No place for Joey Carbery in Ireland's Six Nations squad
OUT IN THE COLD: Joey Carbery during the Ireland Rugby captain's run at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Leinster centre Jamie Osborne is the only uncapped player named in Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations squad as Munster back row Gavin Coombes returns to favour but there is no place in Andy Farrell’s selection for fly-half Joey Carbery.
Farrell unveiled a 37-player squad on Thursday morning with Munster’s in-form playmaker the notable omission as the head coach has plumped for Leinster’s Ross Byrne and Carbery’s team-mate Jack Crowley as the back up 10s to captain Johnny Sexton.
Carbery had been seen as the designated number two behind the veteran skipper and has been in flying form for his province, instrumental in Graham Rowntree’s team turning a corner after a rocky start to their season under new management. Yet Byrne’s assured cameo off the bench as rookie Crowley’s replacement to kick the winning penalty against Australia in the final game of last November’s Autumn Nations Series and his continuing strong form and game management for Leinster in Sexton’s absences through injury since November as Leo Cullen’s side have continued their unbeaten start to the campaign have clearly impressed the Irish management.
Both Carbery and Sexton missed the final Autumn Nations Series Test against the Wallabies through injury, allowing Crowley to make is first international start with Byrne earning his first cap in a year off the bench.
Sexton is still recovering from a cheekbone injury sustained against Connacht on January 1 but appears set to add to his 109 Ireland caps against Wales in Cardiff on February 4 when the Triple Crown holders and world number one-ranked nation opens its championship bid.
Ireland finished second to Grand Slam winners France last year with Carbery reaching 37 caps with an ever-present run in his country’s matchday squads since his return from a long-term ankle injury in the summer of 2021 and starting against both France and Italy in the 2022 championship.
Farrell offered a lifeline to omitted players as he spoke about his squad selection.
“The Six Nations is a huge competition for us and another opportunity for us to grow as group. 2022 was a busy year as we got to work with a larger group of players as we continued to build our squad depth and competition for places.
“While there are a few players carrying knocks and others that have missed out on selection for the start of the tournament, they will have the opportunity to push their case playing for their provinces in the URC over the coming weeks as no doubt we will need to call upon the wider group as the tournament progresses.”
Osborne, 21, has been on Farrell’s radar for some time. He spent time in Ireland camp in November 2021 and like Crowley went on the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa last autumn before selection for Ireland A against an All Blacks XV in November. With Robbie Henshaw absent due to a wrist injury he has impressed at inside centre for Leinster in recent weeks against Munster and Gloucester but has also spent time across the backline on the wing, and at outside centre and full-back.
It was a poor performance against the All Blacks XV that saw Munster No.8 Coombes jettisoned by Farrell last November but the Skibbereen back-rower has been in barnstorming form for his province since and picked up the man of the match award in last Saturday’s European pool win over Northampton Saints having scored two tries and made some important defensive interventions in a second-half rearguard.
Coombes’ inclusion comes at the expense of Max Deegan while elsewhere in the forwards Joe McCarthy replaces Kieran Treadwell among the locks and Ronan Kelleher returns among the hookers after an injury-hit year.
In the backs, veteran duo Keith Earls and Conor Murray are included despite being dropped by Munster last weekend. Wing Earls, on 98 caps, missed the November Tests through injury while scrum-half Murray has had limited game time since picking up a groin injury on his 100th Ireland appearance against South Africa in the Autumn Nations Series opener.
Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) 41 caps Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD) 14 caps Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon) 7 caps Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution) 2 caps Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster) 98 caps Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster) 23 caps Mack Hansen (Connacht) 8 caps Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 25 caps Jordan Larmour (Leinster/St Marys College) 30 caps James Lowe (Leinster) 15 caps Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor) 9 caps Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) 100 caps Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster/Naas) 3 caps Jamie Osborne (Leinster/Naas) * Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) 47 caps Johnny Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College)(captain) 109 caps Jacob Stockdale (Ulster/Lurgan) 35 caps
Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University) 8 caps Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers) 27 caps Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) 36 caps Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) 33 caps Gavin Coombes (Munster/Young Munster) 2 caps Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 23 caps Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) 63 caps Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) 121 caps Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy) 68 caps Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 31 caps Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne) 18 caps Dave Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians) 48 caps Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University) 1 cap Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 89 caps Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 4 caps Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 48 caps Cian Prendergast (Connacht/Corinthians) 1 cap James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 48 caps Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne) 13 caps Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 45 cap *denotes uncapped player
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