THE GOOD NEWS is that Ireland’s selection options for the final weekend of the Six Nations have been notably enhanced by the returns to fitness of Tadhg Furlong and Mack Hansen.
Both were close to being involved against France last weekend but the extra days of rest should leave them ready to go in Rome. Ireland say Hansen and Furlong are set to return.
Furlong has yet to feature in this year’s championship and Ireland have been cautious with his recovery from a calf/hamstring injury. He missed the whole of November with this issue then suffered a reoccurrence on the eve of the Six Nations, so his comeback has been a long time coming.
Furlong has only played three games this season, all for Leinster and the most recent of them in January, so he will be raring to get going if Ireland unleash him this Saturday.
Hansen has had a stop-start Six Nations, pulling out of the Scotland game at a late stage due to a hamstring strain, then missing the French game because of a quad issue. The Connacht man would love the chance to finish on a high against the Italians.
There’s also a welcome return to availability for Garry Ringrose with the outside centre having completed his two-game suspension for a high tackle against Wales. Ringrose’s defensive nous and attacking spark were missed in defeat to France on Saturday.
Ireland interim head coach Simon Eastery began this match week with a few intriguing stick-or-twist conundrums and it will be interesting to see his matchday 23 when it’s unveiled on Thursday afternoon. Knee-jerk reactions have never happened in this Irish set-up, nor have players been jettisoned after defeats in the past.
Left wing James Lowe remains a doubt following the back spasm that forced him out of the French clash at the last minute, while hooker Rónan Kelleher is also in that category due to the neck injury he suffered back in round two against Scotland.
Saturday will be a final game in green for Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray, and Cian Healy if they’re selected.
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Cian Healy, Peter O'Mahony, and Conor Murray. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Some supporters would seemingly like to see the process of transition away from those legends be accelerated this week but all three have more than earned the right to be involved as Ireland aim to finish this Six Nations on a high.
O’Mahony has played well in this Six Nations, Murray is clearly still the second-best scrum-half, and Healy was good off the bench against France to bounce back from defensive errors in his two cameos earlier in the championship.
While it would be a surprise if France don’t seal the deal on Saturday night by beating Scotland in Paris to be crowned Six Nations champions, while England are favourites away to Wales before that, Ireland still have a job to do.
They must ruthlessly go after Italy, targeting a bonus-point win on as big a margin as possible. And at the same time, they must show Italy respect with their selection. It hasn’t been a great few weeks for the Azzurri but Ireland can’t take anything for granted.
Ireland could finish third in the championship even if they have a good win in Rome, but they must go all out in this game just in case France and/or England slip up. Even finishing second as opposed to third is worth an extra €1 million in prize money.
It also looks and feels a hell of a lot better. Winning four games from five and claiming a Triple Crown is not something to be sneered at, even if expectation levels around this team are at an all-time high.
With all of that in mind, it would be a surprise if Easterby and co. deviate too far from what we’ve seen selection-wise. Their frontliners will be desperate to go again, put last weekend behind them and sign off the campaign in style. No one will be asking for a rest.
Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, and Finlay Bealham could start again in the front row unless Furlong comes straight back in, while Tadhg Beirne seems likely to continue as the lineout calling lock. James Ryan could swap into the starting team in place of Joe McCarthy given how tight that call has been in the last two games.
In the back row, Ryan Baird and Jack Conan would love a start at blindside flanker, where O’Mahony has been for the last three games. It could be that Ireland use the Cork man off the bench, perhaps even along with Healy and Murray so they can see out their international careers on the pitch together.
Tadhg Furlong is set to return for Ireland. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Skipper Caelan Doris will be an important figure this week as Ireland bounce back from disappointment, Josh van der Flier would relish a chance to make a bigger impact, while Jamison Gibson-Park seems likely to make his fifth start at scrum-half.
The out-half selection will be interesting again, given that it felt as though Jack Crowley would get a start at some stage in this championship. That seemed to be the intimation from Ireland but it hasn’t come to pass yet. Regardless of what has happened so far, they might feel Crowley is the right man to be at number 10 for this game.
Like many other Irish players, Sam Prendergast had a tough outing against the French so he would obviously appreciate the opportunity to put that behind him and show his class. Easterby may see that as the best option and Prendergast has certainly done lots of excellent things in this Six Nations. There were more of them in the French game along with errors, so backing him to see out the championship would also make sense.
Ringrose’s return means Ireland can shake up their starting midfield again, while Stuart McCloskey has always impressed when called upon in recent years. In the back three, Hansen will be raring to go again if recalled on the right wing, where Calvin Nash got a chance last weekend after Lowe’s withdrawal.
Jamie Osborne shifted to the left wing and had some fine moments as well as a couple of errors. He is a classy player no matter where he lines up. Jacob Stockdale is another good option on the left wing if Lowe doesn’t make it. The Ulster flyer had been doing very well on his return for Ireland against Fiji in November until he was injured.
Hugo Keenan was one of the Irish standouts last weekend and having already had a rest for the Wales game, he’ll be eager to go again at number 15.
There’s scope to change up the Irish bench, with 21-year-old hooker Gus McCarthy perhaps ready for another opportunity if Kelleher isn’t involved, while 23-year-old loosehead Jack Boyle would love another shot having made his debut against Wales in round three. But fitting Boyle in would mean leaving Healy out.
Cian Prendergast was unlucky to miss out on the Welsh match due to illness after being picked on the bench.
Unused squad players like Ciarán Frawley, Gavin Coombes, and Jimmy O’Brien have surely felt a desperation to get a shot, but we know that this Ireland coaching staff don’t just hand out appearances because they feel bad for players.
There will be some squad members who remain unused in this Six Nations because there’s every likelihood that Ireland will be at full-strength in this Italy game as they go all-out for a big bonus-point win.
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Stick or twist? Ireland's intriguing selection options for Italy clash
THE GOOD NEWS is that Ireland’s selection options for the final weekend of the Six Nations have been notably enhanced by the returns to fitness of Tadhg Furlong and Mack Hansen.
Both were close to being involved against France last weekend but the extra days of rest should leave them ready to go in Rome. Ireland say Hansen and Furlong are set to return.
Furlong has yet to feature in this year’s championship and Ireland have been cautious with his recovery from a calf/hamstring injury. He missed the whole of November with this issue then suffered a reoccurrence on the eve of the Six Nations, so his comeback has been a long time coming.
Furlong has only played three games this season, all for Leinster and the most recent of them in January, so he will be raring to get going if Ireland unleash him this Saturday.
Hansen has had a stop-start Six Nations, pulling out of the Scotland game at a late stage due to a hamstring strain, then missing the French game because of a quad issue. The Connacht man would love the chance to finish on a high against the Italians.
There’s also a welcome return to availability for Garry Ringrose with the outside centre having completed his two-game suspension for a high tackle against Wales. Ringrose’s defensive nous and attacking spark were missed in defeat to France on Saturday.
Ireland interim head coach Simon Eastery began this match week with a few intriguing stick-or-twist conundrums and it will be interesting to see his matchday 23 when it’s unveiled on Thursday afternoon. Knee-jerk reactions have never happened in this Irish set-up, nor have players been jettisoned after defeats in the past.
Left wing James Lowe remains a doubt following the back spasm that forced him out of the French clash at the last minute, while hooker Rónan Kelleher is also in that category due to the neck injury he suffered back in round two against Scotland.
Saturday will be a final game in green for Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray, and Cian Healy if they’re selected.
Some supporters would seemingly like to see the process of transition away from those legends be accelerated this week but all three have more than earned the right to be involved as Ireland aim to finish this Six Nations on a high.
O’Mahony has played well in this Six Nations, Murray is clearly still the second-best scrum-half, and Healy was good off the bench against France to bounce back from defensive errors in his two cameos earlier in the championship.
While it would be a surprise if France don’t seal the deal on Saturday night by beating Scotland in Paris to be crowned Six Nations champions, while England are favourites away to Wales before that, Ireland still have a job to do.
They must ruthlessly go after Italy, targeting a bonus-point win on as big a margin as possible. And at the same time, they must show Italy respect with their selection. It hasn’t been a great few weeks for the Azzurri but Ireland can’t take anything for granted.
Ireland could finish third in the championship even if they have a good win in Rome, but they must go all out in this game just in case France and/or England slip up. Even finishing second as opposed to third is worth an extra €1 million in prize money.
It also looks and feels a hell of a lot better. Winning four games from five and claiming a Triple Crown is not something to be sneered at, even if expectation levels around this team are at an all-time high.
With all of that in mind, it would be a surprise if Easterby and co. deviate too far from what we’ve seen selection-wise. Their frontliners will be desperate to go again, put last weekend behind them and sign off the campaign in style. No one will be asking for a rest.
Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, and Finlay Bealham could start again in the front row unless Furlong comes straight back in, while Tadhg Beirne seems likely to continue as the lineout calling lock. James Ryan could swap into the starting team in place of Joe McCarthy given how tight that call has been in the last two games.
In the back row, Ryan Baird and Jack Conan would love a start at blindside flanker, where O’Mahony has been for the last three games. It could be that Ireland use the Cork man off the bench, perhaps even along with Healy and Murray so they can see out their international careers on the pitch together.
Skipper Caelan Doris will be an important figure this week as Ireland bounce back from disappointment, Josh van der Flier would relish a chance to make a bigger impact, while Jamison Gibson-Park seems likely to make his fifth start at scrum-half.
The out-half selection will be interesting again, given that it felt as though Jack Crowley would get a start at some stage in this championship. That seemed to be the intimation from Ireland but it hasn’t come to pass yet. Regardless of what has happened so far, they might feel Crowley is the right man to be at number 10 for this game.
Like many other Irish players, Sam Prendergast had a tough outing against the French so he would obviously appreciate the opportunity to put that behind him and show his class. Easterby may see that as the best option and Prendergast has certainly done lots of excellent things in this Six Nations. There were more of them in the French game along with errors, so backing him to see out the championship would also make sense.
Ringrose’s return means Ireland can shake up their starting midfield again, while Stuart McCloskey has always impressed when called upon in recent years. In the back three, Hansen will be raring to go again if recalled on the right wing, where Calvin Nash got a chance last weekend after Lowe’s withdrawal.
Jamie Osborne shifted to the left wing and had some fine moments as well as a couple of errors. He is a classy player no matter where he lines up. Jacob Stockdale is another good option on the left wing if Lowe doesn’t make it. The Ulster flyer had been doing very well on his return for Ireland against Fiji in November until he was injured.
Hugo Keenan was one of the Irish standouts last weekend and having already had a rest for the Wales game, he’ll be eager to go again at number 15.
There’s scope to change up the Irish bench, with 21-year-old hooker Gus McCarthy perhaps ready for another opportunity if Kelleher isn’t involved, while 23-year-old loosehead Jack Boyle would love another shot having made his debut against Wales in round three. But fitting Boyle in would mean leaving Healy out.
Cian Prendergast was unlucky to miss out on the Welsh match due to illness after being picked on the bench.
Unused squad players like Ciarán Frawley, Gavin Coombes, and Jimmy O’Brien have surely felt a desperation to get a shot, but we know that this Ireland coaching staff don’t just hand out appearances because they feel bad for players.
There will be some squad members who remain unused in this Six Nations because there’s every likelihood that Ireland will be at full-strength in this Italy game as they go all-out for a big bonus-point win.
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