Following the announcement of Andy Farrell’s Ireland team to face Wales in round four of the Six Nations at the Aviva Stadium, we pick out our winners and losers.
Winners
Jacob Stockdale
Injury creates opportunity as James Lowe misses the clash against Wales and Jacob Stockdale benefits as he returns to the starting XV for the first time since the opening round defeat to France.
The Ulster back was dropped from the matchday 23 after an underwhelming performance against Les Bleus, where he was shown up under the high ball and for pace against Louis Bielle-Biarrey and was duly punished.
Stockdale has worked incredibly hard and absolutely deserves another shot at the highest level but he needs to prove his worth against Wales, particularly after Tommy O’Brien’s performance against England.
Nick Timoney
There is a very Ulster feel about this Ireland matchday squad as Farrell makes an effort to rubbish the Leinster bias to some degree but there is perhaps no man plying his club trade in white who warrants more opportunities in green than Nick Timoney, in the forward pack that is.
Time and time again, he produces class displays for the Belfast men and so often in the past he has been overlooked. But this Six Nations has been a different story as he is yet to miss a match, coming off the bench in the last three rounds and now starting.
Wales showed just how potent they can be at the breakdown when they almost upset Scotland at the Principality which has possibly prompted the need for Timoney to start and now it’s up to him to put further pressure on Josh van der Flier for the starting role.
Jamison Gibson-Park
Jamison Gibson-Park really hit his straps against England after some underwhelming form for Ireland. Having done so, he will be confident heading into what will be his 50th cap for his adopted country.
The 34-year-old has been the heartbeat of the Irish attack for much of his 49 caps to date, and the Aviva will rise on Friday evening to celebrate the milestone of the livewire halfback.
It’s always a special occasion for a player to hit such a landmark, and he thoroughly deserves it having cemented his place as one of the best number nines in international rugby.
Nathan Doak
On the other end of the spectrum, Nathan Doak is set to finally earn his Test debut after being named on the bench for Friday’s encounter.
Like Timoney, he has been putting up consistent performances for Ulster but not enough to convince the coaching team that he deserves involvement in the national team. Ulster’s success in the URC this season, spearheaded by the number nine, means that the call has finally come.
“Nathan has been around a few Ireland camps in recent years and has impressed with the consistency and quality of his play in training and with Ulster over a longer period,” head coach Farrell said.
“I know how much this means to Nathan and we are determined to make this a special few days for him and his family.”
Jack Conan
Missed the match against England due to illness, Jack Conan reclaims his place on the side of the scrum against Wales. The 33-year-old has jumped between the bench and starting role for Ireland a lot over the past 12 months or so as the search for Peter O’Mahony’s long-term successor continues.
Another strong outing against Wales won’t cement that position for Conan but it could go a long way in doing so, considering just how physical and abrasive Steve Tandy’s charges were against the Scots.
Replacement front row
The Irish front row has been hammered by injuries this Six Nations with fans and pundits long bemoaning the lack of depth but Farrell is addressing that this week against the Welsh via his bench.
With 12 Test caps, Thomas Clarkson is the most ‘experienced’ of the trio but is still relatively young in prop years. He will combine with Ulster’s Tom Stewart, who is set to earn his fifth cap and Munster’s Michael Milne, who could notch up his fourth appearance.
Milne has been particularly unlucky not to feature more prominently this Championship after being one of the few standouts against France. It will be interesting to see what Farrell does with his loosehead prop stocks once Andrew Porter is fit again, but Milne has put his hand in despite the coaching staff favouring the experiment of Tom O’Toole as a swing prop.
Wales team: Steve Tandy recalls playmaker as one of three changes for Ireland clash
Losers
Sam Prendergast
Farrell is clearly handling his young fly-half cautiously after slamming keyboard warriors who criticised Sam Prendergast’s performance against Italy. Frankly, it was woeful. The head coach rightfully removed him from the limelight last week, but if Ireland produces a performance at the level that they did against England, then not selecting Prendergast may be a mistake.
Fly-halves are always confidence-led players, and a bright cameo off the bench against the Welsh could have served him well. Instead, Jack Crowley and Ciaran Frawley have been entrusted with the playmaking duties this week. Johnny Sexton explained that they need to build depth heading into the World Cup and perhaps this is just the start of Crowley and Prendergast job-sharing.
Johnny Sexton: Ireland are learning from World Cup mistakes and are doing it ‘differently’ this time
Bundee Aki
Back available for selection but Farrell hasn’t called upon Bundee Aki with Stuart McCloskey dominating in the number 12 jersey. The Ulster midfield has simply been Ireland’s best player this Championship and now he breaks the trend of being dropped despite playing well.
It’s a huge notch under McCloskey’s belt but a real setback for Aki and it’s all of his own doing as a ref-bashing incident before the Six Nations led to a suspension. There is one more week for Aki to prove to the coaches that he deserves a shot this Championship, but unless injury strikes, McCloskey will surely retain the position.
Tommy O’Brien
It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster debut Six Nations campaign for Tommy O’Brien who had a tough old game against France’s high-flyers, leading to his axing for the meeting against Italy but responded in style against England.
He was an early replacement for Lowe and took his opportunity with both hands. His inclusion on the bench was a puzzling call but it ultimately paid off which makes his exclusion this week all the more baffling.
Farrell has turned to Stockdale again in the starting role while giving Tom Farrell a crack off the bench.
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Cian Prendergast
Cian Prendergast, featuring in Connacht’s clash against the Glasgow Warriors last weekend, perhaps telegraphed that he would not be making the matchday 23 this week.
However, he made a good fist of changing the coaching team’s mind with another energetic and abrasive 40-odd minutes. Against England, Farrell backed the more settled loose trio of Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris, with Prendergast added to the bench after Conan’s withdrawal.
He made a positive impact in round three, backing up a solid shift against France in round one. But again, Farrell has stuck with the tried and tested.
READ MORE: Six Nations Round Four: Fixtures, kick-off times, TV coverage, referee change and more