The announcement of the 34-man - plus three training panellists - Ireland squad for the upcoming Six Nations has come with little controversy.
There is an abundance of familiarity in the selection, and changes to the recent World Cup panel are mostly injury or retirement enforced.
The nature of Andy Farrell's selection and the crowning of Peter O'Mahony as Ireland captain may give a hint to the direction he will go in, as we attempt to predict his 23 for the opening game against France in Marseille, on February 2 (kick-off: 8pm).
Presenting your Ireland squad for the 2024 Guinness Men's Six Nations, captained by Peter O'Mahony! 🟢#TeamOfUs
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) January 17, 2024
READ HERE: Every Ireland Rugby Captain Of The Professional Era As Peter O'Mahony Unveiled
The Ireland 23 We Expect To See Against France
Front Row
No changes here to the side that were knocked out of the Rugby World Cup by the All Blacks.
Finlay Bealham has been the form tight head over the past year, but Furlong has enough credit in the bank, while he also showed glimmers of his best against Stade Francais last weekend.
We predict:
1. Andrew Porter
2. Dan Sheehan
3. Tadhg Furlong
Lock
Second row is arguably the area most up for grabs.
Tadhg Beirne is a certain starter, but the red-hot form of Joe McCarthy means moving the Munster man to blindside flanker is a serious option.
However, with Peter O'Mahony confirmed as captain, we fully expect to see him lead the side out in Marseille.
We predict:
4. Tadhg Beirne
5. James Ryan
23 September 2023; Ireland rugby ; James Ryan of Ireland, left, and team-mate Tadhg Beirne during the 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B match between South Africa and Ireland at Stade de France in Paris, France. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Back Row
As we mentioned above, the O'Mahony captaincy would make it a real shock to see Beirne or Ryan Baird in at no. 6.
Caelan Doris and Josh van der Flier are as nailed on as they come.
We predict:
6. Peter O'Mahony
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Caelan Doris
Scrum-Half
Neither Craig Casey nor Conor Murray have done enough this season to put serious pressure on Farrell favourite Jamison Gibson-Park.
The bench selection could be interesting with Casey the clear first-choice at Munster. However, as we have seen in the past, Murray's form tends to go up a level when he pulls on the green jersey.
We predict:
9. Jamison Gibson-park
Out-Half
The selection of Harry Byrne indicates that his brother's injury is more serious than first thought.
While it is a big opportunity for a man who has suffered greatly with injury throughout his pro-career, we don't think he will feature against the French.
The most exciting story line, from a player angle, is whether Jack Crowley can transfer his Munster form to the international stage, and help soothe the transition into the post-Sexton era.
We predict:
10. Jack Crowley
25 November 2023; Ireland rugby ; Jack Crowley of Munster and Ciarán Frawley of Leinster after the United Rugby Championship match between Leinster and Munster at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Centre
There were calls from Connacht and Munster fans for the inclusion of Cathal Forde and Antoine Frisch, but they knew deep down that neither man would be selected.
It is exceedingly difficult for newcomers to break into the Ireland squad, given the talent we are blessed with. And with the form Garry Ringrose and Bundee Aki find themselves in, the starting pair will not be changing either.
We predict:
12. Bundee Aki
13. Garry Ringrose
Back Three
Hugo Keenan's constant excellence and James Lowe's timely return means two of these three are easy to call.
A few factors make Calvin Nash the likely man to slot in on the right wing. Firstly, Lowe and Jacob Stockdale are pure left-wings with only one pro start between them on the right. Secondly, Nash was picked ahead of Jordan Larmour for the World Cup training squad - before winning his first cap - and his form has even improved since.
However, Larmour has been impressive this season, and was the pick of the wingers when Munster hosted Leinster on St. Stephen's Day. Farrell could also choose to slot in either Lowe or Stockdale on the right.
We predict:
11. James Lowe
14. Calvin Nash
15. Hugo Keenan
13 January 2024; Ireland rugby ; Calvin Nash of Munster scores his side's fourth try during the Investec Champions Cup Pool 3 Round 3 match between RC Toulon and Munster at Stade Felix Mayol in Toulon, France. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
Replacements:
Predictions get trickier when looking at the sub options.
With the current strength in depth at lock, we may see the stalwart presence of Iain Henderson cast aside for the upstart McCarthy.
Back row could see a change from the usual selection of Jack Conan, given the form of Baird, but Farrell generally doesn't tend to fix tactics that ain't broke.
The question of fullback cover is an intriguing one. Does Farrell opt for Larmour or will he trust Ciarán Frawley to fulfil that role? Give that the untested Mack Hansen had been entrusted to cover 15, we reckon Farrell will have no problem putting his faith in Frawley.
We predict:
16. Rónan Kelleher
17. Cian Healy
18. Finlay Bealham
19. Joe McCarthy
20. Jack Conan
21. Conor Murray
22. Ciarán Frawley
23. Robbie Henshaw
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