If there is any advice I’d impart to a young, professional athlete it is: do not read the comments section on social media.
Ever.
Since I don’t have skin in the game anymore, I decided to dabble in the kneejerk views of rugby supporters.
I had to stop scrolling for my own sanity. What are people seeing that I am missing? Maybe they simply want to generate debate because there are not enough new names in the Ireland squad.
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It is, very much, an Irish trait.
“Oh, not the same players again” is the general gist. Of course they have been picked again. You have to rip the jersey off them. Nobody is standing still.
Some of the stuff is triggering. You nearly want to respond but social media is no place for logical, respectful discourse.
I keep seeing demands to overhaul the Ireland squad for the Six Nations. Bundee Aki must go. James Lowe must go. Sam Prendergast needs to be dropped. No, wait, Jack Crowley needs to be dropped.
It is never-ending.
I can state with certainty that the Ireland squad depth will be severely tested, in every position, between now and March 14th.
[ The winners and losers after Andy Farrell selects Ireland Six Nations squadOpens in new window ]
In some areas the pressure is already immense. I’d say the Ireland scrum coach, John Fogarty, will be in his element when the squad lands in Portugal next week. Injuries to Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy, with doubts around Tadhg Furlong, mean that Fogs has a serious task on his hands but, knowing him, he will embrace the opportunity to find out about his other props.
Both looseheads, Porter and McCarthy, will miss France in Paris on Thursday week. They are unlikely to feature against Italy the week after or Twickenham the week after that, as the Six Nations abandon one of their gap weeks (presumably to appease the people screaming bloody murder in the comments over care for the players).
Scrummaging inside the Stade de France tends to stress test the IRFU system when it is at full strength. The lessons learned by Porter and McCarthy from the Springboks scrum-clinic in November cannot be put to much use in Paris.
But I expect a similarly hectic, close-to-insanity levels of brutality from Uini Atonio and friends that Ireland received from the Boks.
Jack Boyle will get the opportunity he has wanted for a few years. Boyle might be the third choice loosehead at Leinster but he struck me as a confident fella when he initially came into Ireland camp. Whoever makes the bench from Tom O’Toole, Michael Milne and Jeremy Lockman will not take a backward step.
Scrolling down a long list of injuries, Irish fans demanding change should take a breath. Now is not the moment to break up an established squad.
Andy Farrell has already mapped out his starting XV and bench for these first three games. Change will come, and not by choice, as some lads will be broken, forcing others to fill the gap.
The condensed schedule demands a reliable selection policy.
There is some scope for fresh blood. If Tadhg Beirne starts on the blindside flank, there is an opportunity to spring Edwin Edogbo from the bench when the second-half in Paris takes its toll on the other locks.
Edogbo is returning from three achilles tears since 2021, so Munster have been careful with him. But in recent weeks, especially against Castres, he was uncontainable.
I remember Edogbo as a studious character around Munster training who sponged everything up when promoted from the academy. What is so exciting about Edogbo is his size. Even Paul O’Connell had to put on the bulk and muscle that he already possessed.
I wonder if he realises how devastating a player he can become? Maybe he is trying to find his stride after a few setbacks. I’d be wary of building a fella up but in terms of raw talent and physical attributes, it is all there. And the (little) brother Seán Edogbo is not too far behind, making his Munster debut against the Dragons on Friday night.
Is Ireland's Six Nations squad 'safe'?
Despite the comments section calling for revolution, I find it comforting to face into a savage Six Nations fixture list with plenty of familiar faces.
No team wants to turn to the next generation in Paris or Twickenham. Nathan Doak has played his way onto the panel, he deserves a cap this season, but Jamison Gibson-Park and Craig Casey are the scrumhalves Ireland need right now.
The same goes for Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki and Stu McCloskey in midfield, although I expect Tom Farrell might feature before round three is done.
Outhalf is, genuinely, a tricky situation for the Ireland coaches with Harry Byrne playing himself into contention. Still, I’d be surprised if Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley are not sharing minutes.
Anything could and probably will happen. Ciarán Frawley might end up at 10, off the bench, when it really matters.
All we know for certain is to expect the worst, and react accordingly.
A little bit of reliability goes a long way in this tournament. That is why Hugo Keenan should return at fullback despite playing no rugby since the Lions tour. If not, Jacob Stockdale will rise to handle the constant aerial activity that this edition of the Six Nations looks certain to serve up.
Stockdale, Rob Baloucoune or Jamie Osbourne are close to playing themselves into the back field. Lowe and Tommy O’Brien will disagree, strongly, but it is a debate worth having, and I know that Ireland’s attack coach Andrew Goodman will provide an evidence-based view to either support or attempt to change Farrell’s mind.
The commentators demanding change appear to be unaware that the Ireland coaches are having these conversations all the time. That is why Doak, Baloucoune and Edogbo were called up. On merit. The environment Farrell has created is designed to either force him to make change or bring the best out of the men he has consistently relied upon.
Irish rugby will never operate like France. Farrell will never be able to swing the axe like Fabien Galthié did this week when he dropped Damian Penaud, Gaël Fickou and Grégory Alldritt, to remove 215 caps from camp in Marcoussis.
It makes sense to Galthié because he can pick and choose from 14 clubs. Ireland have four provinces. The French have a ridiculous array of wingers, centres and athletic flankers but imagine the comments, from rational members of the public, if Farrell excluded Keenan, Ringrose and Doris?
No, that is not how Ireland do business. Tough fortnight ahead, but has it ever been any other way?
