THERE COULD BE a couple of changes to Ireland’s matchday 23 forced on Andy Farrell ahead of Saturday’s clash with Scotland, but he must decide whether further tweaks are necessary.
Ireland are going for a win that would seal the Six Nations title so it seems unlikely that Farrell will make drastic changes.
Several of his players will feel they failed to hit their best form in defeat to England at Twickenham last Saturday but the Ireland head coach is not known for knee-jerk reactions.
Starting right wing Calvin Nash suffered what appeared to be a nasty head injury in a tackle on England wing Tommy Freeman in the fourth minute as the English scored the opening try and was replaced by Ciarán Frawley.
In the 47th minute, Frawley took a blow to the head while tackling Freeman and wobbled notably as he got back to his feet. Frawley played on as England scored their second try and he was still on the pitch as Ireland restarted but was then called ashore for a Head Injury Assessment [HIA] in the next break in play, with Conor Murray replacing him.
If Nash and/or Frawley suffered a confirmed concussion, that would almost certainly rule them out of the Scotland game this weekend. Ireland haven’t yet provided detail on how the initial three stages of the HIA process went for the players but are due to give an update at their press conference tomorrow afternoon.
Should Nash miss out on the right wing, as seems likely given how much he was struggling immediately after the collision with Freeman, Farrell has a couple of options.
Jordan Larmour is part of the Six Nations squad and made an appearance off the bench against Italy, albeit at outside centre. Larmour has mainly been playing on the right wing for Leinster and would love a chance to slot into the Irish XV. He has the experience of 31 Test caps and has delivered good performances at number 14 for Leinster this season.
Indeed, Larmour may have been close to selection as Ireland’s starting right wing for this championship after injuries to first- and second-choice picks Mack Hansen and Jimmy O’Brien. In the end, Farrell went for Nash, who deserved his place and justified his selection.
Jacob Stockdale is the other wing in the wider Ireland squad but he plays almost exclusively on the left side, as does first-choice number 11 James Lowe, so that would require a somewhat awkward rejig of the back three.
Farrell is also likely to consider bringing Garry Ringrose into the team on the right wing. The Leinster outside centre has yet to appear in this Six Nations due to a shoulder injury and then non-selection against England, so would relish a return.
Ringrose has never started a game on the wing for Ireland but has moved there during matches, including an impressive 58-minute stint out wide against Scotland at last year’s World Cup. The 29-year-old last played a game on 20 January but has been fully training with Ireland for a couple of weeks now and will be desperate to get back on the pitch.
Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw have been in good form as the starting midfield pairing so a return to action on the right wing for Ringrose could make sense.
Otherwise, Farrell has the option of restoring Ringrose to the number 13 shirt, but Henshaw has had a strong Six Nations in that position.
Of course, if Frawley was fit then Ireland could do what they did in the first half at Twickenham by moving Hugo Keenan to the wing and including Frawley at fullback. If Frawley isn’t fit, as also seems likely to be the case, then Farrell will need to consider his bench selection again.
Frawley’s ability to cover out-half, as well as centre and fullback, made the 6/2 split less risky for Ireland but that could be taken out of the equation now.
A 5/3 bench split would allow Farrell to include out-half Harry Byrne and Stuart McCloskey, who wore the number 23 shirt in a 6/2 split against Wales and played the closing stages on the right wing, or Larmour, who covers outside centre and the back three slots, or Henshaw if he was dropped from the starting XV.
Starting out-half Jack Crowley has played at fullback and inside centre for Ireland, meaning they could possibly go 6/2 with Byrne on the bench but that would mean shifting their number 10 in-game if Crowley had to cover an injury elsewhere.
A 5/3 split would mean Farrell having to leave a back five forward out of the 23.
Should Farrell stick with the same starting pack as against England and go 5/3 on the bench, that would mean one of Iain Henderson, Ryan Baird, and Jack Conan being left out of the 23. Baird can play in the second row and at blindside flanker so there would be a degree of flexibility there if Henderson was the one left out.
In terms of his bench options, Farrell may consider bringing Oli Jager back in for another chance as the replacement tighthead prop spot, filled by Finlay Bealham last weekend, while Craig Casey has been pushing for the sub-scrum-half slot occupied by Conor Murray.
So there are a couple of conundrums for Farrell, even if sweeping changes to the starting XV seem unlikely.
Captain Peter O’Mahony was among those to struggle to make a telling impact in Twickenham and Baird has been punchy off the Irish bench at blindside flanker, but it would be a massive call for Farrell to drop his skipper, who has lots of credit in the bank.
22-year-old lock Joe McCarthy had a quieter outing last weekend but that was certainly to be expected at some stage in his first Six Nations campaign and he would benefit hugely from more time in the saddle. Others who weren’t at their best against England, such as hooker Dan Sheehan and number eight Caelan Doris, have proven their quality before and will be highly motivated to bounce back.
On the whole, it seems likely that Farrell’s matchday squad will have a fairly settled look to it even if Nash and Frawley are ruled out.
