MORE THAN FOUR years on from his last appearance for Ireland in a clash with Japan in Shizuoka, Simon Zebo is back in the national squad to compete for a start against the same opposition in Dublin.
The 31-year-old Cork man was left out of Andy Farrell’s 50-man squad when Ireland assembled for a one-day training camp back in September but has done enough since to convince the head coach to include him in a 38-player group for the November Tests.
Zebo has played for Munster twice so far this season, scoring two tries against the Sharks on his return to Thomond Park, and now he has his sights set firmly on a comeback in green at the Aviva Stadium.
Hugo Keenan is the incumbent at fullback, while there is plenty of competition on the left wing, but Zebo’s 35 caps of Test experience and his creative streak certainly add something different to Farrell’s squad.
Alongside the returning face of Zebo, there are complete newcomers in the shape of hooker Dan Sheehan and centre Ciarán Frawley, both of whom are 23 and play for Leinster.
Sheehan is explosive and has real size with his 6ft 3ins and 110kgs frame, the kind of athlete who looks ready-made for Test rugby. He obviously still has much to learn – he has yet to play in the Champions Cup – but also possesses variety in his throwing and strong handling skills. Some in Leinster believe he could even push past Rónan Kelleher, who is the same age but was an earlier developer.
Rob Herring will be battling hard with Kelleher to retain the starting hooker slot, but Sheehan has rich potential.
Frawley’s promise has been well-flagged for some years now, right since he emerged with Skerries RFC and broke into the Leinster set-up, initially playing at out-half and fullback.
He has settled at inside centre for his province over the last year, offering classy distribution alongside punchy carrying and defence. Frawley can certainly take care of himself around contact and Farrell is keen to have a closer look this autumn.
While they’re not formally part of the Ireland squad, Farrell will also bring Munster lock Thomas Ahern and Leinster’s versatile back Jamie Osborne into camp as development players, allowing them to get a taste for the step up to international training.
21-year-old Waterford man Ahern and 19-year-old Naas product Osborne are both uniquely athletic but also appear to have the composure required to play at the very highest level. It’s exciting for Irish rugby to have them in the mix.
While some supporters would have loved to read about more uncapped players being included for the autumn, it’s worth highlighting how few caps some of this Ireland squad still have.
Robert Baloucoune, Harry Byrne, Gavin Coombes, James Hume, Tom O’Toole, and Nick Timoney were only capped for the first time in July, while Craig Casey [3], Ryan Baird [5], and James Lowe [6] are still relative novices when it comes to Test rugby.
Add in the fact that 25-year-old Andrew Porter is in the squad primarily as a loosehead prop for the first time and there is plenty of freshness here. The Porter-Kelleher-Tadhg Furlong combination showed its promise for Leinster last weekend.
Farrell has shown some willingness to adjust quickly when it comes to selection – Frawley and Sheehan weren’t in the September camp either – but he has kept the faith in other regards.
His back row selections will be intriguing for the Tests against Japan, the All Blacks, and Argentina, with the emergence of Coombes and the excellent form of Timoney having added to the competition there.
Jack Conan returns as a three-Test starting Lion but Farrell is a big fan of Caelan Doris at number eight, which is also Coombes’ best position. Peter O’Mahony has started this season strongly and Josh van der Flier has been in sharp form for a long time.
The scrum-half trio of Conor Murray, Jamison Gibson-Park, and Craig Casey is unchanged but it does seem like a missed opportunity not to include Ulster’s Nathan Doak as a development player, even if he wouldn’t get too many training reps. The 19-year-old has potential and might have benefited from being brought in.
Connacht’s Jack Carty is probably one of the most unlucky players to miss out, with Farrell naming 36-year-old captain Johnny Sexton, Joey Carbery, and Harry Byrne as his out-half options.
Byrne has had a number of injury frustrations in recent seasons but Farrell is a big believer in the Leinster man’s potential, while there is real faith in 25-year-old Carbery’s ability to keep improving and offer a creative skillset at 10.
There are some injury absentees in the likes of Will Addison, Jacob Stockdale, and Robbie Henshaw – albeit the centre will be in camp to continue his rehab of a foot injury – but all in all, Farrell will be excited to see this selection taking on the November Tests.
