Farrell canât experiment as many of the rugbyixs on this forum have constantly told us this is the most important competition of the season. Far more important than the World cup just gone or the test matches later in the year.
Anything other than a grand slam would be seen as an utter failure. Franceâs best player is gone off playing tag rugby, the best Welsh lad is gone off for a NFL trial while the English have 17 new lads in their squad.
Why would he be experimenting for a competition four years away? Itâs irrelevant. Itâs mad how fans go on about it non stop. He has summer tours to try out players and he actually does that.
Would you believe that 13* of the 34 man squad were educated in three private schools within half a mile of each other in Dublin 4.
38% of the squad. Truly the team of us.
*Back of the envelope calculation
You seem big into this yearâs renewal.
Will you be watching the Netflix doc next week?
A cursory glance/listen to sports bulletins and TFK over the past week is all to inform me about rugby. I wouldnât be digging deeper.
You seem to be digging fair deeply there on Wikipedia. Is there not some bogball for you to watch on GGA Go or has the rooral broadband scheme not got to you yet?
I find it funny that the Irish rugby media set always try to shoehorn the school a rugby player attended in as much as possible. Very weird behaviour.
Almost never mentioned in other sports.
Yeah sure buddy. You went to the hassle of finding out all of their schools.
Definitely not a fan.
Itâs fairly disconcerting that lads go to these schools at 12/13 and completely lose touch with their local rugby club. I was talking to a man who has a son in Kilkenny College. Was surprised to learn that they play all their rugby in school and are basically lost to the club system for the next 6 years.
If they took them out of the pampered environment of fee paying schools they might win a meaningful match rather that shitting themselves at the first sign of adversity.
Lads are getting very excited.
Itâs a cult. A guy I know was on the Pat Kenny show this week and his old private school had a gushing insta post about his slot. He attended the school nearly 30 years ago FFS.
Thatâs correct, schools rugby could be a match on a Wednesday and Saturday with another couple of training sessions during the week, maybe more for senior cup. Itâs quite time consuming and doesnât leave enough time for club rugby.
If 40% of a squad are from within a stones throw of each other then youâd have to question the quality of education on offer in these schools if they canât figure out why the rubgy team fail everytime.
Youâre working overtime here to try and save Pat. Hopefully your EPL devotion doesnât suffer because of your Six Nations watching over the next few weeks. 
When does it become relevant?
I donât think youâd want to start 4 years out with a squad where the vast bulk wonât make the next World Cup. Not the case here though Iâd suggest.
Didnât really take long for the mask to slip and the stereotypes and insults to come out.
Sure look at the state of you totting up schools of the Irish rugby squad in the staff room during your tea break. Grim.
This is the biggest rugby competition in the world. That France have dropped the best player in the world for and England have dropped half their team for. Biggest competition on the world