Nick Timoney is set to be handed his first Six Nations start against Wales on Friday night at the Aviva Stadium (kick-off 8.10pm) when Andy Farrell announces the side for Ireland’s penultimate game of the championship at around 2pm on Thursday.
The 30-year-old product of Blackrock College is now in his 12th season with Ulster, having turned down a contract with Pau to join the northern province’s academy in 2015. But despite having made his Ireland debut against the USA at a near empty Aviva Stadium in July 2021, Timoney had only earned six caps prior to this championship before finally making his Six Nations debut off the bench in the 50th minute of the opening match in the Stade de France.
Timoney marked the occasion with a sharply taken try – his sixth in Test rugby – from Stuart McCloskey’s offload, making 40 metres off eight carries in total, as well as a turnover.
He backed up his impact in that game with another strong impact in the last 21 minutes against Italy and again caught the eye in the final half-hour against England in last Saturday week’s record 42-21 win in Twickenham with his tackling, carrying and work-rate.
When Jamison Gibson-Park availed of Rob Baloucoune’s 67th-minute turnover to kick deep into the English 22, it was Timoney who arrived like a train to tackle Marcus Smith, leading to Gibson-Park winning a jackal penalty.
That penalty was kicked into touch and it was Timoney’s carry, when picking up a loose ball and beating Henry Pollock and Alex Coles with his strength and footwork in a strong carry, which led to Jamie Osborne’s fine finish off the recycle for Ireland’s fifth try.
Durable, quick, tough and certainly patient, if it comes to pass that he is named in the starting backrow, then Timoney has earned this long-awaited first Six Nations start.
Jacob Stockdale could take over from the injured James Lowe on the left wing against Wales. Photograph: Julie Sebadelha/AFP via Getty Images
It would maintain a trend in this Six Nations for Ulster players who might have thought time had passed them by, given how McCloskey and Baloucoune have also grasped their opportunities in this campaign.
The indications are that the changes won’t stop there either, with Jacob Stockdale seemingly set to be restored to the starting line-up in the absence of the injured James Lowe. The Ulster winger, player of the championship in Ireland’s 2018 Grand Slam campaign, when he was an ever-present and scored seven tries, started on that opening night in Paris before Lowe was restored against Italy and England, only to suffer a groin injury and depart in the 20th minute at Twickenham.
Tommy O’Brien, who had been included in a reversion to a 5-3 bench split seemingly in light of concerns about Garry Ringrose and Baloucoune, contributed strongly to Ireland’s record win, not least in scoring a try. But it would seem as if Stockdale is regarded as more of a like for like, left-footed replacement for Lowe, meaning O’Brien might miss out altogether.
With Farrell evidently more inclined to rotate in this more congested Six Nations of five games in a six-week window, and perhaps with one eye on the next World Cup, the signs are that there might be further changes, especially up front.
Hence, the chances are that the Ulster good news stories won’t stop there, for the 25-year-old hooker Tom Stewart is also, it seems, potentially in line for his first Six Nations game, sharing the hooking duties against Wales with Rónan Kelleher.
There is also a strong possibility that Farrell and his coaching staff might look at this game as an opportunity to give Tom O’Toole, a tighthead for the last three seasons at Ulster, a first Test start at loosehead in what would also be his full Six Nations debut.
There are liable to be additional changes, particularly in the pack, with the 5-3 replacement configuration to be retained and so the matchday 23 could also feature Bundee Aki after the completion of his three-match suspension, although Tom Farrell is also under consideration for place among the replacements, as is the Ulster scrumhalf Nathan Doak.
It also seems possible that Jack Conan will be restored to the starting backrow after withdrawing from his position among the replacements against England due to illness.
IRELAND (possible): J Osborne; R Baloucoune, G Ringrose, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; J Crowley, J Gibson-Park; T O’Toole, R Kelleher, T Furlong; J Ryan, T Beirne; J Conan, N Timoney, C Doris (capt).
Replacements: T Stewart, M Milne, T Clarkson, J McCarthy, J Van der Flier, N Doak or C Casey, C Frawley, T Farrell or B Aki.
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