Andy Farrell took 18 Ireland players to Australia and not all of them have ‘come back’ -There is Only One F in Foley
Ireland Head Coach 2026 Andy Farrell with Ireland Assistant Coach Simon Easterby(Image: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)
There were fifteen Irish players selected for the Lions squad to tour Australia last summer – only two made it into last weekend’s Team of the Week XV.There were three Irish players called up to the 2025 Lions tour and only one made it to the Dream Team here, albeit there is a case to say his was the best performance of the fifteen.It isn’t empirical proof there is a Lions hangover but it does look a sign Ireland Six Nations squad are experiencing 2025/26 problems given the double-up Champions Cup rounds ahead of the Six Nations is an accepted indicator of form.Thus Joe McCarthy who was injured after 43 minutes of the first Lions Test and Josh van der Flier who did make any of the Tests are here.As is call-up Thomas Clarkson for a superb 80 minutes against one of the world’s toughest front-rows and whose 14 tackles was the highest number from a Leinster forward outside of their back-row. Six carries and a turnover earned corn too.”It’s a great shift,” said Leo Cullen of Clarkson after the last gasp win over La Rochelle, “I thought TC was looking good out there, so hence we didn’t make the change.”We had Jerry (Cahir) came on to start the second half, Ronan (Kelleher) had a good impact as well.“TC has done 80 minutes before for us so we knew he could do it. He did it when we played against Glasgow. If you remember, Tadhg was on the bench and he went down with a niggle when he was on the bench so TC went the eighty.”Clarkson has had some slalom through 2025, making his Six Nations debut in February, called in as injury cover for the Lions last summer and emerging as central to Leinster thinking so far this season.”Yeah, but he’s been building for this for a long time now. Tighthead is not easy either to get through from being your 19/20 year old to, whatever, 25/26, trying to build that experience all the time.“There’s very few tightheads who come through at a young age and he’s getting better all the time and I thought he was unlucky at times with La Rochelle, there were a couple of tough calls in the game.
Lions head coach 2025 Andy Farrell(Image: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland)
“Even there, Jerry got done too, I thought their tighthead was already across and that led to that pressure period at the end which is a scrum on the 10 metre-line.”It leads to more pressure on us and we’re under the pump there for that period but we weathered the storm at different stages and got the positive outcome.”Clarkson’s emergence, however, is hardly as much of a ‘find’ as winger Joshua Kenny who’s opening salvo on Saturday – two tries in six minutes, his seventh and eighth in six starts this season – has brought him to the brink of the Six Nations squad.Leinster Backs/Attack Coach Tyler Bleyendaal can’t hide his delight: “Joshua looked special from day one in pre-season, just athletically, his size, his build, he moves with speed.”He admits it himself, he’s willing to make errors but he’s going to do them at full speed and he’ll learn from them and he does that throughout the week, every week and now I just see a bit more confidence in him on the field.”He’s just a great athlete. I think the team’s doing well getting the ball to him in space and he’s doing really well just running fast and he’s powerful too. He’s running around or over people. I’m sure it’s catching Irish selectors’ eyes.”I’m not sure it’s going to distract him too much, he’s very grounded. He puts in the hard work and I think he just wants to perform for Leinster and then whatever happens will happen. Meanwhile as for the weekend’s ‘Irish-basd’ Dream Team XV, the back three features a player improving at a rate of knots since settling in, Connacht’s 26 year-old New Zealand import Sam Gilbert; a try, four conversions, penalty and brilliant try-saving tackle at Montpellier was quite a contribution.The Leinster wingers, double try-scorer Kenny and Tommy O’Brien had no peers with the latter’s ability to get around off his wing and into line and then add a burst of acceleration particularly notable.Munster try-scorer Tom Farrell was the outstanding Irish back of the weekend, his big frame a handful in attack; 16 midfield tackles was a weekend backs’ stand out while that was a harsh penalty given against him at the close.Robbie Henshaw looked his old self at Leinster, there was a hard sprint for his try while his 19 tackles needs to be factored in with the idea he is having to also cover Sam Prendergast who is, at best, a weak tackler.Jack Crowley (13 kicks) and Craig Casey (nine kicks) were the pick of the half-backs. That’s not least as they dove-tailed well and matched Toulon’s kicking earnestly and well for an ultimately unlucky Munster in hostile settings. A special mention for Dylan Tierney-Martin’s 64 minutes in Montpellier, Connacht were 17 points ahead when their hooker left the field, 12 tackles in, while their lineout was 100 percent (Josh Murphy, Cian Prendergast notable here).Munster loosehead Jeremy Loughman had 54 minutes against the far meatier Kyle Sinckler and posted 12 tackles, not a bad time to be attracting Andy Farrell’s attention given Ireland’s loosehead injury worries. Clarkson, as mentioned, was outstanding.Joe McCarthy was by far the most abrasive Leinster forward against La Rochelle, his yellow part of a collective punishment. Edward Edogbo was eye-catching but his Munster teammate Fineen Wycherley with his 19 tackles edges him into the other second-row spot.Connacht skipper Cian Prendergast continues his push for a Six Nations matchday slot and 15 tackles, no misses, three lineout wins, a turnover and six carries for 29 metres, all under pressure on French soil was impressive.Two of the weekend’s best performers tussle it out here for the no7 slot, both played 80 minutes, neither missed a tackle and they are just too difficult to separate.Leinster Josh van der Flier got a key try, completed 16 tackles, made eight carries for 62 metres; Munster’s Jack O’Donoghue got a key try, completed 20 tackles, made four carries for 13 metres and posted a notable turnover.Ireland skipper Caelan Doris picks up the no8 slot, posting14 tackles, 17 carries and one turnover against the dominant La Rochelle pack and for a team twice reduced to 14 men.