Simon Easterby has picked his Ireland team to face France on Saturday, with a 6-2 bench split named to face the physicality of Les Bleus.
Interim head coach Easterby has also been forced to adapt his starting lineup, with first-choice man Mack Hansen ruled out through injury.
A minor quad string has sidelined Hansen and, with Garry Ringrose also ruled out through suspension, Easterby has had to improvise in the backline.
His choice of Jamie Osborne to replace Hansen has raised a few eyebrows, with the Leinster star having never played at 14 for his province. The youngster has been hugely impressive at 15 when given the opportunity and has played at 11 on occasion for Leinster but this appears to be a gamble from Easterby.
The natural pick to replace Hansen would have seemed to be Munster wing Calvin Nash, with the 27-year-old having already deputised for Hansen in the trip to Murrayfield last month.
Nash scored the first of Ireland's four tries on that occasion, and his first try in green came against Saturday's opposition in last year's Six Nations.
9 February 2025; Calvin Nash of Ireland is pushed by Duhan van der Merwe of Scotland, resulting in a yellow card for Duhan van der Merwe, during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Scotland and Ireland at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
However, Easterby has favoured Osborne at 14. The 6-2 bench split means that Nash does not even make the bench, with his Munster teammates Conor Murray and Jack Crowley taking the two back spots as subs.
No comment was made on whether Nash has picked up an injury, though he took part in training this week and Murray Kinsella of The42 reported that he was available for selection.
Munster fans have been left hugely frustrated at the decision to play Osborne out of position in the starting XV and leave Nash out of the 23 entirely.
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Fans frustrated as Calvin Nash left out of Ireland 23
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby explained why he had gone for Jamie Osborne at 14 for Saturday's crunch clash with France in Dublin.
Easterby made no reference to Calvin Nash or any explanation as to why the Munster star had been excluded from the 23, saying that Osborne's versatility had given him the edge over other contenders.
[Osborne's] done pretty well so far across the short international career he's had. He's a fabulous footballer, first and foremost.
He's got a physical presence and he's also got a really smart rugby brain. He understands the game and the feel of the game.
We've got a bit of flexibility there in terms of his positioning, a flexibility to move him around a little bit in certain parts of the field so we can utilise his left [foot], but he's also got a right foot as well.
There's a bit of flexibility within the system that would allow us to utilise him and Hugo [Keenan] in different positions.
On social media, fans and punters from Munster and beyond were not happy to see Calvin Nash apparently snubbed in the Ireland team selection.
Calvin Nash is a proven winner in the No.14 jersey but Ireland will still shoehorn someone who doesn't play there. 😤 https://t.co/bpcdiOmGTa
— Ian Frizzell (@rava_ian) March 6, 2025
Unsure if Nash picked up an injury vs Edinburgh, but there were pics of him in IRE training this week. The Leinsterfication of Ireland continues in earnest with left-footer named on right wing ahead of Nash, who by all accounts played well vs Scotland before losing his place... https://t.co/MTNlUGyXPC
— Michael Cantillon (@mike_cantillon) March 6, 2025
No Calvin Nash is a disgrace, has Osbourne even played at 14 before
Does Easterby forget that Nash won a 6 nations last year starting every game at 14— 1,439 days since Leinster won a trophy (@YearlyBottlers) March 6, 2025
What has Calvin Nash done so wrong here ? Surely he should be next up if Mack Hansen isn't 100%
— ClydaMan (@ClydaMan) March 6, 2025
Confused why Nash isn’t there 🤨
— Luke93285 (@munster200) March 6, 2025
It's certainly an eye-opening call, though Ireland fans will not be complaining should
Ireland take on France at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday hoping to continue their charge towards a Grand Slam. Kick-off is at 2:15pm, with the game live on RTÉ 2 and ITV.
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