert, then that's a pretty damning indictment of his ability. I disagree though, I think he'll be fine.

People know this will work the other way too right? If casey and crowley are ireland 9/10 two years from now, it is then relatively easier for munster backs to get in the team.

They would perform better because their half backs are better, they would have better chemistry and the system would probably start skewing that way. Not the absolute deciding factor but absolutely a factor.

I suspect if that does come to pass that reason won't wash on here all of a sudden! 😄

I don’t really understand if you are intentionally misunderstanding or if you are dense.

JGP skipped him cos the coaches told him to. I thought that was obvious.

An EI tour and starting one game will not get you anywhere close to comfortable enough to run the system as well as someone like byrne who plays with all the same players in almost the same system. The very fact that he was on an emerging ireland tour in the same year shows that as well. They see him as a developmental player. Of course though he would be farther along if he played in a similar system and with tons of irish players every week with his club.

How in the name of christ is this a controversial thing to say? Can you like step back and just think about it for a second.

Will Carbery get picked in the training squad?

I saw his name pop up as part of the 30 man travelling squad to Cape Town.

I hadn't heard his name mentioned at Munster since his last game v Sharks

22 v Sharks 8mins. Crowley 10/12, 72/8mins - April 1st

10 v Glasgow 62mins. Crowley 12/10, 62/18mins – MAR 25th

10 v Scarlets 53mins. Crowley 22, 27mins – MAR 3rd

10/15 v Ospreys 53/27mins. G.Scott 22, 27mins – FEB 17th

10/15 v Benetton 30/50mins. G.Scott 22, 50mins – JAN 28th

10 v Toulouse 50mins. G.Scott 22, 20mins. Crowley 12/10, 70/10mins – JAN 22nd

DROPPED from IRELAND Squad – JANUARY 19th

RESTED v Lions. Great Scott 10, 80mins – JAN 6th

RESTED v Ulster. Crowley 10, 80mins – JAN 1st

10 v Leinster 64mins. Crowley 12, 80mins – DEC 26th

10 v Northampton 69mins. Crowley 12, 54mins – DEC 18th

10 v Toulouse 80mins. Crowley 22, 29mins – DEC 11th

10 v Edinburgh 80mins. Crowley 22, 23mins – DEC 2nd

10 v Connacht 80mins. Crowley 22, 38mins – NOV 26th

IRELAND: v Aus Crowley 10 73mins. Hero Byrne 22, 7mins – NOV 19th

IRELAND: 10 v Fiji HIA 46mins Replaced by Crowley – NOV 12th

IRELAND: 22 v SA 3mins – NOV 5th

Carbery hasn't played in 8 weeks. & only 123mins in the last 14 weeks. Harry Byrne has played 422mins in the last 14 weeks.

If I was taking a punt on the training squad: Sexton, Crowley, Byrne x2

I think its obvious they overlooked byrne because he isn’t really an international talent but they don’t have anyone else with enough experience in the system or just experience in general this close to the world cup. They gave up on carbery because he has been poor for a long time.

Your POV is that there would be no difference in Crowley’s readiness to play for ireland if he played for leinster vs munster. That’s ridiculous on its face.

You just are a fan and anything that you see as against your province is a grievance that you need to fight.

I never said Crowley played well against Australia or that he should start now. Can you introduce me to the person you are arguing against? Because it isn’t me.

Anybody got stats on Crowley vs Byrne, place-kicking accuracy, this season?

I reckon that's about the only dimension Byrne might still be ahead.

Otherwise, Byrne will not be selected just because he's the "safe" option. That's not how Faz has played, nor succeeded, with this Irish team. It's not how Munster won the URC.

In fairness to Ross Byrne, he had a fantastic season and Farrell won't forget that based on the LAR game.

Whichever of them gets the nod will be the guy who performs better for Farrell between now and September.

So if that's Byrne, it's because he's the better option. Not safer, nothing to do with systems, nothing to do with Lancaster. Likewise if it's Crowley, we'll know he's backed up his club form with displays in the camps and that would be awesome too.

It's great to have genuine options. Assuming the loser is still travelling as third choice, we will be a lot better off than in 2019.

Crowley's professional career kicking percentage is over 80% up to the URC semi final

But he has only taken just under 50 kicks

If you look at individual comps, the numbers are so low that they're heavily skewed by a small number of kicks

Ross Byrne's career average kicking percentage is also, just about 80%

I've been mentioning Haley's & Kleyn's names that should be in the squad but Coombes & Hodnett wouldn't be out of place there either

Definitely the last few weeks must have stood to them.