WATCHING CHRIS FARRELL come off the bench for Munster away to Zebre Parma on Saturday evening was a reminder of just how well-stocked Ireland are in midfield heading into the 2022 Six Nations.
Farrell made an impact for his province as they claimed a bonus point but he surely would have preferred to be away in Portugal at Ireland’s pre-championship training camp.
Ulster’s Stuart McCloskey is injured so he’s not part of the national team squad either, but Ireland boss Andy Farrell still has four superb options to choose from.
Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw, and Garry Ringrose are the three experienced figures in this area of the squad, while 23-year-old James Hume is the upstart who clearly has the qualities to upset the established order.
Hume has already partly done so by beating Farrell to a place in the squad. The Munster man was injured during November when Hume was an unused player in Ireland’s wider group, but his return to full fitness has not seen Farrell return to the Ireland mix.
Hume has well and truly earned his spot. Having made his Ireland debut last summer against the US, the ambitious Ulster man was frustrated not to feature over the autumn, and he has done his talking on the pitch since, showing his game-breaking ability.
Hume will be very hopeful of getting his second cap over the coming weeks. Round three against Italy might be the perfect chance if Farrell opts to hold him back until then.
Farrell’s starting centre combination for this weekend against Wales looks set to come from Aki, Henshaw, and Ringrose. It has often been the case in the past that one of that trio has had an injury issue, making Ireland’s decision in midfield straightforward.
Now Farrell has two centres who were Test Lions last summer – Henshaw and Aki – and Ringrose, who has pushed back towards his best form this season and has essentially been first-choice for Ireland at 13 whenever fit.
Aki and Henshaw? Aki and Ringrose? Henshaw and Ringrose? Or does Hume feature?
Given that Henshaw and Ringrose have developed their understanding so thoroughly at Leinster in recent seasons, that pairing appears to be the front-runner but Aki and Henshaw did, of course, play together in Connacht for a long time and know each other very well – starting the third Lions Test together just last summer.
Aki carried an injury into the 2021 Six Nations, so it was a Henshaw and Ringrose pairing all the way through until the England game when Aki came in after an injury to Ringrose and Henshaw moved out to 13.
Henshaw was the one with the injury issue at the beginning of the November series, meaning Aki and Ringrose teamed up in the wins over Japan and New Zealand. Henshaw did return to partner Ringrose in the final game of the autumn against Argentina.
So far in the Farrell era, it’s difficult to be sure which is really his favoured pairing but we’re soon about to find out with the three of them in the mix.
The expectation is that Henshaw and Ringrose will pair up this weekend against Wales but Aki is a real force at Test level and his ability to win collisions has been supplemented by ever-improving distribution skills.
If Farrell does go with Henshaw and Ringrose, he must also decide whether to include a third centre on his bench but that hasn’t been the case in the past. Indeed, the November Tests saw Keith Earls used off the bench in midfield. Versatility is a key component among the replacements.
What does seem probable is that Farrell will need more than two centres if he wants Ireland to have a title tilt in this Six Nations. Continuity in selection is usually seen as a good thing but injuries are often a reality too.
Farrell can rest assured that he is well-stocked in midfield however things pan out in this championship.
