Ireland 2020/2021

Good show for our lads Connacht lads today - shame neither Jack nor Kieran got to show their stuff, but our forwards got to finish the game out quite nicely. Heff looked solid with the throws, Finlay threw the weight around a good bit, Ultan solid. Bundee was usual ball of energy.

That was some offload from POM, eh?

Team for Nations Cup up now. Finlay, Ultan, Dave Heff, Quinn, Bundee, Marms part of the extended squad. Fair play to them all!!


Feel bad for Jack, but reckon it'll be a chance for him to show his class for us.

Loose Head Healy Kilcoyne
Hooker Heffernan Herring Kelleher
Tight Head Furlong O'Toole Porter
Second Row Beirne Dillane Henderson Roux Ryan
Back Row Connors Doris O'Mahony Ruddock Stander van der Flier
Scrum Half Casey Gibson Park Murray
Fly Half Burns Byrne Sexton
Centre Aki Farrell Henshaw McClosky Ringrose
Back Three Conway Daly Earls Keenan Larmour Lowe

Congrats to Heff, Ultan, Quinn and Bundee.

Heart goes out to the lads that should've gotten the shout - Jack and KM especially.

At this stage there's a good few of our lads that must feel that they're never going to get a look in no matter how hard and well they play. I couldn't begrudge a single one of them for taking a cheque from French or English sides. Loyalty goes both ways, and when the national side ignores you in favour of much more pedestrian (or past it) players you'd have to think that makes a decision to stay a little bit harder.

(Same goes for John Cooney, btw. I'd be 100% fuming if I were an Ulster supporter. Sure, his run of form hasn't been stellar as of late but he has been cruelly overlooked again and again)

You'd have to feel sorry for Finlay at the same time. He's been played out of position for Ireland.

It's mad isn't it? JGP didn't look great out there. I though Sexton and Murray had solid games overall, actually. Problem is that when eventually they do get dropped there'll be no nailed on successor who will have started multiple games, come on at 60. It'll be starting from scratch. Mental. Not just if Jack is the man to get the nod (although he should be).

I do feel for POM, moment of sheer stupidity that was more the losing of the game than the final kick. Red totally deserved tho.

the most positive spin I can put on it that it's an attempt to blood a young, exciting SH. I can see the sense in it taken on its own if it had been planned from day 1. Clear just a plan of circumstance.

Glad that Cooney has been called up - you've got to think that his ability to cover 9 and kick helps him.