Donal Lenihan: Seismic calls needed to save game as a spectacle in 2026

Unless something is done to reduce the bench from eight to six players, which is not on the agenda any time soon, the blueprint for success has already been set.

SEISMIC CALLS: Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, and his son Gabriel, watch on during the EPCR Challenge Cup match between Ulster and Racing 92. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

At a time when a degree of uncertainty surrounds the merits of the national side after a mixed bag of performances last month, the even years of Six Nations action that pits Ireland on the road against France and England are hardly ideal.

On the flip side, maybe it will tell us all we need to know 18 months out from the World Cup. That, coupled with a string of inconsistent showings from the team’s main supplier, Leinster, means a shadow hangs over where Andy Farrell’s team sit right now.