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Published 19:41 19 Dec 2023 GMT
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Ireland players Jack Conan, Garry Ringrose, captain Jonathan Sexton, Peter O’Mahony and Tadhg Furlong pictured during the 2023 World Cup. (Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile)[/caption]
"Listen, of course it's not the right call because they haven't won the game now. It's easy to look back retrospectively... because they had success from the previous maul, that Josh van der Flier had got his try from, it seemed like the obvious route to go."Ryan may have been too gabby in the early stages of the La Rochelle game. He seems to be the victim of circumstance + reputation. The referees refusing to engage with him may be more against Leinster than the big lock, but it does him zero favours as Andy Farrell weighs up his big captaincy call. A huge plus in Ryan's column is the no-fluke statistic of his winning record. The only lost game, of 22 he played, last season arrived when he had to go off injured, 29 minutes into the Champions Cup final. He is 10 wins from 10, this season, and was a notable absentee from the Ireland side that lost to New Zealand in the World Cup quarter final. Peter O'Mahony looks to be the favourite and opening up a bigger gap by not playing. The threat for O'Mahony comes from those that may be circling his No.6 jersey - Ryan Baird and Tom Ahern have logged a couple of decent European outings at blindside. The impact Joe McCarthy is starting to consistently have in the second row means Tadhg Beirne, who is regularly leading Munster out, may shift to blindside for Ireland [many would love to see him there]. Caelan Doris and Dan Sheehan look to be on the captaincy fast-track now. Both men are consistent, brilliant members of the first-choice XV and Farrell spots ingrained leadership qualities in both. Garry Ringrose is the other option, and could yet led Ireland in a couple of Six Nations games. The man for the moment, though, looks to be a man that impressed in France but was (one of many) snuffed out by the All Blacks - Peter O'Mahony. The IRFU are busy sprinkling happy contract news right now, so don't expect the official announcement to come until the Six Nations launch event at the Guinness Storehouse, in Dublin, next month.
Munster legend speaks out on province’s new coaching appointment
He words matter. There has been huge controversy within Munster rugby over the appointment of Roger Randle, who is due to take over as a senior coach from Mike Prendergast ahead of next season. In 1997, the New Zealander was accused of rape while in Durban with the Hurricanes for a game against the Sharks. […]
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Prendergast admits huge disappointment at Munster situation
Not ideal. It’s worrying times for Munster rugby at the moment, with problems on and off the field. After being knocked out of both the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, controversy then surrounded the appointment of Roger Randle for next season, due to historic rape accusations. The New Zealander is coming in to replace senior […]
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