MACK HANSEN’S SHOULDER injury has left Andy Farrell with an intriguing decision ahead of Ireland’s Six Nations opener against France on 2 February.
Jimmy O’Brien would have appeared the next man up for the right wing slot but with the versatile Leinster back also ruled out for the tournament – along with the retirements of Keith Earls and Andrew Conway – Ireland suddenly look a little light on options.
The situation has led to some calls for centre Garry Ringrose to relocate to the wing for the tournament opener in Marseille. While he wouldn’t be a like-for-like replacement, it would be no major surprise if the Ireland coaches decided he was the man for the job.
While centre has long been his home, Ringrose has built up a decent amount of exposure playing on the wing over the years.
When Ringrose first broke through at Leinster, his early caps came on the flanks. Ringrose was named on the wing for his first Leinster start against Cardiff in 2015 and continued out wide for his next three caps – his first two starts coming on the left wing before switching to the right for his next two.
A home game against Scarlets that November was his first start at outside centre for Leinster and the position soon became his home. Every one of his 115 starts for the province since those first four on the wing have come in the 13 jersey.
Yet he’s remained familiar with playing on the wing. Leinster and Ireland frequently train with players filing in different slots around the pitch so they can call on that flexibility if needed on matchday.
Even going back to Joe Schmidt’s time as Ireland head coach, the New Zealander often told Ringrose he had to be ready to play wing if called upon. All that preparation in training has helped Ringrose slot onto the wing on a couple of occasions for both Leinster and Ireland.
During a URC clash against the Sharks in 2022, Ringrose started on the bench but found himself entering the action for a rare shift on the wing after Jordan Larmour limped off after 21 minutes.
In a 13-try thriller, Ringrose was excellent on the wing, crossing for two tries.
His first came just minutes after his introduction. Moving off his wing into a more central position, Ringrose ran a great line to get on the end of a Johnny Sexton pass before bouncing off the first tackle and showcasing his excellent footwork to step inside the last defender and score. Andy Farrell likes his wingers to get touches on the ball in-field and the score also highlighted Ringrose’s quality as a finisher.
He added a second later in the half by taking up a good position out wide to collect a Robbie Henshaw crossfield and run over in the corner.
Ringrose even memorably filled in for Hansen as recently as last year’s World Cup.
When the Connacht winger was forced off for a HIA just over 20 minutes into the pool stage defeat of Scotland, Ringrose moved out wide while substitute Stuart McCloskey came into the Ireland midfield.
In a further twist, Ireland also had scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park playing on the wing after James Lowe picked up an eye injury, meaning Farrell’s side played the entire second-half with Ringrose and Gibson-Park in the wide positions. On a memorable night in Paris, the two were heavily involved across a clinical performance by the Ireland attack.
While Ringrose later admitted he found himself roaring at Hansen on the sideline to check his role at certain points, he did an impressive job and looked comfortable throughout.
While he wasn’t overly troubled defensively by a poor Scottish effort at the Stade de France, he did make some smart contributions in defence, including one notable moment in the first half when Finn Russell looked to find space in the Ireland backfield.
As the Scotland out-half prepared to launch a kick into the Ireland half, Ringrose was alert to the play coming and tracked back to take possession – showing his footballing skills with a fine touch to kill the ball before pinning Scotland back with his return kick. After he followed up with good kick-chase, Scotland could only clear to touch and the passage eventually led to Ireland scoring a first-phase lineout try through Hugo Keenan, with Ringrose’s positional awareness a key part of the build-up.
Ringrose was also sharp in attack and after providing two try assists, he got on the end of a Jack Crowley crossfield kick to score Ireland’s sixth try heading into the final quarter.
While Scotland will have been disappointed with their defensive effort, Ringrose deserved plenty of credit for knowing his role on the wing, the Leinster man identifying the space and calling for the ball before Crowley executed an excellent kick to find him.
Contributions like the above will certainly put Ringrose in the selection debate as Farrell weighs up his wing options for the Friday night clash with France – the possibility of moving Ringrose bolstered by the fact Ireland have enough cover to replace him in midfield, with Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw both capable of playing at 13.
Yet Ringrose is far from the only candidate for the role. Calvin Nash is enjoying a good run of form with Munster and is perhaps the favourite to start in Marseille. The Munster player has just one Test cap to his name and while a Six Nations date away to France would be a significant step up, Farrell has a history of backing less experienced players to deliver on the big stage.
Jacob Stockdale and Robert Baloucoune can’t point to the same consistency as Nash over the last year but Jordan Larmour could also come into the thinking after his fine display against Stade Francais last weekend.
Perhaps the biggest question is around the defensive qualities that will be required in Marseille. Ringrose is a good defender with a wealth of big game experience but with electric pair Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud expected to line out on the wings against Ireland, Farrell might feel the need to fill Hansen’s absence with a more pacey wing option.
The Ireland head coach may well look to an out-and-out winger to do the job at the Stade Vélodrome but given Ringrose’s experience and how he has handled the role previously, he will certainly be part of the conversation.