Ryan Miller

I see the vision

That has definitely been an issue in the past, but not sure this is the best example because Stu has 26 caps, Aki 68 and Henshaw 84 (inc. a share at 13 and a couple at 15). I'd assume AF, and Schmidt before him, felt this position specifically was well covered (and I don't disagree).

...the psychodrama that is my decade plus as an Ulster season ticket holder a hell of a lot more bearable. Considering both quality and number of appearances, he's maybe Ulster's best ever player. A guy with talent for 80+ plus international caps but who mostly just turned out for us instead.

...had no wrong answer for a decade or so.

It's unfortunate for Stu that he was the default third option but the other two kept doing the business (as did SMcC when he did get a chance) so I'm not even criticising the choices that were made. If nothing else, the way this all shook out has made...

I'm going to disagree with Neil here, he's more or less always been like this. If he'd been consistently picked ahead of Aki or Henshaw that would have looked like the right decision - in the same way that those guys getting picked also looked like the right decision. The Irish 12 shirt has...

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I can understand fuzziness with stuff like tackle attempts and misses, and certainly with judgement calls like dominant tackles - but passes?

Which was actually the dynamic for a good couple of seasons when ROG and Humphreys were duelling for the shirt in the early 00s. Bench guy always delightful for minutes 60 to 80.

If you offer me 50/50 I will bet large money on Sam coming off the bench for Jack next week and looking like the much better player.

And still want us to try SP at 10, JO at 13, JC at 15.

Ringrose much better than last week but he's not the same guy any more. It's been a wonderful decade at the top, time for the next guy.

His worst game in green today. Amazing day for the haters. I am a big SP fan but I also want Ireland to be more dynamic in selection.

Time for Jack next week (although he can't help being a mad bastard, looked great for three minutes then catastrophic in the last quarter).

He is a *superb* rugby player.

His worst game in green but tbh a significant number of knives have been out for him since day one. Various reasons for that but the core one - and the one that makes the whole ten debate quite silly, imo - is that the rest of the team is overall nowhere near as good as 2022-24.

Worth pointing out that old man Moefana, the venerable 25-year-old, won a Grand Slam four seasons ago.

And at that stage he was not a stand-out player. He's miles better now, top quality, almost like there's method in picking talent and watching it grow.

In the 90s, when I was growing up, Ireland won a total of eight games in the tournament.

This post hit hard at the time and is now getting a few extra digs in, given Twickenham is right now hosting a re-enactment of Thursday night.

Ireland were such a brutally physical, dynamic, relentless team for years. Bok fans know this as well as anyone, given the head to head. I'm worried a lot of those players can't do it any more, JvdF and Ringrose foremost on Thurs. Fresher faces needed, but no sure way to get back to the same level.

Not saying much, given only one starter played well, but he was surely in the top five? At least he did some good things, a lot of them did basically nothing all game. The pack and 11, 13, 14, 15 all a shadow of recent years. Nothing the halves could have done, and our 10 was better than our 9...

No, you're good, that's preposterous stuff.

Too many players look past their sell by. The commentators keep talking about the French size but I'd be surprised if the Ireland starting XV wasn't heavier. The gulf in dynamism is massive, however.

Cian and Sam Prendergast start together for Ireland against France in Paris.

Jacob Stockdale, Jamie Osborne, Jeremy Loughman, and Thomas Clarkson in the XV.

Ireland go 6/2 bench.

Does the free kick in #3 include the option to have a scrum if you want? If so, that is definitely an improvement. If not, it's more complicated and I lean towards disliking it (but will see how it plays out).

Cheers, that all makes sense to me and (no shade intended) as things stand I think the CC would be better without the SA teams. Not that it doesn't have a raft of other problems, how the mighty has fallen.

Thala, real question - does anyone in SA care about the Champions Cup? The URC has gone pretty well overall, the big games keep getting bigger, but the vibes from SA in the CC appear indifferent...

Other than cash, does it have any benefit? Would more SA focus on Currie Cup be better for everyone?

Mildly terrifying. If nothing else it'll test whether we can shift matches away from scrums on a tactical basis. I have my doubts, especially as inaccuracy has been the key issue in Irish rugby this season.

Or maybe Billy Bohan is the best player in the world?

Yeah, and even if he's available it's a big ask given almost six months out.

Again, if Stockdale goes to full back that's something worth watching, at least.

The bleakest possible version of this 6N is dismal, losing rugby with a lot of faded or fading stalwarts. Injury has kinda ruled that out.

LHP, Sheehan, Furlong
McCarthy, Ryan
Beirne, Doris, JvdF
JGP, SP
Stockdale, McCloskey, Ringrose, TOB/RB
Keenan

B: Stewart*, LHP, Bealham, Edogbo, Izuchukwu, Prendergast, Doak**, Crowley

That has some juice. Exciting bench.

*it'll be RK but imo TS is better
*it'll be CC but Doak better for a 6/2

Loose head is red alert but I dunno, sometimes the cold finger of injury is your most adventurous selector and that's not always a bad thing. Aki and Henshaw are out, but I wouldn't have picked them anyway. Shame Osborne is also wrecked but hey ho.

Time to find a few things out, I guess.