After an exciting Triple Crown victory, history was still on the cards for Ireland heading into the penultimate round. But it has been a disappointing finish to the Six Nations since then for Simon Easterby and his team.
It feels like now is the right time for Ireland to go through an extended break.
Players will return to their clubs, where the URC and Champions Cup are still heading towards the business end, but then there'll be a change on the international scene.
The national team will undergo a bit of a shake-up from here until the next Autumn series.
While some of Ireland’s top players will be in contention for Lions duty, there is no doubt that others will get an extended rest should they miss out on the trip to Australia.
Ireland are set to take on 'Tier 2' countries in the summer internationals, travelling to face Georgia and Portugal. This provides an opportunity for Ireland to develop the squad while the pressure is turned down a notch.
Since the 2023 World Cup, Ireland have operated in pressurised environments. Other countries, like Scotland, have planned their tours differently to reduce the stakes in other international windows.
It will allow Ireland a chance to get to know more of the extended squad and blood some completely new faces. There’s no shortage of talent but it certainly feels like there’s a bottleneck when it comes to getting a Test jersey.
Other nations can be quite progressive when it comes to talent identification at the national level.
South Africa, under Rassie Erasmus, have been scouting an enormous amount of talent in their alignment camps. 82 players have been contacted concerning their involvement in the talent identification programme.
Erasmus has been on record saying that a lot of those players won’t represent South Africa until 2027. He’s either a step ahead of the curve, or he’s willing to let everyone see what his plans are for developing a streamlined approach at national level.
France are another country boasting a ridiculous amount of talent. We’ve seen as much with their Six Nations triumph. I’m not sure how many countries could lose one of the best players in the world and not miss a beat afterwards.
For the neutral, Antoine Dupont’s injury during the Ireland match was probably the biggest negative of the tournament. However, Maxime Lucu stepped up to the mark. His kicking from the base of the ruck gave France a serious platform to get out of their own half and challenge the opposition.
Dupont is the French talisman. Everything goes through him, he’s undoubtedly their most influential player. They run a variation of a pod system that every team is using, except they only really go to it when the ball leaves Dupont’s hands. Otherwise, they follow Dupont wherever he goes and try to pick up his scraps.
Yet, with his injury, they can fall back on Lucu, Baptiste Serin, Nolann Le Garrec and many more alternatives dotted across their club game. The depth in French rugby is absolutely frightening. The failure in the 2023 World Cup begins to appear catastrophic when you look at their squad.
When Romain Ntamack was suspended or injured, the highly talented Matthieu Jalibert stepped up, and Thomas Ramos casually changed positions. You’re talking about players with world-class pedigree replacing other world-class players.
Ireland have been experiencing a very successful decade. When a Triple Crown is scoffed at, you know there’s been an enormous progression in Irish rugby.
Under Andy Farrell and Easterby, Ireland have examined their development pathways too. The return of Emerging Ireland has allowed a different perspective on players, many of whom have come through their traineeship under Easterby in those tours and are now receiving caps with the senior squad.
The identification of talent doesn’t seem to be an issue. Utilising the talent can be a slower process.
There have been some recent cases that have accelerated through the Irish pathway. Sam Prendergast and Gus McCarthy are just two examples of players that have benefited greatly from the Irish system.
There are many more on the precipice of a long and prosperous Irish career. Jack Boyle is finding his way into the match day 23 after a long wait for Ireland’s next prop. Cormac Izuchukwu has been amongst the squad, despite an unfortunate injury, and there are plenty of other names that could be among the next crop of 10-year internationals.
I'm not one for over-reacting to a loss or a downturn in form. You must respect the more experienced players and give them an opportunity to pass on their rugby experience and intellect.
However, it’s a tough balance to strike between the new, shiny player turning heads in the URC, and the old dog for the long road.
Given Ireland’s age profile, the time couldn’t be more appropriate to spring some changes in the squad next November.
The summer tour will seen many new introductions, but we won’t really witness that come to fruition until the next ultra-competitive, Tier 1 game is played.
When the pressure returns in November, how many new faces will Ireland see?
Ireland are saying goodbye to three legends of the game, so a measure of change is forced upon the team.
Others will be unavailable through selection with the Lions, while some will emerge based on club performances and Emerging Ireland showings.
It won't be like the alignment camps of the Springboks, or the huge talent pool of the French, but the summer internationals will come at the right time to inject some excitement and variation into the Irish team.
It will be a good chance to wipe the slate clean, forget who has credit in the bank and start building the squad for the future.
