EARLIER TODAY ANDY Farrell named two squads for the upcoming November international window; a 37-man Ireland selection for the three Test games at Aviva Stadium and a 12-player Ireland A panel for the clash against a New Zealand XV.
That Ireland A game takes place at the RDS on 4 November, before Farrell’s senior group take on the Springboks the following day, followed by further Dublin dates with Fiji (12 November) and Australia (19 November).
As ever, Farrell’s selection threw up plenty of talking points:
Stocktake at back three
The big news in the Ireland backline – and perhaps across the squad itself – is the return of Jacob Stockdale and the absence of James Lowe.
We’ll start with Stockdale, a surprise inclusion in the 37-man senior squad. The last time we saw Stockdale in a green jersey was July 2021, with the Ulster flyer playing no rugby between September of last year and the start of the current URC season due an ankle injury. A new ankle issue sustained against Leinster in round three looked to have killed his hopes of a swift international return but he makes the cut and if he can prove his fitness, provides a real boost.
It’s yet to be seen if he can rediscover his best form but Stockdale is a lethal finisher. The 26-year-old has been capped 35 times but is already joint-sixth on Ireland’s all-time top try-scorer list (19 tries).
His return coincides with Lowe’s absence, which leaves a spot on the wing up for grabs. The Leinster man has overcome a rocky start to his Test career to become a vital part of Ireland’s system and a guaranteed starter – his left boot a real weapon in terms of Ireland’s kicking game.
With Leinster’s Jordan Larmour and Munster pair Keith Earls and Andrew Conway also out, Mack Hansen will look to build on a promising start to his Ireland career. The versatile Jimmy O’Brien has continued his impressive form with Leinster, while 25-year-old Calvin Nash is also in the mix after touring with Emerging Ireland. Robert Baloucoune has already been capped twice and offers the type of electrifying pace on the wing few of his teammates can match.
Hugo Keenan is firmly established as Farrell’s first choice fullback but having yet to get any minutes under his belt this season, it is not yet clear if he will be ready to face the Springboks on 5 November. Hansen and O’Brien can both play at 15, while Ulster’s Mike Lowry also comes into the November window in form.
Half-back depth still a grey area
We know Johnny Sexton and Jamison Gibson-Park are firmly established as Farrell’s first-choice out-half pairing, but the pecking order remains a little unclear once you look beyond the Leinster duo.
At out-half, Joey Carbery will look to get good minutes under his belt after an encouraging display for Munster against the Bulls last time out. He’s well placed as back-up to Sexton but will hope for a big, injury-free season in order to try close that gap ahead of next year’s World Cup.
The race behind him is even more fascinating. Ciarán Frawley impressed against the Maori All Blacks over the summer and having missed the Emerging Ireland tour with injury, he’ll hope to take the next step in his career over the coming weeks and win a first Test cap. The versatile Leinster back looks to have skipped ahead of Harry Byrne, who once again misses out with an unfortunately timed-injury. At just 23, Byrne has plenty of time yet to prove his international credentials but missing this international window is another real blow.
That Munster’s Ben Healy and Connacht captain Jack Carty both miss out is an indication of just how highly Farrell rates Frawley – the 24-year-old has started just two games at 10 for Leinster since the start of last season.
The notable omission at scrum-half is Nathan Doak, who is also left out of the Ireland A panel despite his strong performances on the Emerging Ireland tour. Doak is still only 20 but has plenty of senior rugby with Ulster under his belt.
Instead, Farrell keeps faith with the familiar trio of Jamison Gibson-Park, Conor Murray and Craig Casey, and it will be interesting to see how he manages his options in this department over the course of the three Test fixtures.
Gibson-Park is crucial to Ireland’s high-tempo gameplan but will be coming in cold, having yet to feature for Leinster this season due to injury. Casey also emerged as a doubt after requiring a scan on a groin problem this week, but will hope to challenge Murray and add to his five senior caps. At 33, Murray is no longer the main man at nine but his experience has been a valuable asset off the bench and he is still a highly valued member of Farrell’s squad.
While some supporters would like to see Ulster’s John Cooney come back into the fold, it remains an unlikely prospect, with his most recent Ireland cap coming in 2020.
Mixed results for Emerging Ireland group
Safe to say, the recent Emerging Ireland tour split opinion. This writer’s own view was that it would be beneficial for some players, and less so for others. A player like Baloucoune would surely have been better served helping Ulster in a tight URC derby against Leinster, but Jack Crowley looks to have benefited from minutes he most likely wouldn’t have matched with Munster during that time.
Today’s squad announcement makes it harder to read just how beneficial that three-game tour was.
Doak shone for Emerging Ireland but his name was nowhere to be seen on both the senior squad and the Ireland A selection. Crowley perhaps looked further off senior honours before the Emerging Ireland tour, but is included in the Ireland A squad.
It is interesting to note how Farrell is approaching the development of two of the standout players for Emerging Ireland, too, in promising second row pairing Joe McCarthy and Tom Ahern.
McCarthy is named in the senior group and will hope to win his first cap having previously trained with the squad and toured New Zealand. Ahern, 22, is one year older than McCarthy and has more experience at provincial level (22 caps v 13), but is kept back in the A player selection. McCarthy is the only fully fit second row named in the senior group, with James Ryan (knee), Tadhg Beirne (groin) and Kieran Treadwell (chest) all recovering from knocks and Iain Henderson ruled out.
The Ireland A panel includes an intriguing mix of youth and experience. Marty Moore is included in that group eight years on from his last Ireland cap, as is Dave Kilcoyne, a veteran of 48 caps who missed the end of last season with injury. Munster loosehead Josh Wycherley will have to wait for his next taste of the international set-up.
Fellow Emerging Ireland tourist Cian Prendergast – who played twice against the Maori All Blacks over the summer – steps back up the senior squad, while Max Deegan and Scott Penny are named in the Ireland A panel.
Ulster’s James Hume had looked close to challenging Farrell’s senior centres before injuring his groin on the New Zealand tour, and is included as an A player as he looks to play his first minutes of the season.
Ireland squad
Back three: Robert Baloucoune (Ulster) 2 caps, Mack Hansen (Connacht) 6 caps, Hugo Keenan (Leinster) 23 caps, Michael Lowry (Ulster) 1 cap, Calvin Nash (Munster) uncapped, Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster) uncapped, Jacob Stockdale (Ulster) 35 caps
Midfield: Robbie Henshaw (Leinster) 60 caps, Stuart McCloskey (Ulster) 6 caps, Garry Ringrose (Leinster) 44 caps
Out-halves: Joey Carbery (Munster) 35 caps, Ciarán Frawley (Leinster) uncapped, Johnny Sexton (Leinster) 108 caps – captain
Scrum-halves: Craig Casey (Munster) 5 caps, Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster) 20 caps, Conor Murray (Munster) 99 caps
Props: Finlay Bealham (Connacht) 25 caps, Tadhg Furlong (Leinster) 60 caps, Cian Healy (Leinster) 118 caps, Jeremy Loughman (Munster) uncapped, Tom O’Toole (Ulster) 3 caps, Andrew Porter (Leinster) 46 caps
Hookers: Dave Heffernan (Connacht) 7 caps, Rob Herring (Ulster) 28 caps, Dan Sheehan (Leinster) 10 caps
Locks: Tadhg Beirne (Munster) 33 caps, Joe McCarthy (Leinster) uncapped, James Ryan (Leinster) 46 caps, Kieran Treadwell (Ulster) 8 caps
Back rows: Ryan Baird (Leinster) 8 caps, Jack Conan (Leinster) 30 caps, Gavin Coombes (Munster) 2 caps, Caelan Doris (Leinster) 20 caps, Peter O’Mahony (Munster) 87 caps, Cian Prendergast (Connacht) uncapped, Nick Timoney (Ulster) 2 caps, Josh van der Flier (Leinster) 43 caps
Ireland A panel:
Tom Ahern (Munster), Diarmuid Barron (Munster), Caolin Blade (Connacht) 1 cap, Jack Crowley (Munster), Shane Daly (Munster) 2 caps, Max Deegan (Leinster) 1 cap, James Hume (Ulster) 3 caps, Dave Kilcoyne (Munster) 48 caps, Marty Moore (Ulster) 10 caps, Jamie Osbourne (Leinster), Scott Penny (Leinster), Roman Salanoa (Munster)
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
