Sam Prendergast remains favourite to be chosen as the starting outhalf when Simon Easterby unveils the Ireland team at noon on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s opening Six Nations match against England at the Aviva Stadium (kick-off 4.45pm).
The number 10 jersey is one of the several marginal calls which the interim Irish head coach and his assistants have had to resolve, with the 21-year-old Leinster outhalf set to be retained after starting the concluding two Autumn Nations Series games against Fiji and Australia.
Who will start at 10 for Ireland during the Six Nations?
Jack Crowley, who had started all of Ireland’s previous nine Tests since the World Cup and Johnny Sexton’s retirement, must have reminded Easterby and Co of his credentials with his superb display in Munster’s Champions Cup loss to Northampton, and is a tough defender. But he is likely to be named on the bench again, as was the case when the Munster man closed out the win over Australia.
The choice at inside centre, as ever, appears to be another fine call between Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki. Both are in good form, and both are long proven at this level, and there must be a temptation to opt for the Leinster 9-10-12-13 axis of Jamison Gibson-Park, Prendergast, Henshaw and Garry Ringrose which started both of the province’s Champions Cup wins away to La Rochelle and at home to Bath this month, not to mention Hugo Keenan as well.
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However, Aki started the first Test in South Africa and three of the four Autumn Series matches, and his physicality may be preferred for the kind of challenge provided by England.
With Tadhg Furlong ruled out again due to a disconcerting recurrence of his calf issues, Finlay Bealham looks set to start, as he did in all four November Tests, in an unchanged frontrow alongside Andrew Porter and Rónan Kelleher.
Dan Sheehan’s two-try, 60-minute comeback for Leinster last weekend at home to the Stormers in the URC was a timely boost for the outstanding hooker and the team, but he only linked up with the squad on Monday in the Algarve, by which stage Kelleher had a full week’s training with the rest of the squad, and he also started three of the four November Tests.
In four of Ireland’s last five Tests, James Ryan and Joe McCarthy have been chosen together in the secondrow, with Tadhg Beirne at blindside. However, the indications are that Easterby and Paul O’Connell are giving serious consideration to starting Ryan Baird at blindside and so, among other factors, counter the threat of England’s renowned defensive lineout.
This could seemingly mean Beirne partnering Ryan rather than McCarthy in the secondrow, with Baird alongside two bang in form, automatic picks in Josh van der Flier and the captain Caelan Doris.
Sheehan is in line to return to a matchday squad for the first time since suffering his ACL injury in the first Test in Loftus Versfeld last July by providing the frontrow cover along with the evergreen Cian Healy and Thomas Clarkson.
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The 24-year-old made a good impression when winning his first two caps last November off the bench against Argentina and Fiji, albeit the presence of Rabah Slimani at Leinster means Clarkson has only played precisely 100 minutes in total since then.
Peter O’Mahony was a backrow replacement in the second Test win in Durban and against New Zealand, Argentina and Australia last November but Jack Conan was ruled out of both the summer tour and the Autumn Series. Since then, Conan also played about twice as many minutes and looks a probable fit against England.
The Munster pairing of Conor Murray and Crowley bring a good understanding at halfback off the bench, and the Irish management have consistently shown a penchant for picking impactful inside centres in completing the matchday 23. Besides this, Henshaw’s ability to cover outside centre as well and most of all his big-game experience could see him named at number 23 ahead of Jamie Osborne.
If all this comes to pass, it would mean just two changes in personnel from the starting line-up last time out in the 22-19 win against Australia, with Ringrose returning, Baird coming into the backrow and Beirne reverting to the secondrow.
Meanwhile a relatively experienced bench looks like it could be stiffened by the return of Sheehan and Conan, after they missed that Autumn Series, as well as Murray for the injured Craig Casey, with Ringrose and Henshaw swapping roles.
IRELAND (possible) v England: Hugo Keenan (Leinster); Mack Hansen (Connacht), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Bundee Aki (Connacht), James Lowe (Leinster); Sam Prendergast (Leinster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster); Andrew Porter (Leinster), Rónan Kelleher (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht); James Ryan (Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Munster); Ryan Baird (Leinster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster), Caelan Doris (Leinster, capt).
Replacements: Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Thomas Clarkson (Leinster), Joe McCarthy (Leinster), Jack Conan (Leinster), Conor Murray (Munster), Jack Crowley (Munster), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster).
