NEARLY EVERYTHING MOVES through the scrum-half. No one gets more touches of the ball, the number nines throw the most passes of anyone, they usually kick more than anyone, and their defensive roles have become pivotal in the modern game.
So you’d better have a good scrum-half if you want to be an excellent team.
In Jamison Gibson-Park, Ireland have a classy number nine, the Leinster man having taken over as top dog after a decade of brilliant service from Conor Murray, who has remained an important member of Andy Farrell’s squad. Craig Casey has been Ireland’s third-in-line in this position after breaking into the set-up in 2021.
The only other scrum-halves capped in the Farrell era so far are John Cooney, who hasn’t been involved since 2020, Kieran Marmion, who has now moved on to Bristol, and Connacht man Caolin Blade, who remains in the Ireland mix.
There are some promising younger scrum-halves in the Irish provinces who Farrell and the IRFU will be hoping can kick on to create more competition in this position in the future.
Leinster:
- Jamison Gibson-Park [31]
- Luke McGrath [30]
- Cormac Foley [24]
- Ben Murphy [22]
- Fintan Gunne [20]
Gibson-Park has been first-choice for Ireland since the 2021 Six Nations and it was only really after that that he also became the start for Leinster, where Luke McGrath had been the main man at scrum-half.
Gibson-Park is 31 now but still seems to be on an upward trajectory, having spent the first half of his career as a back-up scrum-half with the Blues, Hurricanes, and Leinster. His intuitive decision-making, blistering acceleration, and crisp passing make him an excellent attacker, while his kicking and defence have improved notably.
30-year-old McGrath, who is currently sidelined with a knee injury, has made 197 appearances for Leinster and also has 19 Ireland caps but hasn’t featured for the national team since Farrell took over in 2020. He continues to provide leadership in Leinster.
Cormac Foley, who turned 24 last month, is Leinster’s third senior scrum-half and has made 15 senior appearances He was capped at inside centre by the Ireland U20s back in 2019, highlighting the physical element he brings to his scrum-half play.
There are also two scrum-halves in the Leinster academy, with 22-year-old Ben Murphy and 20-year-old Fintan Gunne both featuring for the senior side recently. Ireland U20 Grand Slam winner and World Cup finalist Gunne is highly rated thanks to his laser pass and good decision-making skills.
Munster:
- Conor Murray [34]
- Craig Casey [24]
- Paddy Patterson [24]
- Neil Cronin [30]
- Ethan Coughlan [21]
- Jack Oliver [20]
Murray was Ireland’s number one at scrum-half for a decade before Gibson-Park forced his way past, but the Munster man has continued to be important to Farrell’s squad.
Limerick native Murray has started whenever Gibson-Park has been unavailable, as well as making a notable impact off the bench on some important occasions. The 34-year-old started once and was used off the bench four times at the recent World Cup. Murray’s current IRFU central contract expires at the end of this season so it will be interesting to see what happens thereafter.
Murray faces an increasingly tough battle for the number nine shirt in Munster from Casey, who has been Farrell’s third-choice scrum-half with Ireland. 24-year-old Casey brings undoubted energy and crisp passing at scrum-half and will be more determined than ever to push past Murray once and for all with starts in big games this season. Murray was in the number nine jersey for last season’s URC final.
Casey’s fellow 24-year-old, Paddy Patterson, also put himself into the mix in Munster last season, enjoying eight URC starts and earning his first two Champions Cup appearances, with Murray even left out of the 23 at one stage. Like Casey, Patterson’s skillset is well suited to what Munster do in attack.
30-year-old Neil Cronin provides further depth in the senior squad, while Munster’s academy includes two Ireland U20 graduates in Ethan Coughlan and Jack Oliver. Ennis man Coughlan already has six senior caps for Munster but Oliver is waiting for his debut.
Connacht:
- Caolin Blade [29]
- Colm Reilly [24]
- Michael McDonald [24]
- Matthew Devine [21]
Connacht starter Blade has been Farrell’s fourth-choice scrum-half and he trained with Ireland for their World Cup pre-season before missing out on the final 33-man squad.
The 29-year-old Monivea man had been in fierce competition with Marmion for years in Connacht but the latter moved on to Bristol last summer, leaving Blade in an even more important role for the western province.
As his early-season performances have underlined, Blade is increasingly the heartbeat of the Connacht team thanks to his threatening presence around the breakdown and relentless support lines. He has two caps for Ireland, debuting in 2021 before featuring in one of the World Cup warm-up games and would love another shot.
Blade’s back-up in Connacht is 24-year-old Colm Reilly, who was part of the same Ireland U20s squad as Craig Casey and Cormac Foley in 2019. Ballinasloe man Reilly now has 23 caps for Connacht but only seven as the starting scrum-half, so his two recent outings in the number nine shirt against the Sharks and Bulls will have been valuable.
Michael McDonald, who hails from Dundalk but grew up in Australia and played for their U20s before moving back to Irish rugby with Ulster last season, is currently on loan at Connacht. The 24-year-old, who was part of last year’s Emerging Ireland tour, only played once for Ulster in 2022/23 so will be desperate for game time now.
Connacht’s academy scrum-half is 21-year-old Matthew Devine, who excelled for the Ireland U20s as they won a Grand Slam in 2022. He is viewed as a big prospect to advance into the senior reckoning sooner rather than later.
Ulster:
- John Cooney [33]
- Nathan Doak [21]
- David Shanahan [30]
- Conor McKee [22]
Cooney has played for Ireland under Farrell but that was all the way back in his first campaign in the 2020 Six Nations when the Ulster scrum-half came off the bench three times. He hasn’t added to his 11 Test caps since.
Now 33, Cooney made contact with Scotland boss Gregor Townsend after World Rugby tweaked its eligibility rules, opening the door for him to switch to the Scots, but Townsend stuck with his existing scrum-half options and Cooney remains Irish-qualified.
He is now battling 21-year-old Nathan Doak for first-choice status at Ulster, with the young scrum-half continuing to grow in confidence and maturity. Doak was on the Emerging Ireland tour last year, so he is on the national radar, but hasn’t featured for Farrell’s senior side yet.
Like Cooney, Doak is a strong place-kicker, while his kicking from hand is also impressive. In many ways, he is similar to Murray but it’s clear that Doak – who was superb for the Ireland U20s in 2021 – is working hard to be a complete scrum-half who can play at the same tempo as other Irish options.
30-year-old Dave Shanahan, Ulster’s third-choice scrum-half, is always an attacking threat with his pace and support lines, while former Ireland U20 international Conor McKee will be hoping for his senior debut for the province. Ulser don’t have any scrum-halves listed in their academy at present.
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