Again I think that’s unfair. He’s a proper leader for Connacht. He’s probably the best 10 in the country now and he’s streets ahead of everyone except sexton.
Still they lose a vital game at the weekend after he missed 7 points off the tee. It’s not like he’s young either. Must be 30 now.
I have been lucky enough to experience this, back in 2002. We were bate out the gap but it was magical.
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- He should have started all last year’s six nations if Farrell hadn’t made such terrible selection decisions. The complexion would look quite different then. Specious reasoning on the kicks also, the team should have won that game you can’t lay it at his door. Sexton has been ropey at best of the tee in recent years when playing with hamstring or groin issues.
He was dropped in Connacht for a while last season. His form tailed off a cliff.
Sexton is only codding himself imo.
The provincial championship are in the main shite . The interest levels are dropping .
https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2022/0119/1274557-uncapped-hansen-and-lowry-named-in-ireland-squad/
The boy Lowry from Ulster makes the 37 man squad named by Andy O’Farrell today.
Ireland head coach Andy Friend has included Connacht’s Mack Hansen and Ulster’s Mike Lowry in his 37-man squad for the opening rounds of the Six Nations.
The pair are the only uncapped players in the group, while Leinster wing James Lowe misses out due to a muscle injury which will sideline him for a number of weeks.
Uncapped Hansen and Lowry have both trained with Ireland in the past year with Lowry having been involved with the group in the summer of 2021, and Hansen spending a week in camp last November.
Connacht flanker Cian Prendergast has also been named as a development player, with the 21-year-old set to be involved in Ireland’s training camp in Portugal later this month.
There is also a recall for second row Kieran Treadwell, who won the last of his three Irish caps in 2017. The Ulster lock Ultan Dillane who is left out of the squad following confirmation of his move abroad at the end of the season.
Jack Carty joins Johnny Sexton and Joey Carbery among the out-halves, with the Connacht 10 looking to earn his first cap since the 2019 World Cup.
Andy Farrell and the Ireland coaching group have named a 37 player squad ahead of the 2022 Guinness Six Nations Championships which commence in early February.
The squad will be captained by Johnny Sexton who earned his 100th cap for his country against Japan during the November international window.Ireland will host Wales, Italy and Scotland at the Aviva Stadium over the course of the Championship while also travelling to Paris and London to face France and England respectively.
There are two uncapped players named in the extended squad – Ulster’s Michael Lowry and Connacht’s Mack Hansen.Both have trained with the national squad in the past six months, Lowry during the Vodafone Summer Series in July and Hansen during the Autumn Nations Series in November.
Connacht’s Cian Prendergast will join the squad for the training camp in Portugal as a development player.The former Ireland U20 player has made nine appearances for Connacht this season.
“In November we challenged the group to get up to speed quickly so that the team could perform at international level. The same will apply for this Six Nations campaign, we need to be at our best against Wales on the opening weekend,” said head coach Andy Farrell.
"We have a strong squad with competition for places across the board, there is a nice blend of experienced internationals and guys who have had their first taste of this level in the past 12 months. The games in November gave us a good foundation to build on and areas where we know we will have to improve.
“It will be an exciting Championship with so many strong squads and impressive performances across the board during the autumn.”
Ireland’s opening fixture of the 2022 Six Nations Championship is against Wales on Saturday 5 February (LIVE on RTÉ2)
IRELAND Guinness Six Nations Squad 2022
Backs (17)
Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) 33 caps
Robert Baloucoune (Ulster/Enniskillen) 2 caps
Joey Carbery (Munster/Clontarf) 27 caps
Jack Carty (Buccaneers/Connacht) 10 caps
Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon) 4 caps
Andrew Conway (Munster/Garryowen) 27 caps
Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster) 96 caps
Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster) 12 caps
Mack Hansen (Connacht) uncapped
Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers) 53 caps
James Hume (Ulster/Banbridge) 1 cap
Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 16 caps
Jordan Larmour (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 30 caps
Michael Lowry (Ulster/Banbridge) uncapped
Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) 92 caps
Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) 37 caps
Johnny Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 101 caps CAPTAIN
Forwards (20)
Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University) 6 caps
Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers) 18 caps
Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) 25 caps
Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) 22 caps
Gavin Coombes (Munster/Young Munster) 2 caps
Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 12 caps
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) 52 caps
Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) 112 caps
Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy) 65 caps
Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 23 caps
Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne) 16 caps
Dave Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians) 45 caps
Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 79 caps
Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 2 caps
Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 40 caps
James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 40 caps
Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne) 2 caps
Nick Timoney (Ulster/Banbridge) 2 caps
Kieran Treadwell (Ulster/Ballymena) 3 caps
Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 35 caps
Development Player
Cian Prendergast (Connacht)
I see RTE & Virgin Media are sharing the rights here
Piano shifter Cian Healy in the squad I see. Must be nearly 40 at this stage.
How do you develop squads and match day panels with fogeys like Sexton and himself hanging on……32 tops is enough for lads at this savagery……
That’s some squad.
He’s 34.
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Begod it seems to me that he’s around this 20 years.
He’s only fit for the 2nd half at this stage where he’ll put in one of his customary 2m thundering runs before looking decidedly exhausted. He’s bet…
Harsh. He was a fair player in his day.
No James Lowe
No X factor
You’ve captured him nicely there “was” followed with “in his day”……
I’d say he’s useful to have around the place. He won’t start but there’s little alternatives so it’s up to the lads outside the squad to push on and pass him out.
I’d have little issues with his selection.
I wonder will the Irfu look to loan players out next season. Makes little sense for Munster to have Healy, carberry and Crowley.
Sheehan and Kelleher could do with starting as well.
Plenty of other players about who’d benefit of a swift.
I’m a big fan of carty but at 19 points up to lose the game you can most certainly lay a lot of the blame at the tens door. He needed to kick the ball off the pitch and turn the game into a set piece game rather than keep inviting a decent Leicester team onto them
Cian is 34/35. Won a Leinster Schools Senior Cup with Belvo in 2005, to end the 33 year drought.
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You left out the piece with “boot in the hole” at the end there.