It has been 32 years since a nation won back-to-back Grand Slam titles.
Andy Farrell is the heavy favourite to be named British & Irish Lions head coach, this coming Thursday. Once all that pomp and ceremony is done, he will get back to announcing his next Ireland squad and plotting a defence of their Six Nations title.
Farrell and his coaching staff struck upon the theme, back in 2022 and 2023, of being the ones to forge a path for future generations. Winning a Test Series away in New Zealand was their Everest. The squad followed that up with an epic winning streak that included a 2023 Six Nations Grand Slam but they fell short on their 'K2' at the World Cup, in France.
If Farrell wants to toss a fresh gauntlet, he could well challenge his squad to become the first ever Six Nations side to do a Grand Slam repeat. The feat was last achieved by an amateur England side, led by captain Will Carling, in the 1992 Five Nations.
Johnny Sexton and Keith Earls - along with team manager Mick Kearney - were the only two player retirements, though it remains to be seen what veterans will make Farrell's 2024 Six Nations squad. We know now that Dave Kilcoyne will definitely miss out, but that is because he suffered a season-ending injury. Cian Healy (36) missed the World Cup but should be called on for the upcoming championship, especially after that Kilcoyne blow.
We will know most of the cast of characters that Farrell assembles at the High Performance Centre, later this month, and Peter O'Mahony is frontrunner to take over from Sexton as captain. There may be a few new faces when the Ireland squad is officially announced, though.
[caption id="attachment_246173" align="aligncenter" width="640"]Tom Ahern of Munster could make an Ireland squad appearance. (Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile)[/caption]
Some uncapped players could feature in Ireland squad
Back in January of 2023, Andy Farrell named a 37-man Ireland squad for the opening two rounds of the Six Nations.
At the time, James Hume and Joey Carbery missing out were the big deals. Jacob Stockdale was brought back into the fold and we had Jamie Osborne as the only uncapped player to make the cut. Robbie Henshaw and Rob Baloucoune, it was confirmed, missed out due to injuries.
We would not expect a raft of major changes from that 2023 selection, aside from the obvious ones to cover for Earls, Sexton and Kilcoyne. If there are any 'development player' call-ups, Paddy McCarthy [Leinster], Scott Wilson [Ulster], and Brian Gleeson [Munster] are all worth a look.
It will be fascinating to see if Farrell includes Sam Prendergast as an outhalf option. Jack Crowley will be included but it is unclear if Ross Byrne, who underwent a December procedure on an arm injury, will return in time. The other candidates would be Harry Byrne, Billy Burns [especially after he picked Leinster apart at The RDS], the versatile Ciarán Frawley and one from JJ Hanrahan or Jack Carty. A way to ease the focus on Prendergast could be to cite Frawley as backline cover [10, 12, 15] while Prendergast is invited in as a development player, but one that could see minutes if all goes well.
Mack Hansen has been in the wars - out of the championship after shoulder surgery - and James Lowe has yet to play for Leinster. His last game was for Ireland in the World Cup quarter final. That will mean opportunities for Calvin Nash and Jamie Osborne, although the Leinster youngster has not played since early December. Jacob Stockdale is looking more like his old, dangerous self so Farrell could settle with that, leave Jordan Larmour out, and save a spot for elsewhere.
Farrell brought Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw and Stuart McCloskey to France. Three of that quartet are very similar, so Munster's Antoine Frisch could crop up in the selection debates.
Another area to watch closely will be the back row. Tom Ahern and Ryan Baird have both featured a lot at blindside, this season, and this could be a medium-term look at filling that spot after Peter O'Mahony Test powers eventually wane. John Hodnett will be in the selection conversations, at least, as should Will Connors. Jack Conan may be seen as enough No.8 competition for Caelan Doris, but will there be another chance granted to Gavin Coombes? The West Cork native has not had much of a look-in with Farrell yet.
At hooker, Farrell may get slightly adventurous and get Tom Stewart in for a proper look. It would be tough on Rob Herring - and somewhat against the grain for Farrell - but there must be some consideration given towards building for the future.
Ultimately, I have opted for a 38-man squad that contains three uncapped players. To cover myself, do not be surprised if Farrell & Co. bring in Oli Jager for a closer look. He picked up an injury in the loss to Connacht but looked decent against Leinster.
PREDICTED IRELAND SQUAD (Uncapped in italics)
BACKS (18):
Bundee Aki
Ross Byrne/Harry Byrne
Craig Casey
Jack Crowley
Shane Daly
Ciarán Frawley
Jamison Gibson Park
Robbie Henshaw
Hugo Keenan
Jordan Larmour
James Lowe
Stuart McCloskey
Conor Murray
Calvin Nash
Jamie Osborne (or Jordan Larmour)
Sam Prendergast
Garry Ringrose
Jacob Stockdale
FORWARDS (20): Tom Ahern
Ryan Baird
Finlay Bealham
Tadhg Beirne
Jack Conan
Caelan Doris
Tadhg Furlong
Cian Healy
Iain Henderson
Rónan Kelleher
Jeremy Loughmann
Joe McCarthy
Peter O’Mahony
Tom O’Toole
Andrew Porter
Cian Prendergast
James Ryan
Dan Sheehan
Tom Stewart
Josh van der Flier
Ireland start off the 2024 Six Nations away to France, in Marseille, in early February before hosting Italy and Wales at Aviva Stadium, later that month.
Tom Ahern of Munster could make an Ireland squad appearance. (Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile)[/caption]
