AFTER THE DISAPPOINTING opening weekend loss to England, Joe Schmidt unveiled his team to take on Scotland in Saturday’s Six Nations clash in Murrayfield (kick-off, 14.15).
You can view the full matchday 23 selection here, with some of our immediate takeaways below.
Big Chris Farrell
While Robbie Henshaw was expected to again strike up the midfield partnership with Bundee Aki, a dead leg means Schmidt has instead selected the same 12-13 axis which forced a win over Wales during last year’s Six Nations.
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That match also marked Chris Farrell’s last Test appearance before a serious knee injury which kept him sidelined until November.
Farrell in training in Carton today. Source: Ben Brady/INPHO
While Ireland’s strength in depth is being severely tested in the second row with Toner, Iain Henderson and Tadhg Beirne all sidelined the wealth of resources at centre remains astounding.
The recall to bring Farrell a fourth cap does not weaken Ireland at 13, it merely brings a different array of options, exciting ones too as his offloading game and power in contact is sure to help Ireland punch holes in the Scottish defence.
Return of the (back-field) king
Injuries to Ringrose and Henshaw also means there is no admission of selection error from Joe Schmidt after England’s expert exposure of the space in behind Ireland’s defensive line in round one.
There is a high probability that, despite a poor showing against Scarlets, Rob Kearney would have been recalled in any case this week to bring his inimitable quiet assurance while covering massive swathes of space. However, the knocks to the Leinster centres mean that experimenting with a new fullback can be taken off the back-burner for a test run again before the World Cup comes around.
Kearney’s return means the back three combination which served Schmidt so well in the Grand Slam year is back together and, 9-15, only Ringrose is missing from last year’s win over Gregor Townsend’s men.
Tullow Tank revved up and ready to go again
The omission of Josh van der Flier feels less like a reaction to his own performance amid an overall sub-par day for Ireland, and more like it was just time to get Sean O’Brien on the field.
Though he has endured a luckless run of injuries in recent years, O’Brien remains one of the most influential performers in Irish rugby and his presence – vocal and physical – brings a boost to team-mates on both sides of the ball.
Murrayfield on Saturday will mark his first start in a Six Nations game since Ireland toppled England at home in 2017, heady days, and O’Brien will leave no stone unturned in search of a similar outcome.
O’Brien walks off after defeat to England. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
In the carry, he is a ferocious weapon to have in the arsenal for Schmidt and his expertise over the ball at the breakdown should serve to correct a host of issues that went awry on week one.