RWC 2023: Ireland

[ronk]

Conway and Osbourne ran out of time - can't see either having a chance barring a wave of injury.

There are 3 warmup games in August. Faz knows them and they know the system.

Faz will probably arrange something else, like A games or Emerging Ireland.

If Conway has form in training by then, he might well get a look. Osbourne doesn't have the same body of work, but he does have versatility and a huge boot. There's also a fall off in the squad.

But yeah, McCloskey is established enough that we need to see injuries before Osbourne gets in.

[FLIP]

Sexton video with him calling Peyper an Effing Disgrace is going to be hard to play down. He ain’t getting away with a slap on the wrist which would have some serious implications

Surely there’d have been an investigation announced by now ?

South African media running the same story again today with no additional evidence. They must be afraid of us

[riocard911]

After a while thinking that Tom O'Toole was getting into Ireland squads based on long term I thought he looked good in the 6N.

I wouldn't be quick to drop him.

I could see Kleyn making a training camp, and he might kick on from there. But I'm seeing him as an outside bet.

Hodnett makes a strong case for bringing a specialist 7 as cover.

Crowley and Byrne are both going into camp, so the call won't be made on the last few weeks.

Frisch could have a chance but I've been assuming that Osbourne will be back in time and preferred.

Nash, Baloucoune and Larmour is an interesting call. All are 25 and have been scoring 0.4 tries per game. Nash has 5 tries in 7 games which shows form. Larmour and Baloucoune are stand out players and have lots of experience in the squad which helps them. Baloucoune's offloading game is probably what sets him apart and I think he'll get the nod if he's fit. Conway's return could change things too.

I'd worry about Baloucoune defensively. He seems uncertain in that department occasionally.

[ronk]

Sexton video with him calling Peyper an Effing Disgrace is going to be hard to play down. He ain’t getting away with a slap on the wrist which would have some serious implications

Surely there’d have been an investigation announced by now ?

South African media running the same story again today with no additional evidence. They must be afraid of us

They're in our group, of course they're motivated. They'd be partying like the Stormers if he copped a ban.

[TMC]

Surely there’d have been an investigation announced by now ?

South African media running the same story again today with no additional evidence. They must be afraid of us

They're in our group, of course they're motivated. They'd be partying like the Stormers if he copped a ban.

World Rugby don't want to investigate because they already know Peyper's performance was seriously flawed. Any investigation would shine too much light on an inept referee & his vague acquaintance with the laws of the game and they don't want to go there 4 months out from a RWC. Its been clear since that photo with Welsh fans in 2019 he was not at the level required in terms of his judgement. Vahaamahina had to go but a referees behaviour has to be above reproach at all times. Worth recalling that incident resulted in one international career finishing ahead of schedule. It should really have finished two.

Any investigation would also shine too much light on the flaws in the system that continues to rank him so highly while at the same time coming up with a plausible explanation why an actual decent referee like Holly Davidson is deemed not good enough to referee at international level. Peyper is highly likely to ruin a country's RWC. The powers that be know this but are not doing anything about it. Hopefully karma will decree he has already shafted enough Irish people this year so its not ours.

[D4surfer]

Ireland open their Rugby World Cup campaign against Romania in Bordeaux on 9th September, before further Pool B clashes against Tonga (16th September) in Nantes, and South Africa (23rd September) and Scotland (7th October) at the Stade de France in Paris. Ireland Training Squad


Forwards (22)

Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University)
Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers)
Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne)
Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere)
Gavin Coombes (Munster/Young Munster)
Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College)
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf)
Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf)
Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy)
Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch)
Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne)
Dave Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians)
Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University)
Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution)
Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch)
Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD)
Cian Prendergast (Connacht/Corinthians)
James Ryan (Leinster/UCD)
Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne)
Tom Stewart (Ulster/Ballynahinch)*
Kieran Treadwell (Ulster/Ballymena)
Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD)

Backs (20)

Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians)
Caolin Blade (Connacht/Galwegians)
Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD)
Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon)
Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution)
Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster)
Ciaran Frawley (Leinster/UCD)*
Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)
Mack Hansen (Connacht/Corinthians)
Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers)
Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD)
James Lowe (Leinster)
Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor)
Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen)
Calvin Nash (Munster/Young Munster)*
Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster/Naas)
Jamie Osborne (Leinster/Naas)*
Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD)
Jonathan Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College)
Jacob Stockdale (Ulster/Lurgan)

*denotes uncapped player
Leinster 21
Munster 9
Ulster 7
Connacht 5

[ronk]

Not a lot of change there. Seems quite stable.

[Barry]

No Larmour

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

[ronk]

No Larmour

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

Yeah. Nash and Stockdale got picked.

Probably one of the unluckiest players, but he was improving and if he keeps at it he might be back up there soon.

[R-Dog]

By Position (Roughly...)

LH
Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf)
Dave Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians)
Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD)
H
Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch)
Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne)
Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne)
Tom Stewart (Ulster/Ballynahinch)*
TH
Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers)
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf)
Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch)
2nd
Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University)
Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne)
Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy)
Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University)
James Ryan (Leinster/UCD)
Kieran Treadwell (Ulster/Ballymena)
BR
Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere)
Gavin Coombes (Munster/Young Munster)
Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College)
Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution)
Cian Prendergast (Connacht/Corinthians)
Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD)
SH
Caolin Blade (Connacht/Galwegians)
Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon)
Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)
Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen)
OH
Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD)
Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution)
Jonathan Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College)
C
Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians)
Ciaran Frawley (Leinster/UCD)*
Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers)
Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor)
Jamie Osborne (Leinster/Naas)*
Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD)
W/FB
Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster)
Mack Hansen (Connacht/Corinthians)
Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD)
James Lowe (Leinster)
Calvin Nash (Munster/Young Munster)*
Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster/Naas)
Jacob Stockdale (Ulster/Lurgan)

[riocard911]

Loose-head looks like our weakest position to me. Ciano very close to the end of his - illustrious - career and Killer lucky to be in the squad at all. If Porter picks up a serious knock, we could be i dtrioblóid...........

[Avenger]

A bit surprising not to include Loughman alright who is clearly ahead of Kilcoyne for Munster.

[Xanthippe]

I'm really surprised by the numbers. It's only a training squad so why not pick three full teams - he could have included Connors, Deegan and Penny in the forwards and Larmour and Haley in the backs

[cormac]

Hoping his selection in this squad means that Jamie Osborne is close to recovering from his recent injury.

[Ruckedtobits]

Double post

[Flash Gordon]

No Larmour

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

Yeah. Nash and Stockdale got picked.

Probably one of the unluckiest players, but he was improving and if he keeps at it he might be back up there soon.

On the wing, Jordan is unlucky as is Rob Baloucoune. Stockdale's selection is leaving me a bit baffled....all in all fairly consistent which is not surprising given the squad is number 1 in the world and won a Grand Slam a few weeks ago.

[matt]

All 32 players who were selected for this years Six Nations are there plus 10 others so reasonably predictable.

Would have had Loughman in for Kilcoyne, thought either Penny or Hodnett would be there as vdf deputy, Threadwell lucky ahead of Kleyn, and Earls may be there to get 100th cap and pass on his considerable knowledge until end of August.

Big opportunities for Big Joe and either Nash or Osborne and would expect Loughman to be added in next few weeks.

[propertymad]

Some slightly strange calls in that training squad IMO...

Kleyn should be ahead of Treadwell

Loughman should be ahead of Kilcoyne

Stewart should be (is?) ahead of Herring (i.e. Farrell could have limited himself to 3 hookers at this stage, thereby freeing up a place for someone else - e.g. a backup no. 7 like Hodnett/Connors/Penny for instance)

Balacoune or Larmour should be ahead of Earls (theres no way Earls is a better out-and-out winger than either of them right now, and we also don't need him as utility back cover, given that the squad also features Frawley, JOB and Osborne)

Haley should be ahead of Stockdale

Our much vaunted depth is a mirage when it comes to the 1 and 7 jerseys. I personally would have had Loughman and one of Penny/Hodnett/Connors in that training squad, to assess if they could provide viable backup solutions (which they can) ..... in place of one of the Hookers and one of Earls/Stockdale/Osbourne

I'm actually arguing for a net increase in Munster players which is a weird feeling

[ronk]

I'm really surprised by the numbers. It's only a training squad so why not pick three full teams - he could have included Connors, Deegan and Penny in the forwards and Larmour and Haley in the backs

A RWC squad could be viewed as a 23 + spare bench (8) + 2 spares— usually for positions where 1 bench player covers multiple positions, so a backrow and an outside back.

In that case a 45 man squad would be an extra bench 33 + 8 and 4 spare. But it's probably closer to a 33 and the 12 players who are closest to making the squad, with an element of covering depth.

[CiaranIrl]

I don't understand why you only have 6 props in the preliminary squad when you need 6 props in the final squad, yet you pick 20 backs when you need 14 or 15. I can't see them not having a back up for every position in a 23 in the final 33 man squad.

It must surely be 9 front row, 4/5 second rows, 5/6 back rows, 6 half backs, 3/4 center, 4/5 back three players (one of those positions with a slash is the smaller number, but could be any from both backs and forwards)

If he's thinking of not having a 6th prop, I think that's a terrible call. If you go with some form of the above, then if someone has an injury in the warm up, you have a like for like replacement. If you go with fewer half backs or front row, then you risk a game for no good reason.