IT SHOULD COME as no surprise Andy Farrell has opted for an unchanged starting XV for Saturday’s Six Nations showdown with Scotland.
Farrell’s trust in his players has been a core part of his success as Ireland head coach and so it was always likely he would back those who underperformed in Twickenham last week to finish this championship with a bang when Gregor Townsend’s side come to Dublin on Saturday [KO 4.45pm, Virgin Media].
As the Ireland boss explained during today’s press conference at Aviva Stadium, “when people are disappointed, you tend to get a good reaction from them.”
There will be disappointment in some quarters that Farrell hasn’t taken the opportunity to freshen things up, but there is sense in the decision to keep consistency in the selection as Ireland look to wrap up back-to-back Six Nations titles.
Ireland were lauded for their performances as they powered to bonus-point wins against France, Italy and Wales and the team that lined out in Twickenham was Farrell’s clear first-choice starting 15 in this tournament.
Things didn’t go to plan as Steve Borthwick’s men delivered a statement performance and Farrell clearly feels his own players can summon a similarly inspired display on St Patrick’s weekend.
In the back three, it’s a real boost to have Calvin Nash fit and available to play.
The Munster winger was a doubt for the game after seeing his evening cut short in Twickenham, shipping a heavy blow to the head in a tackle on Tommy Freeman during the build-up to the home side’s opening try.
Garry Ringrose and Jordan Larmour were the likely frontrunners to replace Nash if necessary but the 26-year-old has come his through his return to play protocols and gets the green light to make his fifth Test start.
Having won just one cap before this championship, Nash has settled in well and made a strong impression in the wins against France, Italy and Wales, his aggressive carries and silky handling skills helping him make a big impact.
It’s been a hugely positive championship for the Limerick man and after a disappointing day in Twickenham he’ll be keen to end his tournament on a high as part of a settled, strong back three.
James Lowe had an usually mixed outing last weekend. He finished his two tries superbly but only carried four times and while his kicking game has become such an important weapon for Ireland, England were able to use it to launch their own attacks. Having played some excellent rugby in the opening rounds he’ll look to sharpen up his game against Scotland.
Hugo Keenan is another important presence at fullback, with the Leinster player showing up well on his return from injury last week, doing a good job when relocated to wing and offering the usual security in the air.
In the Ireland midfield, Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw are backed to go again. The two have worked nicely together across the championship – Henshaw was a standout performer against France and Italy and showed up physically against England without finding the same dominance. Aki has been playing some of the best rugby of his career recently and came up with some big plays in London.
In the half-backs it will be fascinating to see how Jack Crowley responds to the first truly challenging day of his young Test career. The out-half has done an admirable job of taking on the 10 shirt following Johnny Sexton’s retirement but Twickenham was the first time things didn’t really go his way, despite some lovely contributions for Lowe’s two tries.
In the face of intense English pressure Crowley’s passing numbers dipped significantly and Ireland’s pack will back themselves to deliver quicker ball against Scotland and allow their 10 have a bigger influence on proceedings.
Jamison Gibson-Park did an excellent job on the wing when Ciarán Frawley was forced off in London but unfortunately that move robbed Ireland of his speed and accuracy at scrum-half, and he’ll be central to helping set the tempo against Scotland.
The all-Leinster front row of Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong delivered their usual high workrate against England but Sheehan in particular was uncharacteristically quiet after a really strong run of performances beforehand.
Similarly in the second row, Joe McCarthy had his least impactful outing of the season. Given this is the 22-year-old’s first Six Nations, an off-day was always likely but this is now an important game for McCarthy, who also had a frustrating day in terms of his discipline against Wales.
Still, the Leinster lock remains a hugely promising talent and it makes sense to give him another run-out alongside Tadhg Beirne. The Munster player was disappointed with some of his lineout calling last time out but has the experience to correct those issues on what will be a special occasion for the Kildare man as he wins his 50th Test cap.
Perhaps no player came in for more scrutiny after the defeat than Peter O’Mahony. The England game was the flanker’s least impactful game for some time, a quiet performance ended by a costly yellow card, but it was always likely Farrell would give his captain the opportunity to respond against Scotland.
Josh van der Flier’s place was never in doubt having been arguably Ireland’s standout performer in London, and Caelan Doris will be highly motivated after being outplayed by Ben Earl.
Ireland looked a shadow of themselves last week but this is still a team that can deliver a dominant display against Scotland.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Farrell’s selection is his decision to revert to a 5/3 bench. The 6/2 worked well against France and Wales but the visitors were left stretched when Nash and Frawley were both forced off with head injuries in London.
It would have been interesting to see if Farrell kept faith with the 6/2 split had the versatile Frawley been available to provide backline cover, but with the Leinster man ruled out the 5/3 looks the better option.
Rónan Kelleher must have felt he was pushing for a start and the hooker can add real punch off the bench again, with Cian Healy and Finlay Bealham the experienced replacement props.
Ryan Baird has furthered his case as a potential starter throughout the tournament but with O’Mahony proving hard to dislodge, he’ll have to make do with another punchy showing off the bench. Ireland will feel they can finish on top of their visitors and Baird can be central to the end game. He must be targeting a bigger role on the summer tour to South Africa.
Conor Murray took some flak for his late box-kick in Twickenham – a call that came from the coaches’ box – but remains Farrell’s second-choice scrum-half and with Frawley out, Harry Byrne is primed to win his fourth cap as he returns among the replacements. The Leinster player’s sole appearance in this championship came in the win against Italy, with Byrne showing some nice attacking touches across his 25-minute cameo.
The returning Ringrose completes a strong Ireland bench, where Ulster pair Stuart McCloskey and Iain Henderson – who unusually did media duty earlier this week only to not make the matchday squad – must feel unlucky to miss out.
And that’s what perhaps stands out about this Ireland selection. Even on the back of a defeat, Farrell has left some strong options either out his starting team, or out of the squad altogether, for what is a massive Six Nations closer.
Ireland have long enjoyed the upper hand in this fixture, with Scotland last winning in Dublin back in 2010. The England loss was deflating, but it would be another story altogether if Ireland let a Six Nations title slip from their hands on home soil.
