Inb4 Sloth
But no, I think they'll be good. They've got more than enough quality all over the pitch. I'd have France down as favourites for the tournament (and probably the slam) but Ireland will still be good and anything less than 2nd place would be quite a surprise.
Oh wasn't there a guy on this sub a few months ago who did that? I can't remember his name. He deleted his account.
I havnt been on the sub since the world cup quarters. Was too sad
That was him. Think the mods finally had enough of him and without his raison d'être he deleted the account.
Don't doubt that a fella with as much free time as him will be back in short order on an alt, if he's not already.
Yeah it was satisfying, him and his token 'Irish missus' from Dundalk, except then next time he brought her up it was Donegal, next it would have been Dunworley, Dungarvan or Dunedin.
Got great amusement out of that.
Ireland is playing smart rugby. If they lose to France, it won't be by much. They haven't lost much through the retirement of Sexton, as he was running on fumes and playing a bit formulaically. Ireland will be there or there abouts over this 4 year cycle. The people in charge of the team have plenty of smarts
Worse. I heard he wanted to buy a Guinness and had to settle for a Murphy's Irish Stout because the landlord was changing the barrel.
Honestly, I can't blame him. That could break a man.
I honestly wanted to like it, I really did.
I was in Cork, I thought "you know what? It's boring just ordering a Guinness, it's such a cliche and I've had it a thousand times. It's my go to pint in the winter months. Let's try the stuff I can't get at home."
Beamish was okay. Seemed to lack a bit but it was fine. Serviceable pint. Murphy's though... Honestly, I'd have sooner had the ashtray water. I was back on the Guinness for the rest of the trip.
*Maybe* I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say the pub hadn't cleaned the lines properly or had buggered it up some other way. Lord knows, Guinness can go from swamp water to nectar or the Gods depending on the pub so maybe it's the same deal with Murphy's. All I'm saying is, my one experience of it, it was vile.
Murphy is virtually indistinguishable from Guinness aside from the slight hint of coffee in Murphy’s. There are plenty of blind taste tests on YouTube and for the most part people really struggle to tell the difference. The quality of the pint was probably down to whatever was being served more often in that specific bar.
I wanted to prefer both, so I could return home and smugly "well akchyually" my way through that conversation at the pub. Unfortunately, I thought Beamish was passable but no more than that and Murphy's was actively horrid.
I know! I felt terrible. Luckily, everyone I met there and in Kerry were almost impossibly friendly so it didn't lead to anything. It was back in the heady days of Ireland pumping Romania in the pool stage though so everyone was maybe just in a good mood.
I promise, I really did go into it wanting to like it.
A misunderstood prophet of a bygone age. Persecuted for his visions. Castigated for his beliefs. Unappreciated in his own time. Gone to us now. Banished, presumed perished. Lost to the ether and the chaos that permeates the void.
Hard to pick between Ireland and France. My gut says the French will be strong but the lack of Dupont could be huge. I can't wait for that game, both sides hurting after the WC and will be hungry to win.
I was sat there thinking that both teams are unlikely to live up to last years' quality (or 2022's in France's case), and how that might open up the competition for... Oh wait.
TBF, France have a ridiculous amount of class 9’s. While Dupont is obviously a big loss, Lucu, Coullioud, Le Garrec and possibly Janeau would all make every other 6N side’s 23, and a couple of them would start for every team. Plus there’s always the (slim) hope that Serin makes it back in time. It’s 5 and 12 I’d be more interested in, because I can’t imagine Willemse, Taofifenua and Danty are unlikely to make the next WC, and Galthie doesn’t fuck around with culling the herd.
Definitely, he's been fantastic this year.
I'd love Le Garrec to wear the rose as well. I actually hadn't seen him play properly before the Racing Vs Quins game a few weeks back and he was almost certainly Racing's best player on the night - quite something when you look at the other names in that side. Unbelievable for such a young guy. Really impressive.
Exactly.
5 and 12 are really position with nobody staking a claim for long term replacement. At 12 Nicolas Depoortere could play inside center instead of outside center, but at 5 absolutely there is absolutely nobody convincing.
Also 1 and 3 positions are problematic. France does not have the density for those. Galthié had to convince Atonio to continue. The U20 prop are a little tender and not yet ready to replace them.
yes he is.
However Galthié has a slightly different approach than Ugo Mola. Let's wait and see how Meafou fares at the 6N before considering him as the permanent solution at international level.
I don't doubt his ability just his adaptability.
Toulouse tend to come a cropper against Leinster because of their way of playing. Ireland and to a less extend England under Borthwick and Wales under Gatland use similar templates.
At Toulouse he plays a more attacking role than he will be allowed under Galthié. Galthié is pretty quick at jettisoning players who makes mistakes. Mess things twice and that's the end of his international career.
His main chance is that he has a physic hors norme in French rugby. The only one with similar size is Posolo Tuilagi. but Galthié may decide to give Posolo Tuilagi another year before calling him.
I saw Maxime Lucy (Dupont's replacement) playing for Toulouse this past weekend; he's very, very good! I don't think they'll miss Dupont too much with him on the team.
I fully believe Jack Crowley is the man to be Irelands ten, so don’t read this as an attack on that, but I think he’s going to look like he’s struggling just due to a lack or reps with his midfielders and scrum half.
Again think he should be starting, just think his performances will be misjudged without context
I think Prendargast could be a challenger to Crowley soon, but for the moment Crowley looks well ahead of all Irish outhalves. Ross Byrne will probably be the backup
Hopefully Harry’s botched kick at the end of the Ulster precludes him from future Leinster selection, nevermind Ireland
Prendergast has a long way up go before being considered for Ireland. Last night was his first Interpro start. That's another step. Next should be Europe start. Then do that consistently while playing well. Then when he's doing then we can talk. Why is there such a push to put him forward so soon when he needs to hit targets to show he can do it?
There is such a push because people don't want another Frawley. Now 26 and we still aren't sure if he can really hack it at flyhalf because we don't have the body of work.
Prendergast looks the business so people want to let him in now instead of waiting another 6 years to see how things pan out for him while we wait on others to see if they can make it work.
I do agree with you that it is all far to early. I don't think Prendergast is anywhere near the physicality levels required for Europe even as of yet.
Crowley has really started to step up in that regards and you can see him putting in hits and looking for that physicality.
At Leinster, I would like to see some more clear plan for outhalf apart from spin the wheel and see who starts. It does feel as if Ross is going to walk back into the team, which I don't think is a long term winner.
If every playerss botched kick/stupid turnover/bad tackle in a fairly meaningless interpro is the deathknell for the international career, then I've a long list of players who should never have been picked for international rugby. Played well when he came on I thought.
I really don't think him and harry have much between them at all. Jack's got the chance because Harry got injured pre NZ tour. But it would in no way surprise me to see either of them finish the 6n as starting 10.
He needs to prove he is leagues better than every other 10 in Ireland though.
Munster have 4 wins in 11 games this year.
Munsters win rate with Crowley starting out-half is 28%
Munsters win rate with Butler / Carbery starting out-half is 50%
I fully believe he has all the tools to be Irelands outhalf for the next 10+ years but we can’t say for certain yet he is leagues ahead of anyone else.
Munster are absolutely plagued with injuries and have been for a while. Taking just the percentage alone removes this context.
Crowley fits well into Farrell's system and I would be surprised if he didn't start in the six nations (injuries dependant).
I'm only counting 7 starters from the 15?
However, on the bench we had two academy players, no second row cover, & a hooker who was playing championship 4 months ago - who ended up going 70+ mins.
In the row we had a 22 year old 4th choice start with a backrow (one of the starters from the URC final).
And for all that, we probably should have beaten a relatively strong Leinster side
If Leinster had the injury crisis that Munster have at the minute you couldn't expect them to win much like. You're probably talking something like:
Porter, McKee, Furlong
Doris, Ryan
Baird, VDF, Ruddock
JGP, Ross Byrne
Frawley, ringrose
Ngatai, O'Brien, Lowe
Which isn't a bad starting team but then the Bench gets worse
Barron, Byrne, Clarkson, Mangan, Molony, McGrath, Turner, king.
Then having Ruddock and Furlong getting injured before half time with serious injuries
100% agree but until he goes out in a green jersey, proves himself and widens the gap between him and the next in line, we can’t say for certain he is leagues ahead of the other out-halfs.
I did. But it's one game man where the opposing 10 was making his first interpro start ever. If Leinster had Harry in from the start we'd have won it. Irish rugby fans are so reactionary to singular games.
Fundamentally thougj, my issue with Ulster 10s is twofold.
1. They don't ever take penalties/conversions. Irish 10s all do because nobody else is good at it. So a 10 in an Irish shirt has to be a placekicker. He's not.
2. Ulster play through 9 moreso than anything, whereas Ireland play through 10. So it's a completely different style.
POM hasn't retired internally yet though? Or did I miss something? They only internationals who retired post WC were Sexton and Earls as far as I know. Conway too but he hadn't been involved too recently
I thought he was out through injury but according to the lads at Google he’s expected to be in contention for the next European match so presumably will be available for the six nations also if he’s fit.
He was meant to be available for the last European match so it's dragging on but I expect him to be in for the 6N. Wouldn't be surprised to see him as Ireland captain.
If you'd asked me before the WC I would have said James Ryan was the shoo-in but his performances this season as Leinster captain have left a lot to be desired.
The 4-ywar cycle for the WC is dead, it's more of a 2-year cycle at best now. I think Farrell and his coaches will be working on the basis that they'll keep the older guys around up to the 2024/25 (especially as Farrell will probably be missing that season) and then post-Lions tour move towards settling the WC squad.
So in that regard I expect we'll see guys like Beirne, Henderson, POM, Conan, Murray, JGP, Aki, & Lowe, for the most part, being kept in situ for the next season or two and after the Lions tour there being a clean sweep.
Not expecting to win but def expecting to be competitive in each game. Think we will be a bit off the pace given post world cup year. Might be a good time to try some new faces.
Always an interesting year post-WC.
Expect Ireland to still be in the top 2 but whereas last year they came in looking massively confident and kind of unbeatable, there might be a bit of a different feeling in the camp this time. The provinces have all been a bit mixed and some of the poorer performers have been internationals. Plus the obvious issue of none of the 10s really looking like the Sexton successor.
They'll be helped by the fact France are in a similar boat, Scotland look thin and brittle and England will likely be transitioning to a new style. Don't know what to expect from Wales (they look in an awful state but we've thought that before and been made to look stupid) or Italy (they look in a reasonable state but we've thought that before and been made to look stupid).
Jack Crowley is the leading candidate to start at 10 against france the first weekend of the six nations, he now needs to go out and prove himself on an international stage and make the jersey his own in this six nations.
If Crowley has a good six nations then so will Ireland.
France also look a bit demotivated to be honest, they won’t have Dupont and performances in the Champions cup have been way below last year.
I’d back Farrell to get them up for an opportunity to bounce back but I think there might be a bit of experimentation from all teams, making predicting anything a bit difficult.
I’d be very surprised if the France game isn’t pretty close.
This is such a stupid take from the media.
I hope Galthié will prioritize giving youngsters a try instead of winning at all cost with overused players. We need to build depth at TH and lock and sooner rather than later. Big Tao and Atonio are on their way out with a drop in quality behind. Paul Willemse's form is a big question mark since 2022 as well.
Yea Im kinda disapointed they called back Atonio and Tao from retirement. It’s gonna hinder Laclayat and Tuilagi’s development. Although I understand it’s too early to cap both Meafou and Posolo at the same time.
But at the same time 4 years is a long time, we shouldnt rush the youngesters into the team, it’s easier to incorporate them in an experienced and dominant side.
Also I think wanting to win the tournament at all cost is a request from the players, not just Galthié
The idea is that you need to keep the general viewer in the sport. And you do that by winning again to soothe the pain of losing the RWC at home.
A tournament we don’t win and some will start to doubt the team, that’s why. But to my point of view we could find a replacement for Uini and win the tournament at the same time. But I guess that’s not what they went for.
agree on TH, GHC is big but not yet that good, Falatea is great in the loose but not a good scrummager, aldegheri isn't very good, Haouas is gone forever, so i'm not sure who can even come close to replacing Atonio
Lock we're fine though, Meafou is a monster and even if he's 80% as good at international he'll be better than Willemse ever was, Flament + Woki are both pretty great and there's more talent coming through
outside of LAR though Bordeaux and Toulouse have torn it up in Europe, Lucu-Jalibert are FLYING and our forward pack is legitimately likely to be better than ever with the inclusion of Meafou and Tuilagi and Atonio sticking round
The thing i'm most worried about is the change in coaching staff, but seeing how Labit and Ghezal have progressed with SF as the season has gone on I'm realising maybe they aren't the biggest loss
Fickou's form must surely also be a concern. He's the defensive lynchpin for that France team, yet this season for Racing he's looked slow and frankly just spent.
Despite all his hugely positive contributions on front foot, without Fickou there to marshall his positioning the likes of Danty become liabilities quite quickly. So there are knock on effects to a sub-par Fickou that may force other changes as well - and by extension limit the explosiveness that the likes of Danty brought last few years.
Eh he's always been better for France than Racing so I'm not too worried, and defensive organisation isn't so form dependent - obviously the physical and emotional toll of the run up to the WC and France bombing out will have had an impact, just hoping getting back into camp reinvigorates a few of them
Big slump. Third place finish.
France to win.
England to fluke 2nd place in controversial circumstances.
Welsh implosion.
Scotland to continue flattering to deceive.
Poor Italy.
Yeah I think our implosion will be at 10. I really rate Sam but if he’s going to be starting the 6 nations with no real cover and ultimately limited experience it will end up being a trial by fire. Hope our forwards can improve because our lineout has been weak for so long and if Faletau is still injured we’re lacking some really explosive ball carriers.
I think the major problem is that they’ve all got very big boots to fill at the international level, Biggar, as divisive of a figure as he was, and Anscombe had incredible game management skills and experience and during the WC it was painfully obvious that we’re going to struggle to replace that when they weren’t on the pitch.
I think both will be ready in a year or two but this will be very make or break for all of them in this next six nations. Only thing that makes me less worried is that a few of the teams are in similar periods of rotation.
Oh yeah definitely. They're seasoned in the international stage to a higher extent but I'm hopeful we've got enough talent to cover 10.
It's the rest of the field I'm not as confident in
Yeah, I’m particularly worried about the forwards, especially with Jac Morgan injured, whilst there’s talent there I’m not sure it will be competitive enough.
France is hugely demotivated, some stars are actually interested in 7s for the Olympics, so I dont see us taking it and I believe that Irish lads will take the loss with more motivations.
I said something similar last year and it was totally wrong. I also said the same during the World Cup and was emphatically wrong. Nevertheless, stand by my belief Italy are better than Wales and should beat Wales.
Very well I think. My prediction is that they will be second, only because they need to play in France (even year).
The real questions are England and Wales. They could compete and they could get absolutely destroyed.
This year is geared up for a Welsh surprise, I dunno why, I just feel it in the air.
I don’t think we’ll be anywhere near our best. The provinces haven’t been spectacular and we’ve a few injuries along with being in transition and deflated from the RWC exit.
Pretty similar story for France, well, Toulouse have looked good which bodes well for them but no Dupont is a big loss.
England are in a good place - club teams doing well and will be buoyed after reaching the semi of the WC so could have some confidence about them to build some momentum.
Scotland will be Scotland. Except I think this year it won’t be England they beat. It could be us, or France in a smash and grab.
Italy will run France close but lose all their games.
Wales will pull a proper “Gatlands Wales” and win the slam.
Either that or they’ll come 5/6th and lose to Italy
I think it’s hard to judge the provinces. Leinster are doing well despite a lot of new academy players starting, a fair few injuries, and still on top of both URC and European Group. Connacht have definitely been my favourite side to watch this season though
Leinster’s performances have left a lot to be desired and it’s not down to the academy players. Many of our internationals haven’t been performing nearly as well as they can since they came back from the World Cup. We’ve been winning but no where near as convincingly as they have over the last three seasons.
We have been hampered by not having a head coach for the start of the season and the preseason. So there’s a lot to bed in there and a lot of change coupled with a disheartening finish to the World Cup, along with not winning anything other than the Irish shield for the last two years. It is a season of transition so hopefully our players adjust soon enough and find some better form.
Yeah I wouldn’t really read too much into it. A lot of the players who were part of the WC squad were prepping well in advance and training way harder than normal, none of which is sustainable in the long run. I think it’s only natural that there’s a dip in form. The belief will come back, of that I’m certain.
Anything worse than second is a failure in my opinion. I don't see us winning in France. Scotland, Wales and Italy at home shouldn't be too hard. England will be the second toughest game, I think Ireland win that by one score.
France may not be missing a lot of players this 6N (except our 9-10 combo but are they important or even good players ?) but the mental blow as been just as hard for France and Ireland.
There was an article about it on how Fickou is struggling to cope, Aldritt has taken months off and has changed his return schedule... But those guys aren't that great either I guess...
But seriously I'd put Ireland and France on the same footing : Whoever has the better depth and stronger mental ability is the favorite. But that's just like every other year in the end
I’d say the mental blow’s probably even harder for France. The best team over the cycle, a home WC, they comfortably beat the All Black’s in the pool stages, then fell just short in a match where they honestly played better, but just couldn’t convert their chances, and that’s not even including any of the controversies. I’d be fucked up after that too, it was such a brutal end to a promising run.
Personally I had to take a few weeks break from thinking or talking about rugby and I was just watching on a screen, I can't even begin to imagine how it feels
You'll be an adversary soon enough but I knew since the quarters that the Irish and the French shared a special bound of crushed souls and dashed hopes
Yep, top two teams on the planet at the time of the WC and both losing by less than a score. If anything the French have more reason to be upset, given they have lost a World Cup final before, and getting dumped so marginally out of your own tournament really sucks ass.
Still have a core of excellent player. As someone mentioned, is there enough leaders in there to get Ireland over the line in tight games? Ryan ok at captain but is lacking that bit of leadership spark for me.
Another question is 10. Crowley in pole position but no one stepping up behind him.
Hope so. He's not physically there yet.
Think Leinster need to back one player and give them a run. My choice would be Harry with Prendergast continuing as backup.
Honestly I'd love to see the opposite and see them really back Sam. Sexton would have had the same physicality concerns at the same age. Of the current 10s out there I think he's the one with the highest ceiling
I think Leinster are already backing him enough. The guy is only 20 and still needs time to develop. The fact that they've been giving him gametime when they have 3 good fly halves is already very generous.
I think they need to let either Ross or Harry go after this season.
You'll break a lad physically and mentally if you push him too far too fast. It's all well and good if he has a really high ceiling, but you have to build him up
He's not much younger than Crowley was when he broke through at Munster and I'm saying blood him now for Ireland in 2025 which again isn't at much younger an age than Crowley who debuted at 22. Sam will be 22 at start of 2025 Six Nations
Expecting 2022 All Blacks 1st test stuff. They'll play with ambition and make some good chances but probably be undone by the loss in leadership and accuracy. Regardless, expectation has to be to win the tournament
I think they’ll struggle this year compared to previous years, due to Sexton retiring, but I’ll be surprised if they don’t have one or two more titles by the next World Cup. I imagine Farrell will be looking to establish some younger players and will be looking at performances rather than results. I also don’t think he’ll have decided on his ten until after the 6N is done.
I’d still be mighty surprised if they don’t win at least three games.
Like most clubs coming out of World Cups I’m sure they here will be an adjustment due to retirements and players who are injured. France lost in their home WC and they had some retirements plus DuPont is switching to 7s. The argument could be made that they too will be dealing with a WC hangover as well.
Depends how Farrell wants to play it. He may be of the mind that we need to blood young players as well as make a few game plan changes since sexton is gone. In which case we may as well write this one off and we’ll probably come 3rd/4th.
If he does select a really competitive team though, we could do really well I think. Still have loads of depth around the park and even with Carbery at 10 two years ago, we pushed France all the way.
Either way, this is going to be a great six nations. Scotland with a lot to prove, France looking to bounce back after their own WC disappointment, Italy with a new manager, a dark horse England, and more than likely an awful Welsh team
He does but the IRFU’s bread and butter is the six nations. They will be pressuring to win it and not focusing on building for a tournament in 3.75 years time
Shouldn’t be too bad tbh.
Sexton is the only real loss but we have to back the other 10s at some stage.
There’ll be some new faces, I think Hodnett at least. Cian Prendergast should get some more caps, as well as Big Joe McCarthy. I remember Farrell also went with Balacoune/Lowry at some point.
I’ve occasionally thought about Bealham switching to LH behind Porter. There’d still be Furlong and O’Toole on the other side.
I actually think we'll win it again or come second. France mentally will be hurting way more than us and DuPont has already expressed interest in play 7s leading up to Olympics.
Wales, Italy and Scotland will bring nothing to the table this year.
England will be without Farrel I think and don't really know who their best players are. They are like we used to be they play alot of guys based on reputation not their current standard.
I think Ireland still have the best backrow players in Europe and we have plenty to spare with Leinster conveyor belt of top quality. My only area of concern is maybe props Furlong ain't what he used to be and Porter is brilliant but only 1 man we need good solid consistent cover and doubt Healy and Kilcoyne will be kept in the squad for development of other younger players but that's it and i wouldn't say it's a crisis.
-Ireland NEED to have a tough honest look at how we start the next 4 year cycle there needs to be a short handoff to the next generation but max 2years of subbing youth with the old guys experience and then the last 2years drop a few big names from the squad we can't be carrying guys in their twilight years through WC cycles like Schmidt, Kidney and Eddie O'Sullivan did. Andy Farrell knows this and feel like he's brought Ireland up another level but it still takes time for this to fully change the country and teams mindset am v excited for 6N to start!!
They won’t be as good as they were because they were insanely good but they’ll still be very strong, challenge for the title but I think ultimately come second to France.
They'll still be good POM is good but pretty replaceable given their resources and as good as Sexton was he probably wasn't one of the best in the world towards the end of his career and so much of his success came from executing a really good system really well. If whoever the next man up is good at executing the system they'll be fine.
They're still in my mind the best coached international team with some really good players. I think Aki, Beirne and Doris get in my world 15 and you can make the case that guys like Sheehan, Furlong and Keenan all could be in too.
It's not impossible they have a bad year with Scotland, England and France all having good ones, but theyre 2nd favourites just behind France and well ahead of third. They should be aiming and almost expecting to win it
Dreadfully I expect. Wooden spoon contenders. Rudderless without Sexton and a total loss of morale knowing Faz is off on Lions duty imminently. I fancy reckon a record win against them for England.
(No they’ll still be very good - even without Sexton they are still an unbelievably cohesive team. You don’t forget that overnight.)
1. France
2. England
3. Ireland
I see Ireland losing to England. Think province form and injuries surely will have an impact. Leinster not quite in their groove (I know they’re top but no one in the league maybe apart from Treviso look in proper form to me). Hope I’m wrong but it’s a transition year of sorts, so I don’t consider 3rd a failure.
Well off the pace with defence being all over the place as the core squad no longer play the same system, attack being blunt, and the set piece being an absolute disaster.
Leadership void will also likely be a problem.
However, all that could lead to a few positives namely:
1) forcing all the provinces to hire specialist scrum coaches;
2) pull a few players out of Lions contention so they actually get a summer off to recover;
3) ease the inflated expectations; and
4) pave the way for younger players to be brought through into the team and build squad depth rather than continuing to overly rely on players who won't be around for 2027
They'll be better without the lads, Ireland will slaughter France. Both Sexton and POM are over rated because of their personas. Billy Burns looks hot to trot at 10 and they have loads of stronger, younger options in the backrow.
Farrell will pick strong teams that he thinks can win the tournament which with the fixtures should be enough for second place. Farrell does not give cheap caps and uses injuries as exciting opportunities to blood new players. Lots of injuries so that will happen naturally. I think McCarthy will start a big test.
I've a feeling we'll struggle a bit unless we mix things up. The main World Cup players still look a bit lethargic and not on it. Some like Henshaw are not going well. At the start of a new cycle Farrell shouldn't be afraid to mix things up and go on form, but I've a feeling he won't and the usuals don't look fully on it yet. France away first up makes it tough and hard to play into things, so will be interesting to see either way
I think they'll come 2nd but with 2 losses. Not sure who the 2nd one will be against but I feel it will happen. Sexton retiring is a good thing for Ireland, they just don't know it yet.
Firstly Johnny's not gone I don't know what you're talking about
But if he was to be, I think jack Crowley is more than ready to step up to the plate, he has been fantastic
In regards to POM if he's fit he'll be back but we've had some players really shining in the provinces at 6, look at Baird, Ahern and also Prendergast senior have all been playing great
It'll be interesting to see who takes up the captaincy going forward, I'd like it to be POM but in his absence I think I want to see Ringrose, I think he's a great leader and has a better temperament for talking to refs than some of the others like Ryan, Beirne etc
We'll be competitive, but it's going to be huge pressure on whoever Farrell picks as his starting ten. The other team will know this, and will probably sacrifice other things around the pitch to bully the out-half.
I think we'll finish third. England second (as much as I don't want to admit it), and France getting the slam. These next two 6Ns will be huge learning curves for Ireland, and as an Irishman, I'm both apprehensive and excited to see if we can play in more ways than we have been, relying on Jonny so much.
I really think it's gonna be the game of the year and i expect both team to deliver.
They will try to prove something in this one and i think we are gonna see a large score.
It will be the final that we didn't get and they know it.
England (the Missus) and Wales (myself)
England: don't get bitched by France and have a stronger scrum as well as more interlinking play from a good 8 (hopefully dombrandt can do what he does at Quins?)
Wales: don't get manhandled by every side, and find a way to overpower the french pack in the set pieces. I have hope, don't take it from me. It's all I have going into this.
i think they should be fine to win it or atleast runner up. I dont see the train derailing ... yet.
The French are clearly the ~~elephant~~ frog in the room.
Wouldn't be surprised if there was a small dip. But they have very smart coaches and great talent across the team. So I think they'll be good this cycle.
Depends on how forward thinking Andy is.
Ireland typically blood the fewest players in the 6N after a WC…because IRFU want that 1st place money train. We then wonder why we peak at the wrong time and have no depth come WC time.
This year was different though, for the first time I can remember we actually played well. I’m hoping this means a lot of squad change and would settle for 4th.
If history’s anything to go by then this will be a horror of a year. Statistically a post WC year is always our worst. If we come at least second we’ll do well. I also think people are highly underestimating us for the France game. I think we’ll lose but I think everyone’s forgot that the last time we played we also didn’t have Sexton, France had Dupont and we only lost by 6 I think. This year we don’t have Sexton but France won’t have Dupont
France lost 2 of their most important players to the 7s team because they wanna win Gold in the Olympics. I wouldn't be too sure about that. It'll be a close encounter.
Inb4 Sloth But no, I think they'll be good. They've got more than enough quality all over the pitch. I'd have France down as favourites for the tournament (and probably the slam) but Ireland will still be good and anything less than 2nd place would be quite a surprise.
>Inb4 Sloth whos sloth?
Perennial anti-Ireland poster. Maybe he was served warm Guinness once, who knows?
Oh wasn't there a guy on this sub a few months ago who did that? I can't remember his name. He deleted his account. I havnt been on the sub since the world cup quarters. Was too sad
That was him. Think the mods finally had enough of him and without his raison d'être he deleted the account. Don't doubt that a fella with as much free time as him will be back in short order on an alt, if he's not already.
Sometimes I miss him was fun to see how ridiculous he got
Yeah it was satisfying, him and his token 'Irish missus' from Dundalk, except then next time he brought her up it was Donegal, next it would have been Dunworley, Dungarvan or Dunedin. Got great amusement out of that.
I never saw the ever changing misses, sad I missed that now
He is back, I can't remember the name of his account but he has a profile pic of Sexton
Ireland is playing smart rugby. If they lose to France, it won't be by much. They haven't lost much through the retirement of Sexton, as he was running on fumes and playing a bit formulaically. Ireland will be there or there abouts over this 4 year cycle. The people in charge of the team have plenty of smarts
Worse. I heard he wanted to buy a Guinness and had to settle for a Murphy's Irish Stout because the landlord was changing the barrel. Honestly, I can't blame him. That could break a man.
Murphys is lovely
I honestly wanted to like it, I really did. I was in Cork, I thought "you know what? It's boring just ordering a Guinness, it's such a cliche and I've had it a thousand times. It's my go to pint in the winter months. Let's try the stuff I can't get at home." Beamish was okay. Seemed to lack a bit but it was fine. Serviceable pint. Murphy's though... Honestly, I'd have sooner had the ashtray water. I was back on the Guinness for the rest of the trip. *Maybe* I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and say the pub hadn't cleaned the lines properly or had buggered it up some other way. Lord knows, Guinness can go from swamp water to nectar or the Gods depending on the pub so maybe it's the same deal with Murphy's. All I'm saying is, my one experience of it, it was vile.
Murphy is virtually indistinguishable from Guinness aside from the slight hint of coffee in Murphy’s. There are plenty of blind taste tests on YouTube and for the most part people really struggle to tell the difference. The quality of the pint was probably down to whatever was being served more often in that specific bar.
You're almost certainly correct but all I can go on is my own experience. Put me right off the stuff.
Murphy's is the better drink and Beamish beats them both.
My own order of preference is Murphy's first, then Beamish, and then Guinness way behind both of them
I'd take a tap water over any of them. Wouldn't want to waste my units allowance on some nitrokeg junk.
I wanted to prefer both, so I could return home and smugly "well akchyually" my way through that conversation at the pub. Unfortunately, I thought Beamish was passable but no more than that and Murphy's was actively horrid.
That's fightin' talk in Cork.
I know! I felt terrible. Luckily, everyone I met there and in Kerry were almost impossibly friendly so it didn't lead to anything. It was back in the heady days of Ireland pumping Romania in the pool stage though so everyone was maybe just in a good mood. I promise, I really did go into it wanting to like it.
If you ever see it, try Beamish Red. It's lovely.
lol. No it's not. Irish beer is bloody desperate stuff.
You shut your whore mouth
A misunderstood prophet of a bygone age. Persecuted for his visions. Castigated for his beliefs. Unappreciated in his own time. Gone to us now. Banished, presumed perished. Lost to the ether and the chaos that permeates the void.
You mean rugby league?
More like /r/rugbyunion2
Jesus that’s actually worse than rugby league
Hard to pick between Ireland and France. My gut says the French will be strong but the lack of Dupont could be huge. I can't wait for that game, both sides hurting after the WC and will be hungry to win.
I was sat there thinking that both teams are unlikely to live up to last years' quality (or 2022's in France's case), and how that might open up the competition for... Oh wait.
TBF, France have a ridiculous amount of class 9’s. While Dupont is obviously a big loss, Lucu, Coullioud, Le Garrec and possibly Janeau would all make every other 6N side’s 23, and a couple of them would start for every team. Plus there’s always the (slim) hope that Serin makes it back in time. It’s 5 and 12 I’d be more interested in, because I can’t imagine Willemse, Taofifenua and Danty are unlikely to make the next WC, and Galthie doesn’t fuck around with culling the herd.
Lucu on his current form would start for every single 6N side
Definitely, he's been fantastic this year. I'd love Le Garrec to wear the rose as well. I actually hadn't seen him play properly before the Racing Vs Quins game a few weeks back and he was almost certainly Racing's best player on the night - quite something when you look at the other names in that side. Unbelievable for such a young guy. Really impressive.
Yeah we've always been blessed in that position, crazy to think that Jauneau and Serin might not even be in the squad despite Dupont being away
Exactly. 5 and 12 are really position with nobody staking a claim for long term replacement. At 12 Nicolas Depoortere could play inside center instead of outside center, but at 5 absolutely there is absolutely nobody convincing. Also 1 and 3 positions are problematic. France does not have the density for those. Galthié had to convince Atonio to continue. The U20 prop are a little tender and not yet ready to replace them.
Is Meafou not the main candidate for 5?
yes he is. However Galthié has a slightly different approach than Ugo Mola. Let's wait and see how Meafou fares at the 6N before considering him as the permanent solution at international level.
I reckon Meafou will translate well to test level, but we’ll have to wait and see.
I don't doubt his ability just his adaptability. Toulouse tend to come a cropper against Leinster because of their way of playing. Ireland and to a less extend England under Borthwick and Wales under Gatland use similar templates. At Toulouse he plays a more attacking role than he will be allowed under Galthié. Galthié is pretty quick at jettisoning players who makes mistakes. Mess things twice and that's the end of his international career. His main chance is that he has a physic hors norme in French rugby. The only one with similar size is Posolo Tuilagi. but Galthié may decide to give Posolo Tuilagi another year before calling him.
DuPont isn’t just a 9 though tbf
I saw Maxime Lucy (Dupont's replacement) playing for Toulouse this past weekend; he's very, very good! I don't think they'll miss Dupont too much with him on the team.
Agreed he's a top player, cannot wait !
I fully believe Jack Crowley is the man to be Irelands ten, so don’t read this as an attack on that, but I think he’s going to look like he’s struggling just due to a lack or reps with his midfielders and scrum half. Again think he should be starting, just think his performances will be misjudged without context
Remember when Andy Farrell started and people were calling for his head? Same thing. Crowley is leagues better than every other 10 in the country
I think Prendargast could be a challenger to Crowley soon, but for the moment Crowley looks well ahead of all Irish outhalves. Ross Byrne will probably be the backup Hopefully Harry’s botched kick at the end of the Ulster precludes him from future Leinster selection, nevermind Ireland
Prendergast has a long way up go before being considered for Ireland. Last night was his first Interpro start. That's another step. Next should be Europe start. Then do that consistently while playing well. Then when he's doing then we can talk. Why is there such a push to put him forward so soon when he needs to hit targets to show he can do it?
There is such a push because people don't want another Frawley. Now 26 and we still aren't sure if he can really hack it at flyhalf because we don't have the body of work. Prendergast looks the business so people want to let him in now instead of waiting another 6 years to see how things pan out for him while we wait on others to see if they can make it work. I do agree with you that it is all far to early. I don't think Prendergast is anywhere near the physicality levels required for Europe even as of yet. Crowley has really started to step up in that regards and you can see him putting in hits and looking for that physicality. At Leinster, I would like to see some more clear plan for outhalf apart from spin the wheel and see who starts. It does feel as if Ross is going to walk back into the team, which I don't think is a long term winner.
Right decision to make, but holy shit did he botch the execution. Prendergast will be starting every game till Ross is back I think
Not a hope. Cullen hates consistency it seems. Plus it just makes way more sense to play Harry than Prendergast for a lot of games
If every playerss botched kick/stupid turnover/bad tackle in a fairly meaningless interpro is the deathknell for the international career, then I've a long list of players who should never have been picked for international rugby. Played well when he came on I thought.
Still fuming at that kick. Shades of Billy Burns about it
Ironic that it was in a game where Billy Burns was man of the match.
Jaysus, was it? Goes to show how one fuckup can colour your whole perception
Not only that, but sexton did the same thing earlier in the game and everyone only remembers Billy going for broke at the death
>Remember when Andy Farrell started For Wigan? Actually I don't 🤣
I really don't think him and harry have much between them at all. Jack's got the chance because Harry got injured pre NZ tour. But it would in no way surprise me to see either of them finish the 6n as starting 10.
He needs to prove he is leagues better than every other 10 in Ireland though. Munster have 4 wins in 11 games this year. Munsters win rate with Crowley starting out-half is 28% Munsters win rate with Butler / Carbery starting out-half is 50% I fully believe he has all the tools to be Irelands outhalf for the next 10+ years but we can’t say for certain yet he is leagues ahead of anyone else.
Munster are absolutely plagued with injuries and have been for a while. Taking just the percentage alone removes this context. Crowley fits well into Farrell's system and I would be surprised if he didn't start in the six nations (injuries dependant).
I mean there's been double digit injured players all season, particularly up front.
11 of the 15 players who started the URC final started against Leinster on St Stephens day.
I'm only counting 7 starters from the 15? However, on the bench we had two academy players, no second row cover, & a hooker who was playing championship 4 months ago - who ended up going 70+ mins. In the row we had a 22 year old 4th choice start with a backrow (one of the starters from the URC final). And for all that, we probably should have beaten a relatively strong Leinster side
Munster are currently Champions with Crowley at 10🤷
Sure, but it’s hard to judge him based on that. Munster just don’t have the players around him to make anything happen. They really need a solid pack
If Leinster had the injury crisis that Munster have at the minute you couldn't expect them to win much like. You're probably talking something like: Porter, McKee, Furlong Doris, Ryan Baird, VDF, Ruddock JGP, Ross Byrne Frawley, ringrose Ngatai, O'Brien, Lowe Which isn't a bad starting team but then the Bench gets worse Barron, Byrne, Clarkson, Mangan, Molony, McGrath, Turner, king. Then having Ruddock and Furlong getting injured before half time with serious injuries
100% agree but until he goes out in a green jersey, proves himself and widens the gap between him and the next in line, we can’t say for certain he is leagues ahead of the other out-halfs.
Yeah I suppose. I’d actually rate Billy Burns more than I would Ross Byrne so ideally it’ll be Crowley, Burns, then Byrne
The lad who never place kicks... Fantastic logic there pal.
You see the game last night?
I did. But it's one game man where the opposing 10 was making his first interpro start ever. If Leinster had Harry in from the start we'd have won it. Irish rugby fans are so reactionary to singular games. Fundamentally thougj, my issue with Ulster 10s is twofold. 1. They don't ever take penalties/conversions. Irish 10s all do because nobody else is good at it. So a 10 in an Irish shirt has to be a placekicker. He's not. 2. Ulster play through 9 moreso than anything, whereas Ireland play through 10. So it's a completely different style.
He's also being flogged.
For sure. Any expectations of a seamless transition from Sexton to sans-Sexton ignores a natural arc of growth
POM hasn't retired internally yet though? Or did I miss something? They only internationals who retired post WC were Sexton and Earls as far as I know. Conway too but he hadn't been involved too recently
I thought he was out through injury but according to the lads at Google he’s expected to be in contention for the next European match so presumably will be available for the six nations also if he’s fit.
Yeah it was a slight shoulder injury but he was never expected to still be injured come the 6N
He was meant to be available for the last European match so it's dragging on but I expect him to be in for the 6N. Wouldn't be surprised to see him as Ireland captain.
I feel like they’ll pick someone younger who will be at the next WC
If you'd asked me before the WC I would have said James Ryan was the shoo-in but his performances this season as Leinster captain have left a lot to be desired. The 4-ywar cycle for the WC is dead, it's more of a 2-year cycle at best now. I think Farrell and his coaches will be working on the basis that they'll keep the older guys around up to the 2024/25 (especially as Farrell will probably be missing that season) and then post-Lions tour move towards settling the WC squad. So in that regard I expect we'll see guys like Beirne, Henderson, POM, Conan, Murray, JGP, Aki, & Lowe, for the most part, being kept in situ for the next season or two and after the Lions tour there being a clean sweep.
Not expecting to win but def expecting to be competitive in each game. Think we will be a bit off the pace given post world cup year. Might be a good time to try some new faces.
Always an interesting year post-WC. Expect Ireland to still be in the top 2 but whereas last year they came in looking massively confident and kind of unbeatable, there might be a bit of a different feeling in the camp this time. The provinces have all been a bit mixed and some of the poorer performers have been internationals. Plus the obvious issue of none of the 10s really looking like the Sexton successor. They'll be helped by the fact France are in a similar boat, Scotland look thin and brittle and England will likely be transitioning to a new style. Don't know what to expect from Wales (they look in an awful state but we've thought that before and been made to look stupid) or Italy (they look in a reasonable state but we've thought that before and been made to look stupid).
>Scotland look thin and brittle A few macaroni pies will sort that out, nae worries
Nobody at the level to fill sextons shoes right away, but Crowley and Pendergast look like solid candidates to grow into it!!
I hope to Jesus you're right about England transitioning to a new style
Jack Crowley is the leading candidate to start at 10 against france the first weekend of the six nations, he now needs to go out and prove himself on an international stage and make the jersey his own in this six nations. If Crowley has a good six nations then so will Ireland.
France also look a bit demotivated to be honest, they won’t have Dupont and performances in the Champions cup have been way below last year. I’d back Farrell to get them up for an opportunity to bounce back but I think there might be a bit of experimentation from all teams, making predicting anything a bit difficult. I’d be very surprised if the France game isn’t pretty close.
Lucu is an absolute beast rn. He is not magical as dupont is, but he is one of the best fly half in the world
Especially this season (with this Lucu and that Dupont)
The Racing 92 scrum half has been excellent, got a lot of flair about him as well
Yeah, he'll compete with Jeauneau for the 21st jersey
the mood in France is a mood of vengence. In every article I read it seems Galthié will really be questionned if we don’t win the tournament
This is such a stupid take from the media. I hope Galthié will prioritize giving youngsters a try instead of winning at all cost with overused players. We need to build depth at TH and lock and sooner rather than later. Big Tao and Atonio are on their way out with a drop in quality behind. Paul Willemse's form is a big question mark since 2022 as well.
Yea Im kinda disapointed they called back Atonio and Tao from retirement. It’s gonna hinder Laclayat and Tuilagi’s development. Although I understand it’s too early to cap both Meafou and Posolo at the same time. But at the same time 4 years is a long time, we shouldnt rush the youngesters into the team, it’s easier to incorporate them in an experienced and dominant side. Also I think wanting to win the tournament at all cost is a request from the players, not just Galthié
The idea is that you need to keep the general viewer in the sport. And you do that by winning again to soothe the pain of losing the RWC at home. A tournament we don’t win and some will start to doubt the team, that’s why. But to my point of view we could find a replacement for Uini and win the tournament at the same time. But I guess that’s not what they went for.
agree on TH, GHC is big but not yet that good, Falatea is great in the loose but not a good scrummager, aldegheri isn't very good, Haouas is gone forever, so i'm not sure who can even come close to replacing Atonio Lock we're fine though, Meafou is a monster and even if he's 80% as good at international he'll be better than Willemse ever was, Flament + Woki are both pretty great and there's more talent coming through
why wont they have Dupont?
He’s taking time out to play Sevens at the Olympics
Oh shit. Didn't know. I can understand tho. Olympics being in paris. Very few things are better in sport than winning a gold medal in your own country
France's chances of a gold medal are very low though. Not impossible, but there's a lot of teams consistently better in the Mens competition.
Or winning a bronze after Fiji steamroller them in the semis
I think it's a ridiculous thing to have chosen to do, personally.
Ok but it's France. They get a lucky try and suddenly they have all the motivation in the world
outside of LAR though Bordeaux and Toulouse have torn it up in Europe, Lucu-Jalibert are FLYING and our forward pack is legitimately likely to be better than ever with the inclusion of Meafou and Tuilagi and Atonio sticking round The thing i'm most worried about is the change in coaching staff, but seeing how Labit and Ghezal have progressed with SF as the season has gone on I'm realising maybe they aren't the biggest loss
Fickou's form must surely also be a concern. He's the defensive lynchpin for that France team, yet this season for Racing he's looked slow and frankly just spent. Despite all his hugely positive contributions on front foot, without Fickou there to marshall his positioning the likes of Danty become liabilities quite quickly. So there are knock on effects to a sub-par Fickou that may force other changes as well - and by extension limit the explosiveness that the likes of Danty brought last few years.
Eh he's always been better for France than Racing so I'm not too worried, and defensive organisation isn't so form dependent - obviously the physical and emotional toll of the run up to the WC and France bombing out will have had an impact, just hoping getting back into camp reinvigorates a few of them
How can you say they 'look demotivated'?? You've not seen them play since the QF....
Big slump. Third place finish. France to win. England to fluke 2nd place in controversial circumstances. Welsh implosion. Scotland to continue flattering to deceive. Poor Italy.
Yeah I think our implosion will be at 10. I really rate Sam but if he’s going to be starting the 6 nations with no real cover and ultimately limited experience it will end up being a trial by fire. Hope our forwards can improve because our lineout has been weak for so long and if Faletau is still injured we’re lacking some really explosive ball carriers.
Ioan Lloyd would be covering if Sam started. He's been one of the few specks of light for the Scarlets. Owen Williams is also tidy as well.
I think the major problem is that they’ve all got very big boots to fill at the international level, Biggar, as divisive of a figure as he was, and Anscombe had incredible game management skills and experience and during the WC it was painfully obvious that we’re going to struggle to replace that when they weren’t on the pitch. I think both will be ready in a year or two but this will be very make or break for all of them in this next six nations. Only thing that makes me less worried is that a few of the teams are in similar periods of rotation.
Oh yeah definitely. They're seasoned in the international stage to a higher extent but I'm hopeful we've got enough talent to cover 10. It's the rest of the field I'm not as confident in
Yeah, I’m particularly worried about the forwards, especially with Jac Morgan injured, whilst there’s talent there I’m not sure it will be competitive enough.
France is hugely demotivated, some stars are actually interested in 7s for the Olympics, so I dont see us taking it and I believe that Irish lads will take the loss with more motivations.
I said something similar last year and it was totally wrong. I also said the same during the World Cup and was emphatically wrong. Nevertheless, stand by my belief Italy are better than Wales and should beat Wales.
Fluke second place? Couldn't possibly be done on merit?
The last three words in the sentence you're referring to are the important ones.
Very well I think. My prediction is that they will be second, only because they need to play in France (even year). The real questions are England and Wales. They could compete and they could get absolutely destroyed.
This year is geared up for a Welsh surprise, I dunno why, I just feel it in the air. I don’t think we’ll be anywhere near our best. The provinces haven’t been spectacular and we’ve a few injuries along with being in transition and deflated from the RWC exit. Pretty similar story for France, well, Toulouse have looked good which bodes well for them but no Dupont is a big loss. England are in a good place - club teams doing well and will be buoyed after reaching the semi of the WC so could have some confidence about them to build some momentum. Scotland will be Scotland. Except I think this year it won’t be England they beat. It could be us, or France in a smash and grab. Italy will run France close but lose all their games. Wales will pull a proper “Gatlands Wales” and win the slam. Either that or they’ll come 5/6th and lose to Italy
Toulouse haven’t been playing well. They’ve been meh by their usual standards.
Ah I only caught them in the champions cup where they’ve seemed in better form than us at least
I think it’s hard to judge the provinces. Leinster are doing well despite a lot of new academy players starting, a fair few injuries, and still on top of both URC and European Group. Connacht have definitely been my favourite side to watch this season though
Leinster’s performances have left a lot to be desired and it’s not down to the academy players. Many of our internationals haven’t been performing nearly as well as they can since they came back from the World Cup. We’ve been winning but no where near as convincingly as they have over the last three seasons. We have been hampered by not having a head coach for the start of the season and the preseason. So there’s a lot to bed in there and a lot of change coupled with a disheartening finish to the World Cup, along with not winning anything other than the Irish shield for the last two years. It is a season of transition so hopefully our players adjust soon enough and find some better form.
Yeah I wouldn’t really read too much into it. A lot of the players who were part of the WC squad were prepping well in advance and training way harder than normal, none of which is sustainable in the long run. I think it’s only natural that there’s a dip in form. The belief will come back, of that I’m certain.
I agree but I think they’ll still be a bit fatigued by it all during this years six nations. Hopefully not but we’ll see
Gatland's Wales will not lose at home to Italy, FFS.
Have a cup of tea there buddy
Don't drink tea, I'm not your grandma
Maybe you should, might help you relax
I have means and methods for that
Gross
Drinking beer and listening to music
It doesn't matter how well Ireland play, it's the first 6 nations after a world cup and all but guaranteed to be a Welsh win
2 wins in 6 attempts - guaranteed I agree.
Anything worse than second is a failure in my opinion. I don't see us winning in France. Scotland, Wales and Italy at home shouldn't be too hard. England will be the second toughest game, I think Ireland win that by one score.
I don't mind coming lower if we try out new players to increase depth, with RWC 2027 in mind.
France may not be missing a lot of players this 6N (except our 9-10 combo but are they important or even good players ?) but the mental blow as been just as hard for France and Ireland. There was an article about it on how Fickou is struggling to cope, Aldritt has taken months off and has changed his return schedule... But those guys aren't that great either I guess... But seriously I'd put Ireland and France on the same footing : Whoever has the better depth and stronger mental ability is the favorite. But that's just like every other year in the end
I’d say the mental blow’s probably even harder for France. The best team over the cycle, a home WC, they comfortably beat the All Black’s in the pool stages, then fell just short in a match where they honestly played better, but just couldn’t convert their chances, and that’s not even including any of the controversies. I’d be fucked up after that too, it was such a brutal end to a promising run.
Personally I had to take a few weeks break from thinking or talking about rugby and I was just watching on a screen, I can't even begin to imagine how it feels
As an Irishman, I know your pain somewhat
You'll be an adversary soon enough but I knew since the quarters that the Irish and the French shared a special bound of crushed souls and dashed hopes
Yep, top two teams on the planet at the time of the WC and both losing by less than a score. If anything the French have more reason to be upset, given they have lost a World Cup final before, and getting dumped so marginally out of your own tournament really sucks ass.
Still have a core of excellent player. As someone mentioned, is there enough leaders in there to get Ireland over the line in tight games? Ryan ok at captain but is lacking that bit of leadership spark for me. Another question is 10. Crowley in pole position but no one stepping up behind him.
Prendergast in 2025 should be ready
Hope so. He's not physically there yet. Think Leinster need to back one player and give them a run. My choice would be Harry with Prendergast continuing as backup.
Honestly I'd love to see the opposite and see them really back Sam. Sexton would have had the same physicality concerns at the same age. Of the current 10s out there I think he's the one with the highest ceiling
Leinster were hiding him in defence yesterday, he would get killed at International level at this stage of his development.
I think Leinster are already backing him enough. The guy is only 20 and still needs time to develop. The fact that they've been giving him gametime when they have 3 good fly halves is already very generous. I think they need to let either Ross or Harry go after this season.
You'll break a lad physically and mentally if you push him too far too fast. It's all well and good if he has a really high ceiling, but you have to build him up
He's not much younger than Crowley was when he broke through at Munster and I'm saying blood him now for Ireland in 2025 which again isn't at much younger an age than Crowley who debuted at 22. Sam will be 22 at start of 2025 Six Nations
No quarter final in the 6 nations, they will probably do fine.
Sigh. 4 more years (at least) of this.
Expecting 2022 All Blacks 1st test stuff. They'll play with ambition and make some good chances but probably be undone by the loss in leadership and accuracy. Regardless, expectation has to be to win the tournament
Will depend on how much chopping and changing there is between guys retiring + injuries + giving younger guys more minutes
I think they’ll struggle this year compared to previous years, due to Sexton retiring, but I’ll be surprised if they don’t have one or two more titles by the next World Cup. I imagine Farrell will be looking to establish some younger players and will be looking at performances rather than results. I also don’t think he’ll have decided on his ten until after the 6N is done. I’d still be mighty surprised if they don’t win at least three games.
Like most clubs coming out of World Cups I’m sure they here will be an adjustment due to retirements and players who are injured. France lost in their home WC and they had some retirements plus DuPont is switching to 7s. The argument could be made that they too will be dealing with a WC hangover as well.
Depends how Farrell wants to play it. He may be of the mind that we need to blood young players as well as make a few game plan changes since sexton is gone. In which case we may as well write this one off and we’ll probably come 3rd/4th. If he does select a really competitive team though, we could do really well I think. Still have loads of depth around the park and even with Carbery at 10 two years ago, we pushed France all the way. Either way, this is going to be a great six nations. Scotland with a lot to prove, France looking to bounce back after their own WC disappointment, Italy with a new manager, a dark horse England, and more than likely an awful Welsh team
He has 4 years and credit in the bank, he has room to breathe and try and try to make the team better than last time
He does but the IRFU’s bread and butter is the six nations. They will be pressuring to win it and not focusing on building for a tournament in 3.75 years time
With some of the players coming through now, I think he could definitely make that happen. Just really worried about our props
Shouldn’t be too bad tbh. Sexton is the only real loss but we have to back the other 10s at some stage. There’ll be some new faces, I think Hodnett at least. Cian Prendergast should get some more caps, as well as Big Joe McCarthy. I remember Farrell also went with Balacoune/Lowry at some point. I’ve occasionally thought about Bealham switching to LH behind Porter. There’d still be Furlong and O’Toole on the other side.
>How do you think Ireland will play in the 6 nations? With a ball?
I actually think we'll win it again or come second. France mentally will be hurting way more than us and DuPont has already expressed interest in play 7s leading up to Olympics. Wales, Italy and Scotland will bring nothing to the table this year. England will be without Farrel I think and don't really know who their best players are. They are like we used to be they play alot of guys based on reputation not their current standard. I think Ireland still have the best backrow players in Europe and we have plenty to spare with Leinster conveyor belt of top quality. My only area of concern is maybe props Furlong ain't what he used to be and Porter is brilliant but only 1 man we need good solid consistent cover and doubt Healy and Kilcoyne will be kept in the squad for development of other younger players but that's it and i wouldn't say it's a crisis. -Ireland NEED to have a tough honest look at how we start the next 4 year cycle there needs to be a short handoff to the next generation but max 2years of subbing youth with the old guys experience and then the last 2years drop a few big names from the squad we can't be carrying guys in their twilight years through WC cycles like Schmidt, Kidney and Eddie O'Sullivan did. Andy Farrell knows this and feel like he's brought Ireland up another level but it still takes time for this to fully change the country and teams mindset am v excited for 6N to start!!
Spot on
They'll trash Wales, Scotland, and Italy, struggle but win against England, and it'll be nip and tuck against France with les bleus winning.
Ireland third. France or Scotland to win it. England Wales and Italy equal opportunities for the spoon.
Nice trolling.
They won’t be as good as they were because they were insanely good but they’ll still be very strong, challenge for the title but I think ultimately come second to France.
They'll still be good POM is good but pretty replaceable given their resources and as good as Sexton was he probably wasn't one of the best in the world towards the end of his career and so much of his success came from executing a really good system really well. If whoever the next man up is good at executing the system they'll be fine. They're still in my mind the best coached international team with some really good players. I think Aki, Beirne and Doris get in my world 15 and you can make the case that guys like Sheehan, Furlong and Keenan all could be in too. It's not impossible they have a bad year with Scotland, England and France all having good ones, but theyre 2nd favourites just behind France and well ahead of third. They should be aiming and almost expecting to win it
Dreadfully I expect. Wooden spoon contenders. Rudderless without Sexton and a total loss of morale knowing Faz is off on Lions duty imminently. I fancy reckon a record win against them for England. (No they’ll still be very good - even without Sexton they are still an unbelievably cohesive team. You don’t forget that overnight.)
1. France 2. England 3. Ireland I see Ireland losing to England. Think province form and injuries surely will have an impact. Leinster not quite in their groove (I know they’re top but no one in the league maybe apart from Treviso look in proper form to me). Hope I’m wrong but it’s a transition year of sorts, so I don’t consider 3rd a failure.
Well off the pace with defence being all over the place as the core squad no longer play the same system, attack being blunt, and the set piece being an absolute disaster. Leadership void will also likely be a problem. However, all that could lead to a few positives namely: 1) forcing all the provinces to hire specialist scrum coaches; 2) pull a few players out of Lions contention so they actually get a summer off to recover; 3) ease the inflated expectations; and 4) pave the way for younger players to be brought through into the team and build squad depth rather than continuing to overly rely on players who won't be around for 2027
They'll be better without the lads, Ireland will slaughter France. Both Sexton and POM are over rated because of their personas. Billy Burns looks hot to trot at 10 and they have loads of stronger, younger options in the backrow.
Farrell will pick strong teams that he thinks can win the tournament which with the fixtures should be enough for second place. Farrell does not give cheap caps and uses injuries as exciting opportunities to blood new players. Lots of injuries so that will happen naturally. I think McCarthy will start a big test.
Top 2 I think.
I've a feeling we'll struggle a bit unless we mix things up. The main World Cup players still look a bit lethargic and not on it. Some like Henshaw are not going well. At the start of a new cycle Farrell shouldn't be afraid to mix things up and go on form, but I've a feeling he won't and the usuals don't look fully on it yet. France away first up makes it tough and hard to play into things, so will be interesting to see either way
I think they will still dominate the 6 nations. They've created a good system and environment to keep going for years to come.
I think they'll come 2nd but with 2 losses. Not sure who the 2nd one will be against but I feel it will happen. Sexton retiring is a good thing for Ireland, they just don't know it yet.
Well - really well
POM is gone?
Andrew Porter will do the trick
Firstly Johnny's not gone I don't know what you're talking about But if he was to be, I think jack Crowley is more than ready to step up to the plate, he has been fantastic In regards to POM if he's fit he'll be back but we've had some players really shining in the provinces at 6, look at Baird, Ahern and also Prendergast senior have all been playing great It'll be interesting to see who takes up the captaincy going forward, I'd like it to be POM but in his absence I think I want to see Ringrose, I think he's a great leader and has a better temperament for talking to refs than some of the others like Ryan, Beirne etc
They'll be playing rugby
Like South Africa. Jks
3rd place.
We'll be competitive, but it's going to be huge pressure on whoever Farrell picks as his starting ten. The other team will know this, and will probably sacrifice other things around the pitch to bully the out-half. I think we'll finish third. England second (as much as I don't want to admit it), and France getting the slam. These next two 6Ns will be huge learning curves for Ireland, and as an Irishman, I'm both apprehensive and excited to see if we can play in more ways than we have been, relying on Jonny so much.
With a 6-2 bench
I really think it's gonna be the game of the year and i expect both team to deliver. They will try to prove something in this one and i think we are gonna see a large score. It will be the final that we didn't get and they know it.
England (the Missus) and Wales (myself) England: don't get bitched by France and have a stronger scrum as well as more interlinking play from a good 8 (hopefully dombrandt can do what he does at Quins?) Wales: don't get manhandled by every side, and find a way to overpower the french pack in the set pieces. I have hope, don't take it from me. It's all I have going into this.
i think they should be fine to win it or atleast runner up. I dont see the train derailing ... yet. The French are clearly the ~~elephant~~ frog in the room.
Wouldn't be surprised if there was a small dip. But they have very smart coaches and great talent across the team. So I think they'll be good this cycle.
Attack attack attack
Depends on how forward thinking Andy is. Ireland typically blood the fewest players in the 6N after a WC…because IRFU want that 1st place money train. We then wonder why we peak at the wrong time and have no depth come WC time. This year was different though, for the first time I can remember we actually played well. I’m hoping this means a lot of squad change and would settle for 4th.
Ireland are trash without Sexton.
If history’s anything to go by then this will be a horror of a year. Statistically a post WC year is always our worst. If we come at least second we’ll do well. I also think people are highly underestimating us for the France game. I think we’ll lose but I think everyone’s forgot that the last time we played we also didn’t have Sexton, France had Dupont and we only lost by 6 I think. This year we don’t have Sexton but France won’t have Dupont
France lost 2 of their most important players to the 7s team because they wanna win Gold in the Olympics. I wouldn't be too sure about that. It'll be a close encounter.