Following the announcement of the Ireland team for their Six Nations clash against England, here are our five takeaways from Andy Farrell\u2019s selections.<\/p>\n
Sam Prendergast discarded<\/p>\n
It simply had to happen. There is no doubt that the Leinster playmaker will be back but, at the moment, he just doesn\u2019t look ready for Test match rugby. Farrell\u2019s decision to persist with a fly-half whose defence is simply not good enough has been bizarre and not helped either Prendergast or the team.<\/p>\n
Farrell<\/a> has also undermined the other 10 in Jack Crowley by pinning his hopes on the 23-year-old. There has been always been an element of Leinster bias in his selection but even he had to finally ceded on this call. After two poor Six Nations<\/a> performances against France and Italy, Prendergast<\/a> has been jettisoned from the 23 completely.<\/p>\n The head coach has handled the fly-half situation terribly and it has potentially contributed to Ireland\u2019s<\/a> drop-off in form. There is plenty to like about Prendergast\u2019s game and if he can rip it up for Leinster \u2013 something he has not really done \u2013 then he will deserve a recall. But for now, Crowley deserves the backing of the coaches for a few games at least. If not, they will be back to square one.<\/p>\n Bench call<\/p>\n Ireland have generally not liked the 6\/2 split \u2013 or at least it has not suited the type of player available to Farrell \u2013 but in the opening two matches of the Six Nations, they decided to go with their version of the Bomb Squad. However, they have decided to revert back to the 5\/3, which is a formula Ireland trust more.<\/p>\n We are not certain that it is the best call, though, and judging by the opening two games, the 6\/2 has hardly been a failure. The game was already over when the replacements came on against France, but they prevented it from being an absolute blowout. Similarly in the match against the Azzurri, the bench upped the intensity and got the job done from a pretty perilous position.<\/p>\n With England going with the forward-heavy \u2018Pom Squad\u2019, it is surprising that they have decided not to fight fire with fire. It is perhaps not the strongest bench the Red Rose could call upon with injuries to Fin Baxter and Will Stuart depriving them of some real impact at prop, but Jamie George, Alex Coles, Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill could do some real damage for Steve Borthwick\u2019s men.<\/p>\n Wing faith<\/p>\n James Lowe has endured plenty of criticism this season and in truth has not really performed well since the British and Irish Lions series, but that did not stop Farrell from selecting him in the victory over Italy. The 33-year-old went some way to answering those concerns with a fine display in the 20-13 success, but you do wonder if he is on the decline.<\/p>\n However, Lowe did enough to retain his place and he is once again in the back three alongside Robert Baloucoune, who is also named in an Ireland XV for the second successive match. Baloucoune has been consistently excellent at Ulster this season and deserves his opportunity at the highest level.<\/p>\n Ireland team winners and losers: Jack Crowley\u2019s \u2018gigantic chance\u2019 as Sam Prendergast is dropped for \u2018his own good\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Experience backed<\/p>\n Farrell\u2019s selection last weekend certainly raised eyebrows. There were three notable omissions from the XV with Tadhg Beirne and Jamison Gibson-Park on the bench, and Josh van der Flier not even making the 23. Were they dropped or was it a case of the head coach trying something different against what has traditionally been one of the weakest Six Nations opponents?<\/p>\n It seems to be the latter given that all three have returned to the starting line-up this weekend. Van der Flier might have been slightly nervous after being criticised for his display against France in Paris, but the openside flanker joins Beirne and captain Caelan Doris in the back-row.<\/p>\n The head coach has once again opted for experience nine of the XV the wrong side of 30 and no player in the squad under the age of 24. It is a risky strategy given their decline since the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the fact that the next global tournament is only next year, but conservatism has always ruled Farrell\u2019s thinking.<\/p>\n Harsh on Munster duo<\/p>\n The age factor leads nicely onto this section with the omission of Munster\u2019s hugely impressive youngster Edwin Edogbo. It is a surprise that the 23-year-old has been to limited to just 11 minutes in this Six Nations considering Ireland\u2019s struggles in the physicality department and their lack of youth in the 23. Edogbo offers both of those things, but Farrell has opted not to keep him in the squad, leaving them with no lock cover on the bench.<\/p>\n He is not the only Munsterman who could perhaps feel unfortunate. While Crowley finally gets his chance at 10, prop Michael Milne has not been handed a recall. That is despite excelling off the bench in the loss to France. Farrell has instead gone for usual tighthead Tom O\u2019Toole, who never features for Ulster at loosehead.<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n