It’s just under two years since Andy Farrell picked a team for a Six Nations match, and when he does reveal his matchday squad for Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations opener against France in Paris Tuesday morning, it will be a much different side to his last in March 2024.
Having handed the reins over to Simon Easterby for last year’s championship while he concentrated on the British and Irish Lions, the Ireland head coach returned in November where his side looked sluggish and out of sorts.
Suggestions of a Lions hangover in that Autumn Nations Series were understandable, but with a good block of provincial rugby under their belts since then, there can be no such excuses this time around.
Farrell’s last Six Nations game in charge came in the final round of 2024 against Scotland, and through a combination of injury, suspension and retirement, at least six of that starting side will be gone when they kick-off away to the defending champions at Stade de France.
All will be revealed at 8am Irish time on Tuesday, and while the core of Farrell’s side will be as expected, there are big calls to be made in both the front row and full-back, as well as the never-ending out-half debate which has now been joined by another candidate in Harry Byrne.
Coincidentally, that 17-13 win against Scotland at Aviva Stadium was Byrne’s last senior appearance for Ireland, a brief final-quarter cameo made even shorter by a yellow card.
Andy Farrell (l) speaks to his out-halves, Harry Byrne, Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley
The Leinster out-half had fallen off the Irish radar last season before a loan spell at Bristol Bears saw him pick up badly needed game time, and he has returned to the province a far better player this season.
While he hasn’t quite claimed the first-choice jersey, the 26-year-old has closed in on Sam Prendergast, and is now ahead of Connacht-bound Ciarán Frawley, in the depth chart at both club and country.
During November, Farrell repeatedly stressed how impressed he had been with Byrne, who had been involved with the Ireland XV squad against Spain, and while that was probably an attempt to deflect attention away from the Prendergast-Jack Crowley debate, he has rewarded him with a recall to the senior squad.
The Against the Head panel discuss Ireland’s out-half conundrum ahead of the Six Nations opener against France pic.twitter.com/tZGGRP3LGz
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 2, 2026
It remains to be seen if he has done enough to win a fifth Irish cap this week.
While there have been some calls for Byrne to start Thursday’s meeting with the French, Prendergast appears to be the man in possession of the jersey, having started Ireland’s two final games of the Autumn Nations Series against Australia and South Africa.
Crowley had been the form 10 coming into the autumn, and started the opening games against New Zealand and Japan, featuring off the bench in the other two.
Jack Crowley (l) and Sam Prendergast (r) at Ireland’s training camp in Portugal last week
And although there have been claims that the Munster man has been harshly treated by Farrell, his value is evident in the fact that he has played in 21 of Ireland’s 22 games since the World Cup, more than any other player.
With Hugo Keenan and Mack Hansen both ruled out, full-back could play into Farrell’s thinking when it comes to picking his out-halves, and bench split, with Byrne, Prendergast and Crowley all covering at 15 during games for their provinces in the last two months.
Jamie Osborne and Jacob Stockdale are in a neck-and-neck race for the starting 15 shirt.
The Against the Head panel of Donal Lenihan, Bernard Jackman and Darren Cave set the scene ahead of the start of the 2026 Guinness #SixNations #RTESport #RTERugby pic.twitter.com/b2sk0Zo71B
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 2, 2026
Based on previous selections, Farrell is clearly a fan of Osborne, and he has acquitted himself well in that area for Ireland before. However, his lack of game time since suffering a shoulder injury in November, and Stockdale’s impressive form for Ulster is hard to ignore.
On the wings, Tommy O’Brien and James Lowe were Ireland’s first choice in November, but Lowe has played just once since the end of November, with Stockdale putting pressure on him for the 11 shirt, if he doesn’t get the nod at full-back.
In the centre, Farrell is likely to go for Stuart McCloskey (centre) and Garry Ringrose, and while Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw’s absences make that selection easier, McCloskey may well have been the first-choice candidate at 12 on current form.
In the pack, Dan Sheehan would be expected to start at hooker, supported by Rónan Kelleher, although Tom Stewart is putting pressure on Kelleher for the 16 shirt, after an excellent season with Ulster.
The most open selection spot coming into this window was loosehead prop, where injuries to Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle have left Ireland low on experience at loosehead prop.
With 20-year-old Billy Bohan now back in Ireland training with the Ireland XV squad, it leaves Munster pair Jeremy Loughman and Michael Milne (below) competing for the number 1 jersey, while tighthead Tom O’Toole is also in the mix to move across the scrum.
With Tadhg Furlong limited in training coming into the week, Farrell will have a big decision to make around this week’s tighthead place, but with Thomas Clarkson looking in good form, the Ireland head coach may hold Furlong back a week, with Finlay Bealham also a steady presence on the right side of the scrum.
As depleted as Ireland are in some areas, they appear to be spoiled for choice in the back five.
Joe McCarthy’s return from injury coincides with Ryan Baird’s absence, although it does offer Ireland the chance to play McCarthy alongside James Ryan in the second row and move Tadhg Beirne into blindside flanker, which in turn gives him scope to pick a 6:2 split on the bench in a bit to take on France’s power.
If Beirne is preferred in the second row rather than the back row, it would likely see James Ryan drop back to the bench, and that in turn could see Edwin Edogbo miss out in the numbers game.
In that situation, Josh van der Flier and captain Caelan Doris would be expected to start in the back row, while Jack Conan and Cian Prendergast would be contending for the six shirt, with the latter one of Ireland’s standouts during the November series.
Follow a live blog on France v Ireland in the Six Nations on Thursday from 8.10pm. Listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch France v Ireland in the Under-20 Six Nations on Saturday from 7.50pm on the RTÉ News Channel and RTÉ Player
Watch live coverage of England v Ireland (21 February) and Ireland v Wales (6 March) on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player