Following the announcement from interim head coach Simon Easterby of the Ireland team to tackle Scotland at Murrayfield in the Six Nations, here are our winners and losers from his selection.
Easterby has stuck pretty much to the winning formula, making just two changes to his starting XV, which sees Garry Ringrose drop to the bench, switching roles with Robbie Henshaw, while Peter O’Mahony returns to the matchday 23.
After defeating England in round one, Ireland head into the second round of action looking to continue their charge towards an unprecedented hat-trick of Six Nations titles but face a challenging task against a superb Scottish outfit.
However, Ireland boasts a 10-match winning record over the Scots and will be confident of extending that run with Easterby backing consistency in selection with a pair of surprises.
Winners
Peter O’Mahony
Easterby has added experience, power, lineout prowess and a bit of niggle to his starting XV by recalling former captain O’Mahony into the run-on team with Ryan Baird dropping to the bench and Iain Henderson falling out of the squad.
O’Mahony’s ability in the lineouts is his biggest asset and while Ireland’s set-piece was flawless against England, Scotland are bound to provide a much tougher challenge on Sunday than the one that England offered.
The veteran back-rower featured off the bench in November last year but now returns to the run-on team for a mighty battle with the Scots and the Irish need their fiercest warriors to overcome the hosts and O’Mahony certainly fits the bill.
Outside of his lineout expertise, he is a relentless defender and is a gifted ball carrier with an outstanding ability to offload the ball. While he is very much in the twilight of his career, he remains an inspirational figure for Ireland akin to that Johnny Sexton and is still very much capable of performing at the elite level.
The 35-year-old proved just that in his recent appearances for Munster in the Investec Champions Cup and while he has lacked consistent game time, he will be fired up to prove a point at Murrayfield and Ireland will be better for it with Baird providing an impact from the bench.
Ronan Kelleher
Dan Sheehan’s incredible cameo off the bench last week put Ronan Kelleher’s place in the starting XV under threat, but the latter has clearly done enough to retain his position. Ireland were excellent in the set-pieces against England and much of that credit must go to the hooker.
Easterby is spoilt with choice in the middle of the front-row, with Gus McCarthy also impressing in November, but Kelleher is a very consistent performer in green and deservedly retains his position.
With Sheehan primed to come on in the final quarter, Ireland are bound to get an outstanding 80 minutes out of the hooker position.
Sam Prendergast
After a mixed-bag performance against England, Easterby has backed young pivot Sam Prendergast to get the better of Finn Russell in a tasty head-to-head on Sunday.
The Leinster rookie was rather underwhelming on his Six Nations debut with Jack Crowley making a telling impact off the bench, driving the team to victory.
The battle for the number ten jumper has been fierce since Prendergast made his Test debut last November and it still remains undecided despite Easterby’s continued backing of the youngster.
With Crowley as his back-up and being surrounded by experienced campaigners in the backline, Prendergast is well-placed to excel in the fly-half jersey against Scotland and will need to impress with the Munsterman breathing down his neck.
Robbie Henshaw
Another position where Ireland are blessed with quality in depth as this week it is Henshaw who is given the nod to pair Bundee Aki in the midfield.
Henshaw shone throughout the win over England and is thoroughly deserving of his opportunity in the starting XV alongside his former Connacht teammate.
Ireland will need to be on point defensively against Scotland’s threatening strike runners in the form of Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe, Blair Kinghorn and Huw Jones. With Aki seldomly going the full 80 nowadays, Easterby will bank on Henshaw shifting to inside centre with Ringrose providing a boost of energy and pace in the latter stages.
Cian Healy
At the age of 37, Cian Healy remains a regular selection for Ireland on the bench. This is despite some strong competition from the provincial players.
At some point, Ireland will need to blood through the other loosehead prop options but right now, they are in a luxurious position where their go-to starter can go deep into matches and they can bring on the experience and expertise of Healy to close out matches.
Finlay Bealham and Mack Hansen
There were doubts about the fitness of the Connacht duo heading into the match and their availability is a huge boost for them personally, but to the team overall.
Finlay Bealham has been an able filler in the absence of Tadhg Furlong in the front-row and will need to be again as he fronts up against the powerful Pierre Schoeman in the scrums.
Meanwhile, Mack Hansen has become a key cog in the Irish backline since making his Test debut and was sorely missed when sidelined last year. Calvin Nash filled his void well but Hansen showed his class against England last weekend and the coaching staff certainly breathed a sigh of relief when his suspension did not overlap with the Six Nations and again now after a fitness scare.
Losers
Garry Ringrose
Frankly, Ringrose did very little to warrant in his dropping to the bench after his performance against England. Ollie Lawrence enjoyed arguably his finest outing at the highest level and Ringrose still managed to cause him a few headaches as well as the rest of the Red Rose’s backs.
His move to the bench does give Ireland slightly more versatility with Ringrose able to cover on the wing while he will thrive with an extra bit of space he would naturally be afforded later in the game.
Still, he would have loved to get another crack in the starting XV particularly with his ambition of representing the British and Irish Lions after missing out on selection in 2017 and 2021. With the midfielder now in his 30s, this could well be his last chance to don the red jersey.
Ciaran Frawley and Jamie Osborne
The competition for places in the Ireland team is certainly rife which is highlighted by Ciaran Frawley and Jamie Osborne missing out yet again.
Both players impressed in green last year but are finding opportunities early on in 2025 harder to come by. This is despite how much of an asset versatility is at the highest level.
Frawley provides cover at 10, 12, 15 and possibly 13 while Osborne could comfortably slot into the back-three and the centres. With Easterby, and Andy Farrell, sticking largely to the traditional 5-3 split and not following the other Six Nations teams in copying the Springboks’ ploy, it means that versatility is less important in the backline replacements and that has only limited their chances further.
Jack Crowley
There was always going to be a winner and a loser in the fly-half battle and this week Crowley is the latter especially when one considers just how influential he was from the bench.
In fact, his cameo earned the praise of many pundits so much so that he was included in multiple Team of the Weeks from round one.
Perhaps his starring role off the bench is the reason for him remaining on the pine with Easterby thinking that if it isn’t broken, why try to fix it?
Still after being considered the clear heir to Sexton’s throne last year, Crowley will be disappointed that he has slipped down the pecking order but that will drive him to reclaim his spot.
Ryan Baird
While it wasn’t his finest outing last week, it was far from his worst. He deserved the opportunity to start when considering his Leinster form but Baird has shown what he can do from the bench at the highest level.
That will be crucial as Scotland are certainly a threat to Ireland’s run to the title and a potential Grand Slam but where the men in green may have the upper hand is the quality they can call upon from the bench.
Iain Henderson
The only player that featured in the victory against England that will not turn out against Scotland on Sunday, Henderson has been a fine player for Ireland over the years but the locking stocks have skyrocketed recently and frankly, the Ulsterman is falling a bit off the pace.
He absolutely still has the pedigree to perform at the highest level but cheap penalties and underwhelming appearances from the bench have cost him. Baird is a more fitting addition to the bench with his ability to play on the side of the scrum with his pace and athleticism better suited in the latter stages.
Tadhg Furlong and Joe McCarthy
Furlong and Joe McCarthy’s absences are a massive blow for both players themselves and the squad even if they performed well enough without them last week.
Furlong is likely to be on the plane to Australia whether he plays this Six Nations or not while McCarthy’s involvement is far less clear-cut.
Scotland are bound to be a tough challenge despite Ireland boasting an impressive win streak over them and while he has capable replacements, Easterby would have loved the powerhouse pair at his disposal this week.
Calvin Nash
The news of Hansen being in doubt would have pushed Nash right up into the mix for a start this weekend. The Munster flyer was superb during Ireland’s charge to the title last year but has struggled to get his foot in the selection door since the return of Hansen.
He will now have to wait at least another fortnight to see if he finally gets a crack but it is unlikely.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/ireland-team-v-scotland-winners-and-losers-as-fierce-warrior-returns-while-simon-easterby-overlooks-influential-cameo
