Form shouldn’t be sole selection criteria

Tiernan O’Halloran has been touted for selection as Ireland full-back, on the basis of his good form, but elite sides are delicate eco-systems, and changes can have knock-on effects, writes Brendan O’Brien.

Form. Is there any other word tossed around so carelessly in sport?

Just as one man’s meat can be another’s poison, quantifying form can be a trial. For every Lionel Messi, someone all of us can agree is a player of exceptional talent and productivity, there are dozens more whose worth splits opinion. Glenn Whelan, for instance, has impressed many a Stoke City fan on a cold, wet Wednesday night but he takes dogs abuse in a green shirt.