Confirmation from provinces means we can confidently predict Ireland’s team to play Wales

Patrick McCarry

We’ve held a candle long enough. It’s time to let go.

For the first time in over a year, we can confidently predict an Irish match-day squad.

Settling on the starting XV may prove a tad tougher but not so if, as expected, Tadhg Furlong and James Ryan train fully by Tuesday. Iain Henderson also sat out the full session at Athlone’s Dubarry Park, on Thursday, but the Ulster lock should also be fit.

Chris Farrell is in pole position to replace the injured Robbie Henshaw at outside centre while Niall Scannell is back to full fitness and expected to deputise for captain Rory Best.

The final clues towards Ireland’s squad make-up were offered up on Friday afternoon with confirmation of the Leinster and Munster teams that will be taking part in Guinness PRO14 action against Welsh opposition.

Three players would have been fully aware of the fact they needed to feature in league action before they had a chance of facing Wales.

Unfortunately for Andrew Conway, Garry Ringrose and Sean O’Brien, all have been left out. Conway was in the original Six Nations squad but a knee injury ruled him out of the France and Italy games.

Ringrose and O’Brien are back in training with Leinster, with the centre said to be ‘a week ahead’ of the flanker in terms of game-readiness. The fact that all three men are sitting out of this weekend’s games makes it easier to predict the Ireland team, and squad, for the Wales game.

Ireland are back in Carton House, Maynooth, on Sunday evening and the squad for round three of the 2018 Six Nations should be officially named on Monday.

The big decision Joe Schmidt appears to have, in the coming days, is to stick with Jordan Larmour as his No.23 or draft in Fergus McFadden, a player he has often turned to in the past.

IRELAND (Predicted XV for Wales)

Rob Kearney

Keith Earls
Chris Farrell
Bundee Aki
Jacob Stockdale

Johnny Sexton
Conor Murray

Cian Healy
Rory Best (captain)
Tadhg Furlong

Iain Henderson
James Ryan

Peter O’Mahony
Dan Leavy
CJ Stander