Former Ireland winger Shane Horgan has admitted that confidence levels are \u201clow\u201d ahead of the upcoming Six Nations, following disappointing losses to South Africa and New Zealand in the Autumn.<\/p>\n
Just two and a half years after the Emerald Isle were considered one of the favourites to win the 2023 World Cup, question marks have now been raised about whether they\u2019re serious contenders for a Six Nations title.<\/p>\n
Not the Irish team of a couple of years ago<\/p>\n
Appearing on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby<\/a> podcast, Horgan delved into the current issues facing his former side.<\/p>\n \u201cNot everyone has the depth of squad like France or indeed England,\u201d said Horgan.<\/p>\n \u201cI suppose there\u2019s an overarching feeling that this isn\u2019t the Irish<\/a> team that was there a couple of years ago. They\u2019re ageing.\u201d<\/p>\n Many players have, indeed, retired or simply fallen out of favour with head coach Andy Farrell, but the next crop coming through simply haven\u2019t had the same impact as their predecessors.<\/p>\n The biggest exit from 2023 was arguably the great Johnny Sexton, bowing out from rugby at age 37. And despite their best efforts, the men in green simply haven\u2019t been able to replace him yet.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got this issue at ten, that we thought we were going to be in this great position a year ago. <\/p>\n \u201cI would have said, \u2018listen, we\u2019ve got 18 months out from a World Cup<\/a>, we\u2019ve got this new rock star ten who\u2019s going to come in, he\u2019ll barge the other guys out of the way. He\u2019s going to have two years, three Six Nations until the next World Cup. We\u2019re going to be singing.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that hasn\u2019t panned out like that at all. We\u2019ve seen all the flaws. We\u2019ve got a position where we have maybe four tens and no clear owner of that shirt.\u201d<\/p>\n Young Sam Prendergast, still only 22 years old, has been given the starting berth for the opening match on Thursday, with rival Jack Crowley set to emerge from the bench. Neither playmaker has yet to nail down his starting position, so this Six Nations could be all-important for the future of the ten shirt moving forward.<\/p>\n Why were the French stars not included in the wider squad?<\/p>\n Elsewhere, there were shock exclusions in a French side that have no issues with strength in depth. Former France star Ben Kayser gave the lowdown on Fabien Galthi\u00e9\u2019s selections.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a bit shocked by the Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, and Gr\u00e9gory Alldritt<\/a> omission from the 42-man squad. I was thinking, \u2018okay, maybe they\u2019re not gonna start, but at least they\u2019re gonna be part of the squad.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then here\u2019s the squad, and his explanation was to say, \u2018Why is it useful for me to bring a guy, if I know that he shouldn\u2019t be in a 23-man squad, to train and to be that training partner.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cRather than taking a youngster from somewhere else and giving them a bit of an immersion into what preparing for a Six Nations game could feel like, so that when they do come back in a year\u2019s time, they\u2019ve got a tiny bit more experience.<\/p>\n \u201cSo let them rest. They don\u2019t need to do that. It\u2019s not their role. They don\u2019t need to gain some experience of how international week is built. They\u2019ve done that 96 or 97 times.<\/p>\n \u201cThey know that inside out. Let them rest, let them come back.\u201d<\/p>\n All Blacks star \u2018shocked\u2019 by NZ Rugby after Scott Robertson exit as Codie Taylor admits to \u2018uncertainty\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Why was Penaud dropped?<\/p>\n