BUNDEE AKI, ROBBIE Henshaw, Garry Ringrose. For a few years, it was just a case of picking the two players who were fit at the time and you had Ireland’s midfield.
It always seemed to be the case that one of the frontline three was sidelined, so the other two would pair up and deliver strong performances in the green jersey.
In some ways, that’s still the case, but Ulster man Stuart McCloskey has made it more of a quartet in the last two seasons. Andy Farrell has brought him in from the cold and while Aki, Ringrose, and Henshaw have remained ahead in the depth chart, the towering McCloskey has had some big days for Ireland.
Now, in the wake of the World Cup, there are a few other ambitious centres dotted around Irish rugby who have designs on breaking up the established order.
Exciting prospects like the versatile Jamie Osborne will be aiming to get a foothold and drive themselves a few more rungs up the ladder to challenge the big dogs.
Connacht:
- Bundee Aki [33]
- Tom Farrell [30]
- Cathal Forde [22]
- David Hawkshaw [24]
- Tom Daly [30]
- Shayne Bolton [23]
- Shane Jennings [22]
- John Devine [19]
- Hugh Gavin [19]
- Daniel Hawkshaw [21]
- Finn Treacy [19]
Aki was one of the best players at this year’s World Cup and his form saw him nominated for the World Rugby player of the year award. The Connacht man was brilliant on both sides of the ball and earned his one-season IRFU central contract extension.
He might be 33 now but Aki is in the best shape of his life and shows no signs of slowing down, so he looks certain to remain an important figure for Ireland and is the first-choice at number 12, having been behind Henshaw at times in years gone by.
Aki is also still a talismanic figure at Connacht, having overcome a tough patch last winter when he wasn’t being picked and his relationship with the province didn’t seem at its strongest. All was patched up in the end and Aki will be key when he returns from injury.
In the meantime, 22-year-old Cathal Forde continues to impress at inside centre. The Galway man has been one of the best performers this season and having toured with Emerging Ireland last year, looks like one for the future. Deceptively strong and quick, with good passing and kicking skills, Forde’s form means Aki’s absences haven’t been felt as strongly as in the past.
Outside centre Tom Farrell appears to have put injury frustrations well behind him and has started the season in sharp form. The 30-year-old hasn’t been capped by Ireland but did train with the national team in the 2018/19 season. He has been a consistently important player for Connacht since joining back in 2017.
Former Leinster man David Hawkshaw’s combative, clever skills have added to the squad in the past two seasons, as has his ability to play at 10, 12, or 13. Tom Daly, another ex-Leinster man, offers similar adaptability although his starting opportunities decreased last season.
The Irish-qualified Shayne Bolton, who joined from his native South Africa in 2021, has yet to get a chance to kick on but is only 23, while the 22-year-old Shane Jennings is away with the Ireland 7s squad.
Bolton and Jennings both also play on the wing, which is true of the Irish-qualified Byron Ralston, a shrewd signing from the Western Force last year. The Aussie native is primarily a winger but has the physicality and nous to play at outside centre, where he starts against Leinster tomorrow.
Connacht out-half JJ Hanrahan also has history at inside centre, so there are lots of options in the senior squad. The Connacht academy includes the highly promising John Devine, one of the stars of this year’s excellent Ireland U20 team.
Hugh Gavin was also part of that team and is underage again this year. It’s expected that the 19-year-old will mainly play in midfield this time around, having shone on the wing in 2023.
The other two centres in Connacht’s academy joined after playing in the Leinster pipeline, with Daniel Hawkshaw – younger brother of senior centre David and a former Ireland U20 international – joined by Pres Bray alumnus Finn Treacy, who also plays on the wing.
Leinster:
- Garry Ringrose [28]
- Robbie Henshaw [30]
- Jamie Osborne [22]
- Liam Turner [24]
- Ben Brownlee [21]
- Hugh Cooney [20]
Ringrose is the main man at outside centre for Ireland, while he’s now one of the co-captains in Leinster alongside lock James Ryan. At 28, Ringrose is a mature character whose performances are consistently strong. He is a calming influence on team-mates and a smart operator in the number 13 shirt.
He has combined with Henshaw in midfield frequently for Ireland, while that pairing has been first-choice at Leinster since Henshaw joined in 2016.
30-year-old Henshaw has been blighted by injuries in recent years, constantly losing momentum as he bids to get back up to full speed. He’s hugely experienced with 67 Ireland caps and two Lions tours under his belt, the second as a Test starter, but needs more luck on the injury front now.
Leinster have supplemented that Irish duo with former All Black Charlie Ngatai, a wise, tough player who can move to fullback if required. The coming man of the Leinster backline is Jamie Osborne, who has been excellent early this season. 22-year-old Osborne has been part of Ireland squads without getting capped yet, but it’s only a matter of time. It remains to be seen where he plays long-term given that he covers both midfield slots, the wing, and fullback, but it may be that the number 12 suits him best.
24-year-old outside centre Liam Turner is an assured presence whenever called on by Leinster and is regarded as a good leader. The senior squad also includes the versatile Ciarán Frawley, who can play in midfield, as well as Jimmy O’Brien and Jordan Larmour, who usually feature in the back three but also cover 13.
Academy centre Ben Brownlee won a Grand Slam with the Ireland U20s in 2022 and has already won four senior caps, while Hugh Cooney was an U20 Grand Slammer this year but was then unfortunate to be banned for their run to the World Cup final.
Ulster:
- Stuart McCloskey [31]
- James Hume [25]
- Luke Marshall [32]
- Stewart Moore [24]
- Jude Postlethwaite [21]
- Angus Curtis [25]
- Ben Carson [21]
31-year-old McCloskey’s international career has finally taken off in the last 18 months and he featured at the World Cup after having a big 2022/23 season for Farrell’s Ireland.
He is also a totemic operator for Ulster, pivotal to their hopes of pushing on to trophy success after a string of frustrating performances when it comes to play-off rugby over the last few years.
McCloskey has combined superbly with 25-year-old James Hume on many occasions, with the latter now looking like he’s heading back towards his best after a frustrating 2022/23 season. Outside centre Hume has three Ireland caps and will be determined to break back into Farrell’s selection after an unlucky injury on the tour of New Zealand in 2022 slowed him up.
The experienced Luke Marshall is a deservedly trusted part of Ulster’s squad and has 11 Ireland caps of his own, although he hasn’t featured at Test level since back in 2017. Cut down by injury in cruel fashion on many occasions, he is sidelined again at present.
24-year-old Stewart Moore was part of the Emerging Ireland tour last year, having previously impressed for the Ireland U20s, and is classy in either the 12 or 13 shirt. He also plays at 15 but has struggled to break into the first-choice side. His attacking skills would be well suited to what Ireland do, so his job now is to make more Ulster starts.
The emergence of 21-year-old Jude Postlethwaite means there is even more competition, with the 6ft 4ins centre possessing an eye-catching physical dimension. He has subtle skills too and his ceiling looks high. Postlethwaite can also play on the wing.
25-year-old Angus Curtis is a combative centre who adds further depth and can cover out-half, while 21-year-old Ben Carson recently made his senior debut after two years with the Ireland U20s.
Fullback Will Addison is also a good outside centre, while wing Ben Moxham is confident in midfield as well, so Ulster have an abundance of options in this area of the pitch.
Munster:
- Antoine Frisch [27]
- Rory Scannell [29]
- Seán O’Brien [25]
- Fionn Gibbons [21]
France native Antoine Frisch rapidly developed into an important player for Munster after joining from Bristol ahead of last season. He’s Irish-qualified and the 27-year-old was on the Emerging Ireland tour last year, having only joined Munster a few months before.
A silky, smooth outside centre, he has seemingly added a bit more bite physically early on this season and will be determined to push into the senior Ireland squad.
His new centre partner is Alex Nankivell, a New Zealander who isn’t Irish-qualified but looks set to become a fan favourite in Munster after making an impressive start to life with the southern province.
29-year-old Rory Scannell remains an extremely consistent option at inside centre and showed against Leinster last weekend that he can impact games of that stature. His ability to cover out-half and his left foot are also very useful.
Ex-Connacht man Seán O’Brien joined from Exeter last summer but has been playing on the wing so far. He usually plays at 12 or 13 so it will be interesting to follow his progress with Munster and note whether it’s out wide or in midfield. O’Brien played for the Ireland U20s in 2018.
The Munster senior squad includes a few other players who cover the midfield, with out-half Jack Crowley capable of playing at inside centre and wing duo Shane Daly and Liam Coombes covering outside centre.
In the Munster academy, 21-year-old Fionn Gibbons has two senior caps. Formerly part of the Leinster underage pipeline, he won a Grand Slam with the Ireland U20s in 2022 and also plays on the wing.
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