[2025 Six Nations] Italy vs Ireland - 15/3/25

[TRF_Olyy]

 

[big ginger 8]

Furlong and Hansen trained fully yesterday so looking good to go for this weekend.

Think we need to be a bit unsentimental and leave Healy and POM out this weekend. Murray as well but not as pushed there because Blade is unlikely to be in important 23s going forward.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Furlong and Hansen trained fully yesterday so looking good to go for this weekend.

Think we need to be a bit unsentimental and leave Healy and POM out this weekend. Murray as well but not as pushed there because Blade is unlikely to be in important 23s going forward.

Agreed. Don't see it happening though. Maybe Haely, let him go to Valhalla on that try.

I'd go with:

Keenan, Hansen, Ringer, Osborne, Jimmotron / Stockdale, Prendo, JGP, Doris, VDF, Anyone 6 other than POM, Ryan, Beirne, Bealham, Kelleher (if fit, Sheehan otherwise), Boyle

Sheehan (Gus), Porter, Furlong, Large Joe, any two 6s, even POM, Murray, Crowley

 

[OllyM97]

Ireland by 25 points. If the Italians could actually keep up the intensity for 80 minutes and not go AWOL for spells in games I think they could be in with a shout in a game like this - scoring points isn't a problem for them. However, they concede too many soft scores and they don't have enough grunt in the forwards to get on top physically against the top teams. If Ireland get into their groove this could be another heavy defeat for Italy.

 

[big ginger 8]

Kinsella reporting Crowley, Lowe, Ringrose, and Hansen to start, Boyle and Furlong to bench.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Crowley holding the IRFU out to ransom for a start v Italy. Cherry tictac balls on the lad.

(I like Crowley and am not against him starting)

 

[Yulia]

Will be interesting to see if Italy can stay competitive with Ireland longer than they were with England..I think they can and will try harder this time. Still Ire to win this

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

IRELAND (possible v Italy): Hugo Keenan (Leinster); Mack Hansen (Connacht), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), James Lowe (Leinster); Jack Crowley (Munster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster); Andrew Porter (Leinster), Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht); James Ryan (Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Munster); Jack Conan (Leinster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster), Caelan Doris ((Leinster, capt).

Replacements: Rob Herring (Ulster), Jack Boyle (Leinster), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Joe McCarthy (Leinster), Peter O'Mahony (Munster), Conor Murray (Munster), Sam Prendergast (Leinster), Bundee Aki (Connacht).

The reversion to Rob Herring is disappointing.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I feel that Ireland needed to back Prendergast here really if they value him that much. Give him a confidence boost v Italy to end the comp on.
If Crowley does well v Italy it won't mean he will take the starting shirt for good either

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I feel that Ireland needed to back Prendergast here really if they value him that much. Give him a confidence boost v Italy to end the comp on.
If Crowley does well v Italy it won't mean he will take the starting shirt for good either

Yeah I don't back it for this match to be honest. Give Crowley the summer and reassess in November. Sam was the form pick into this 6n, precedent there to let them battle it out in red and blue like the good old days.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Gus gets the nod. Happy enough.

Expect a lot more opportunities to come in certain positions for the rest of the year.

 

[OllyM97]

Why Ireland haven't given some of the youngsters a go in this game is beyond me. Picking Murray and O'Mahony is just complete sentiment. They gain absolutely nothing by picking this team because they're not going to win the 6 Nations. I can see there being problems for Ireland in the Autumn and in the next 6N. In the last two games they've looked a tired, ageing side. This is exactly the type of team selection and game that results in Ireland failing come RWC time.

 

[The Seeker]

Ireland over Italy. No problem.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

There's playing youth for progression and there's playing youth for the sake of it, replacements for Murray and POM would fall into the latter with Izuchukwu's injury.

Three opportunities in the summer to play look at new guys and then autumn to integrate them into the full fat squad. Jack Boyle and Gus McCarthy are both in.

Our failings at world cups is mostly down to only ever going into two of them as a top 4 team and only having a system that that's been achievable in the last 10 years. Injuries and running into another top 4 team followed.

 

[Scotty]

There's playing youth for progression and there's playing youth for the sake of it, replacements for Murray and POM would fall into the latter with Izuchukwu's injury.

Three opportunities in the summer to play look at new guys and then autumn to integrate them into the full fat squad. Jack Boyle and Gus McCarthy are both in.

Our failings at world cups is mostly down to only ever going into two of them as a top 4 team and only having a system that that's been achievable in the last 10 years. Injuries and running into another top 4 team followed.

How old is this Ireland team? How many coming up there in age?

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

How old is this Ireland team? How many coming up there in age?

It's old but I think most will still be available in 2027 of those not retiring. Henshaw, Aki, Furlong and Bealham are my biggest worries but provided not all of them don't make it I'm not massively worried. I said after the last world cup that 2031 will be our next realistic chance to have a proper top side going into the competition like last time though and I stand by it. We had a bit of a talent drain for awhile and there's very few players in the 26-29 age range but then had 5 good 20s teams in 6 years from 2019 to last year 20s, the best of those are currently in the match day squad or on the peripheries. Could see us having the oldest squad at the next world xup and one of the youngest at the following one.

My biggest worry is that the game might have changed that players need to be playing regularly with their clubs from 20 onwards, this has never been an issue before but if you look at the age profile of recent Feench sides maybe the learning curve has become so steep that being eased in isn't optimal.

Then again, the French side could be so young because there's no shortage in talent and we've only seen the first wave of a golden generation and older players burn out sooner with higher demands.

 

[big ginger 8]

Yeah as I said I'd have left POM out but his likely replacement is Baird who started vs England has nearly 30 caps and usually starts for Leinster.

McCarthyx2, Boyle and Prendergast are all 23 or under. We've had the Emerging Ireland tour, the return of Ireland A and heavy use of apprentices for the coaches to get to see guys and have them used to the environment. Plenty of fringe lads will get chances vs Portugal and Georgia.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I think it's fair to give POM a final run out on what should be a likely win

Not like he has no replacement coming up

 

[O’Doyle Rules]

Ireland don't have the player pool to just do a France and reset and put the kids out with an aim for a World Cup four years later. The way we've done it so far has brought success and I'm not sure what else people want. If a team was meant to win the 6N every year it would be France or England, and that hasn't happened so we shouldn't really criticise the approach too much. People saying ah why are Murray, POM and Healy still around - think people forget these are generational talents, there are so many other players who have 10/15 caps only (see England). These are all proven lions players - not just there making up numbers.

I think perhaps Ireland are slightly too conservative in giving young players a random shot (other than SP). I feel other teams have found great players sort of randomly through this and sometimes you just need to roll the dice.

 

[O’Doyle Rules]

Ireland don't have the player pool to just do a France and reset and put the kids out with an aim for a World Cup four years later. The way we've done it so far has brought success and I'm not sure what else people want. If a team was meant to win the 6N every year it would be France or England, and that hasn't happened so we shouldn't really criticise the approach too much. People saying ah why are Murray, POM and Healy still around - think people forget these are generational talents, there are so many other players who have 10/15 caps only (see England). These are all proven lions players - not just there making up numbers.

I think perhaps Ireland are slightly too conservative in giving young players a random shot (other than SP). I feel other teams have found great players sort of randomly through this and sometimes you just need to roll the dice.

Also we're punters who have jobs and families and watch rugby in our spare time. The IRFU and coaching staff it's their full time job - they know the issues. Not sure why we think they're not completely aware of the strengths and weaknesses