CONNACHT’S 20-YEAR-old Billy Bohan has left camp after what has presumably been an exciting first week with Andy Farrell’s squad, so Ireland are now down to having two out-and-out loosehead props in their group.
With the Six Nations opener against France on Thursday looming large, Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy, and Jack Boyle are all missing due to injury.
So step up, Michael Milne and Jeremy Loughman.
The Munster duo have played for Ireland before, with Milne earning his first two caps last summer off the bench against Georgia and Portugal.
Loughman has five caps, the most recent of which came off the bench against Italy in the 2024 Six Nations. He was also part of the 2023 World Cup squad in France after Cian Healy was ruled out with an injury on the eve of Farrell naming his selection.
There is one other possible option for Farrell at loosehead this week, with Ulster tighthead Tom O’Toole having previously played at loosehead for Ireland off the bench against Fiji in November 2024, as well as having a good performance there for Ireland A against England A in February 2025.
O’Toole has trained at loosehead again with Ireland in this pre-Six Nations camp in Portugal.
“He’s done a bit of both,” said Ireland asssistant coach Simon Easterby. “He does have that ability to be a double adapter and I think any team in world rugby would be keen to have those types of players that can do both.
“But obviously he’s played this season at tighthead for Ulster.”
It remains to be seen if Ireland ask O’Toole to switch across to loosehead again, with their matchday 23 to be named early on Tuesday morning, but the most straightforward solution might just be to back Milne and Loughman.
Given that he has so recently been capped by Ireland, Milne must be hopeful that he will get the starting chance.
Milne got his first two caps last summer. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Loughman started Munster’s two Champions Cup games last month and did well at scrum time, particularly away to Toulon on a day when English referee Karl Dickson was in charge. Dickson will be on the whistle again in Paris on Thursday.
With the scrum such an obvious concern for Ireland after what the Springboks did to them the last time they played in November, that might give Loughman an edge, but Milne is an explosive player who Ireland clearly rate, having capped him in July.
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Farrell tends to be a coach who looks at the possible upsides a player will bring, rather than the potential negatives. Milne has the kind of edge and dynamism that Farrell likes, even if Loughman is the heavier loosehead by a few kilos.
“The bit of competition for that loosehead spot with Jez and Mikey has been excellent,” said Easterby.
“I’ve just walked up from a scrum session there, and it looked like they were going after each other and working hard.
“I think that’s part of the challenge and the excitement around a couple of players who haven’t been in for a while, in Jez and Mikey, getting an opportunity to step up.
“You know, sometimes those things are forced. Sometimes, they’re in there for their form, and both of them have gone well. We’ve been really impressed with them.
“But for us, it just keeps adding depth to our squad, which is exactly what we want when we’re 18 months out of a World Cup.”
Indeed, there’s only one way to find out about players.
Loughman’s five caps have come against Fiji, Italy, Samoa, and Romania, as well as a six-minute stint against England. Milne has faced Georgia and Portugal so far in his only two caps.
So there will be an obvious leap required if they’re called on to survive and thrive against the French.
“Jez has played a good bit of rugby. Mikey as well, you know, a few niggles early season, but they’ve both been performing for Munster,” said Easterby.
Jeremy Loughman last featured in the 2024 Six Nations. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“For that end, they’re playing on the highest stage in Europe, and it’s now an opportunity for them to step up and make their mark at the international level.”
Whatever about the scrum, Ireland have lots of other things to get right if they’re to upset the odds at Stade de France.
They’re keen to be sharp when it comes to their discipline, with Irish official Peter Martin arriving in Portugal to referee Ireland’s training session at the Campus in Quinta do Lago yesterday.
“It’s good because players have spoken to Pete today around different parts of the game and those little conversations, it’s important that we get a feel for what they [referees] are thinking, away from the pressures of the game and get their understanding of what they might be chasing down.
“So, I think it’s been brilliant. We’ve always had somebody in, if it’s not Pete, it’d be somebody else from the IRFU and it makes a big difference.
“It means that me or Faz or Goody, one of the other coaches, doesn’t have to referee as well, which could be a bit painful!”
Of chief importance to Easterby is Ireland’s defence, which he is in charge of.
He believes they did some good things last autumn in defence but other parts left him disappointed.
“In the New Zealand game, we got tight, we kind of sat off them bit at times, we didn’t probably impose ourselves physically on teams for long enough periods, and in any game of rugby if you’re losing those physical battles time and time again, then it’s going to hurt you,” said Easterby.
He wants Ireland to get the ball back earlier on Thursday night, allowing them to strike in attack.
But Easterby is aware that Ireland have an array of French strengths to deal with in Paris.
Ireland defence coach SImon Easterby. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
The return of Antoine Dupont at scrum half is perhaps the biggest threat of all. Easterby said it hasn’t been causing him sleepless nights.
“It’s exciting,” he said of the challenge of planning to limit Dupont’s influence.
“France were lucky that they’ve had a couple of very good nines to step up when Dupont has been away, but he’s a heartbeat of their team. He makes their team tick and he makes things happen. That’s just him as a player.
“He probably breeds a bit of confidence in their ranks but that for us is an exciting challenge and I think it’s one that if it was keeping me up at night, then I’d be in the wrong place.”
Easterby said he thinks there is “a bit of a misconception” about how difficult it is for Leinster players to switch into Ireland’s defence system when they return to the national team.
Easterby insists that it can be a positive.
“I like what goes on in the provinces,” he said. “I like the fact that they do things slightly differently to us, because when they come into us, it’s a nice little challenge.
“I look forward to coming to work and getting us on the same page. We use strong bits of others, and we use other bits, and hopefully that makes us strong as a unit.”
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'We've been impressed' - Ireland confident in Milne and Loughman
CONNACHT’S 20-YEAR-old Billy Bohan has left camp after what has presumably been an exciting first week with Andy Farrell’s squad, so Ireland are now down to having two out-and-out loosehead props in their group.
With the Six Nations opener against France on Thursday looming large, Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy, and Jack Boyle are all missing due to injury.
So step up, Michael Milne and Jeremy Loughman.
The Munster duo have played for Ireland before, with Milne earning his first two caps last summer off the bench against Georgia and Portugal.
Loughman has five caps, the most recent of which came off the bench against Italy in the 2024 Six Nations. He was also part of the 2023 World Cup squad in France after Cian Healy was ruled out with an injury on the eve of Farrell naming his selection.
There is one other possible option for Farrell at loosehead this week, with Ulster tighthead Tom O’Toole having previously played at loosehead for Ireland off the bench against Fiji in November 2024, as well as having a good performance there for Ireland A against England A in February 2025.
O’Toole has trained at loosehead again with Ireland in this pre-Six Nations camp in Portugal.
“He’s done a bit of both,” said Ireland asssistant coach Simon Easterby. “He does have that ability to be a double adapter and I think any team in world rugby would be keen to have those types of players that can do both.
“But obviously he’s played this season at tighthead for Ulster.”
It remains to be seen if Ireland ask O’Toole to switch across to loosehead again, with their matchday 23 to be named early on Tuesday morning, but the most straightforward solution might just be to back Milne and Loughman.
Given that he has so recently been capped by Ireland, Milne must be hopeful that he will get the starting chance.
Loughman started Munster’s two Champions Cup games last month and did well at scrum time, particularly away to Toulon on a day when English referee Karl Dickson was in charge. Dickson will be on the whistle again in Paris on Thursday.
With the scrum such an obvious concern for Ireland after what the Springboks did to them the last time they played in November, that might give Loughman an edge, but Milne is an explosive player who Ireland clearly rate, having capped him in July.
Farrell tends to be a coach who looks at the possible upsides a player will bring, rather than the potential negatives. Milne has the kind of edge and dynamism that Farrell likes, even if Loughman is the heavier loosehead by a few kilos.
“The bit of competition for that loosehead spot with Jez and Mikey has been excellent,” said Easterby.
“I’ve just walked up from a scrum session there, and it looked like they were going after each other and working hard.
“I think that’s part of the challenge and the excitement around a couple of players who haven’t been in for a while, in Jez and Mikey, getting an opportunity to step up.
“You know, sometimes those things are forced. Sometimes, they’re in there for their form, and both of them have gone well. We’ve been really impressed with them.
“But for us, it just keeps adding depth to our squad, which is exactly what we want when we’re 18 months out of a World Cup.”
Indeed, there’s only one way to find out about players.
Loughman’s five caps have come against Fiji, Italy, Samoa, and Romania, as well as a six-minute stint against England. Milne has faced Georgia and Portugal so far in his only two caps.
So there will be an obvious leap required if they’re called on to survive and thrive against the French.
“Jez has played a good bit of rugby. Mikey as well, you know, a few niggles early season, but they’ve both been performing for Munster,” said Easterby.
“For that end, they’re playing on the highest stage in Europe, and it’s now an opportunity for them to step up and make their mark at the international level.”
Whatever about the scrum, Ireland have lots of other things to get right if they’re to upset the odds at Stade de France.
They’re keen to be sharp when it comes to their discipline, with Irish official Peter Martin arriving in Portugal to referee Ireland’s training session at the Campus in Quinta do Lago yesterday.
“It’s good because players have spoken to Pete today around different parts of the game and those little conversations, it’s important that we get a feel for what they [referees] are thinking, away from the pressures of the game and get their understanding of what they might be chasing down.
“So, I think it’s been brilliant. We’ve always had somebody in, if it’s not Pete, it’d be somebody else from the IRFU and it makes a big difference.
“It means that me or Faz or Goody, one of the other coaches, doesn’t have to referee as well, which could be a bit painful!”
Of chief importance to Easterby is Ireland’s defence, which he is in charge of.
He believes they did some good things last autumn in defence but other parts left him disappointed.
“In the New Zealand game, we got tight, we kind of sat off them bit at times, we didn’t probably impose ourselves physically on teams for long enough periods, and in any game of rugby if you’re losing those physical battles time and time again, then it’s going to hurt you,” said Easterby.
He wants Ireland to get the ball back earlier on Thursday night, allowing them to strike in attack.
But Easterby is aware that Ireland have an array of French strengths to deal with in Paris.
The return of Antoine Dupont at scrum half is perhaps the biggest threat of all. Easterby said it hasn’t been causing him sleepless nights.
“It’s exciting,” he said of the challenge of planning to limit Dupont’s influence.
“France were lucky that they’ve had a couple of very good nines to step up when Dupont has been away, but he’s a heartbeat of their team. He makes their team tick and he makes things happen. That’s just him as a player.
“He probably breeds a bit of confidence in their ranks but that for us is an exciting challenge and I think it’s one that if it was keeping me up at night, then I’d be in the wrong place.”
Easterby said he thinks there is “a bit of a misconception” about how difficult it is for Leinster players to switch into Ireland’s defence system when they return to the national team.
Easterby insists that it can be a positive.
“I like what goes on in the provinces,” he said. “I like the fact that they do things slightly differently to us, because when they come into us, it’s a nice little challenge.
“I look forward to coming to work and getting us on the same page. We use strong bits of others, and we use other bits, and hopefully that makes us strong as a unit.”
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Six Nations France front row union Ireland Jeremy Loughman michael milne Simon Easterby