Ireland team v France: Winners and losers as ‘greatest warriors’ bow out while ‘hammer blow’ dents Six Nations hopes
Following the announcement of Simon Easterby's Ireland squad to face France in Dublin, we pick out our winners and losers for the Six Nations clash.
Following the announcement of interim head coach Simon Easterby’s matchday squad to face France in Dublin, we pick out our winners and losers from the Ireland team selection.
Easterby has made key alterations after changing his side for the round three victory over Wales in Cardiff.
After winning their opening three matches, the clash against Les Bleus will make or break Ireland’s title charge as they chase an unprecedented Six Nations three-peat.
But they face a French outfit that emphatically dispatched Italy last time out and will be keen to continue that momentum, particularly with Fabien Galthie’s decision to persist with a 7-1 bench split.
Without further ado, here are our winners and losers from Easterby’s selections.
Winners
Retiring trio’s last Dublin hurrah
The clash against France will be Ireland’s final home game of the 2024/25 season and it’s set to be an emotional one regardless of the final outcome as Irish Rugby bids farewell to three of its greatest warriors, servants and outright legends of the green jersey.
By the time the final whistle sounds, 375 caps worth of international rugby will have played for the final time at the Aviva Stadium in Ireland colours with Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray all bringing the curtain down on their Test careers.
Sure the trio could still feature on Super Saturday in a week’s time but this weekend will be a glorious celebration of their illustrious careers.
When it comes to O’Mahony, one word immediately springs to mind: warrior. A blindside flanker who was a true master of his trade. A true work-horse, a player who epitomised the old adages of wearing his heart on his sleeve and a leader of men. A true professional who constantly tweaks and improves his game while being one of the best lineout operators in the world. O’Mahony might not be a player that regularly features in pundits’ Greatest XVs of all-time but ask his current and former teammates and he will most certainly be in the mix.
His fellow Munster legend, Murray, fits a similar bill after a sterling career where he dominated the green nine jersey and formed a formidable combination with ex-captain Johnny Sexton. A scrum-half of the highest order, highlighted by the fact that he earned three British and Irish Lions tour selections featuring in nine Test matches. While he has been usurped by Jamison Gibson-Park and Antoine Dupont now, Murray was for a long time the premier number nine in the northern hemisphere. Even now, he adds huge value off the bench for Ireland and will be a difficult player to replace when he does hang up the Test boots permanently.
Finally, Healy bows out in front of the Dublin crowd as a true great of the Front Row Union. At 37 years old, the prop continues to add serious value to the Ireland pack as he has done for 16 years. The man dubbed ‘Prop Church’, has been a consistent performer for Ireland over the years and deserves his praise having represented his country on both sides of the scrum with real aplomb.
Jamie Osborne
The stocks of versatile players in the international game have soared in recent years and Jamie Osborne is certainly benefiting this week after being a victim of his ability to play multiple positions in previous selections.
He shifts from his role at full-back against Wales to start on the wing this week with Mack Hansen sidelined. He gets the nod ahead of Munster star Calvin Nash who has been superb when given the opportunity in the green jersey, but Easterby’s decision to select a 6-2 split on the bench almost certainly benefitted Osborne.
If there is an injury in the backline during the match and Jack Crowley is called upon, Osborne is able to plug a gap where needed. For instance, if it is either Bundee Aki or Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan could move to the wing with Osborne going to the centres and Crowley at full-back.
Osborne’s rise since the tour to South Africa has been meteoric and it’s still gathering pace.
Sam Prendergast
Three Six Nations matches, three starters, three wins and Easterby will be hoping that’s four from four as Sam Prendergast gets the nod yet again in what is certainly Ireland’s biggest game of the Championship.
Prendergast is quickly becoming a crucial cog in the Irish backline with a shift to a more kick-heavy tactical approach and the youngster is executing it sublimely.
His influence has been so evident that he is most certainly in the running for a spot in the British and Irish Lions series, which seemed far out of his reach just 12 months ago. Another standout performance this weekend and who knows, he may well be pressing for a starting role in a Test match Down Under later this year.
Caelan Doris
A timely return from injury as Caelan Doris now gets the chance to celebrate his 50th Test cap for his country, leading them out in a crunch Six Nations clash.
Doris missed the victory over Wales in Cardiff which brought an end to a remarkable run of starts for Ireland and his return is not only a boost for him personally but one for his team’s title hopes with an imposing French pack awaiting them.
The Irish skipper is easily among the best number eights in the business and is one of the hardest-working players in the Ireland pack. His fitness is a huge boost.
Rob Herring
The ever-reliable and unheralded Rob Herring returns to earn his first start of the year with Ronan Kelleher once again sidelined for the fixture.
The Ulster front-rower is always accurate at the set-pieces and while he doesn’t offer as much flash as the likes of Kelleher and Dan Sheehan with ball in hand, what he does bring is a real safe option and a tireless work-ethic.
Competition in the middle of the Ireland front-row is rife but Herring is always deserving of an opportunity as he seldom disappoints for either his club or adoptive country and Saturday is bound to be no different even if he just gets a handful of minutes at the tail-end of the match.
Thomas Clarkson
One would not have blamed Easterby if he dropped Thomas Clarkson considering the enormity of the task at hand and the prospect of fronting up against essentially two monstrous French packs. The more experienced Tom O’Toole was back in the selection frame and could well have taken over the replacement tighthead role from rookie Clarkson, especially with France deploying Cyril Baille from their bench.
Instead, the Ireland head coach has backed the youngster who has impressed so far this tournament, while it is yet another setback for O’Toole after his ban which ruled him out of the opening rounds of the Championship.
Losers
Mack Hansen
The Connacht winger has had his fair share of injuries of late and has missed a handful of matches through his own actions but with the Lions series fast approaching, he can ill afford to miss too much more.
Being Test-sharp is a huge factor in the selection process, at least it was under Warren Gatland, and while Hansen will have credit in the bank with Andy Farrell, there is stiff competition for the winger roles.
Lions aside, the Ireland coaching group would have loved to have the livewire speedster in the squad with the tough challenge of keeping the brilliance of Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud quiet while exploiting their weaknesses on defence too.
Tadhg Furlong
There was hope that this would finally be the match that Tadhg Furlong returned to the green jersey but it was not to be as the fixture proved too soon for the veteran tighthead prop, who last played for his country in South Africa last July.
His absence has seen Finlay Bealham’s stock rise immensely as the Connacht man has filled the void with real gusto, but most fans and coaches would admit it that having Furlong back in the team would have boosted their odds against a mighty French outfit.
Alas, it was not to be and Ireland will remain hopeful that he can return in the final round of the tournament even if it is just to ensure that he adds another Six Nations title to his glowing resume – that’s if his teammates get the job done this week.
Calvin Nash
As mentioned above, Nash has been outstanding when afforded the opportunity to shine in Hansen’s absence and with the Connacht flyer sidelined again this week, most would have predicted that the Munster man would get another crack.
Instead, Easterby has favoured Leinster star Osborne for his defence nous and versatility.
Garry Ringrose
Considering the task at hand, the coaching team would have loved to have the excellent Garry Ringrose at their disposal, especially considering his form.
While they will be smitten about getting the midfielder back for the final round of the Championship, it doesn’t take away from the fact that his absence this week through suspension is a hammer blow.
The Irish midfield has been a driving force of the team’s success this campaign with Aki, Ringrose and Henshaw working sublimely in tandem during the 80 minutes.
However, this week, they won’t be getting the advantage of throwing a world-class centre into the mix in the final knockings of the match.
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