Ireland begin there Nations Championship tomorrow with a game vs Australia in Sydney before facing Japan also in Australia before heading to New Zealand to face New Zealand in Eden Park. Andy Farrell has named his 23 with Sam Prendergast returning to the 10 shirt with Ciaran Frawley waiting in the wings for his opportunity.
Stuart Mc Closkey comes back in the centre to partner Garry Ringrose while Jamie Osbourne fills the left wing slot left vacant by the departure of James Lowe who has moved to Japan after 9 years with Leinster and the past 6 in the green of Ireland winning 45 caps.
Ireland have a good chance at winning at least 2 of the 3 games over the next few weeks, Australia will see a chance at lowering the flag of Ireland in the opening game of the recently created Nations Championship. Andy Farrell has gone with the tried and trusted and only injury ruled a few players out another few of his go to men would be involved.
By the selection for tomorrow a clear picture can be seen as to who will see game time to play Japan before they go to try and do something that hasn’t been done since 1994 and that is defeat New Zealand in Eden Park, France are the last team to do that on a summer tour back then.
On one hand, I can understand why Farrell has gone down the tried and trusted route and no one wants to return to the summer tour hammering of 2012 when New Zealand battered a tiring Ireland by 60-0. These 3 games are well placed with Japan sandwiched in the middle.
Australia have their own agenda and will see this as a shot at starting the next few weeks on the right footing as the Australian Super Rugby sides did not have the best year in Super Rugby as a whole.
The side selected by Joe Schmidt see the likes of Ryan Lonergan and Carter Gordon at half back with Carter Gordan back in Union after a spell in the NRL after the 2023 World Cup and looking to nail down a squad spot into the future.
With Les Kiss due to step into the Aussie coaching hot seat after this campaign, several players will be looking to start on the right foot and a win over Ireland would begin the summer on the right note.
Ireland have gone with experience over any new caps or many fresh faces and in the short term that is ok but the long term view will be that the age profile of the Irish squad is beginning to become an issue even if Farrell and company may not see it that way with one eye on the RWC in late 2027 and while the RWC can’t be the whole reason for giving some new boys an opportunity, a few men can just be classed as simply unlucky not to be in the squad.
Australia will sense a chance at starting their summer programme on the right foot with no Rugby Championship to book end the summer as New Zealand and South Africa have their own private party with Australia and Argentina looking on from the outside and that won’t help either team and will only cause ill feeling again no matter what may be said in public.
The New Zealand tour of South Africa is a novel idea and harks back to tours of old times, in the modern era to leave a Rugby Championship campaign on ice just to benefit New Zealand and South Africa doesn’t sit well and you can sure that the people that matter have made their feelings clear about the whole situation.
Back to Ireland, they won a series in Australia back in 2018 that saw Tadgh Beirne debut after his confirmed move back to Munster after a few seasons with Scarlets. He will be on the bench this weekend with James Ryan and Joe Mc Carthy in the engine room for the game in Sydney.
It’s the beginning of a new Championship with a shiny trophy to be claimed next November up here, 12 of the best sides will face off against each other and while Rugby Union will really have to fight for column inches due to the World Cup on the global stage, here in Ireland the All Ireland series in both hurling and football is at the semi-final stage.
The only benefit for rugby is that the games are early in the day over the next 3 weeks with an 11am kick off tomorrow, the same kick off slot next weekend and an 8am kick off when they face New Zealand on July 18th.
It has been a long season for some of Ireland’s best players but they will have to focus the mind for one final push before a well-earned and deserved summer break will be upon them but before then though they face Australia, Japan and New Zealand and that will occupy the minds of supporters, players and management…