The Shamrock Ball Column: Something Needs To Change With Ireland

Ireland arguably has the best talent in the world not named South Africa and New Zealand within their own country. That might sound confusing, but it's just means that there is more top athletes playing rugby in those places than they are in other countries. So it's a bit perplexing that the Irish finished in third in the 2025 Six Nations Tournament. That was a performance that left a lot to desire and suggests that possibly the squad is in a bit of a decline. Are the Irish in decline? That might be more of a reactionary thought, but there are some things that do need to be addressed especially with the World Cup coming in two years. So what went wrong? Let's take a look at some of the things I noticed after the conclusion of the best rugby tournament outside of the World Cup.

The Old Guard Is Showing It's Age

While there are some aging players whom are still quality, the Irish can't keep going to them as clearly they are not as strong of a player as they once were and it's predictable. It's a constant problem with Ireland, but it was especially apparent in this 2025 version of the tournament. Look, it happens, we all get older and cannot perform like we used to. It's happened to me. I was once a slick fielding second baseman when I was playing baseball in high school and later on when playing slow pitch softball as an adult, but now at the ripe age of 35, I have seen my ability to field a ball decline. I should still be able to be a great fielder playing slow pitch softball considering having played baseball at a higher level, but with plays that I normally could pull off, I don't quite have the flexibility or reflexes like I used to. The point I am trying to make is that with age comes a decline in ability and it sucks. So, Ireland needs to recognize this as well. As much as I appreciated Rory Best for what he did for the nation, him starting at hooker at the age of 37, a very physically demanding position, for as long as he was the starter, probably did more harm than good. Not saying Best shouldn't have been on the squad for 2019 Six Nations and World Cup, but he shouldn't have been the starter. While the position is more solidified now and in capable hands, there was a lot of questions of whom was supposed to replace him come 2020 and beyond. At the national level, you cannot do that. You need to know who is going to either be the man to replace him or have options whom you can trust to take over. Even then, Best should not have been starting either as someone much younger should've been the starter with him coming off the bench. The same could be said about Jonathan Sexton in the last World Cup. Sexton is one of the best flyhalves ever, if not the best in Ireland's history, as well as being arguably the best in the world at one point in his career, but letting him be your number one option at the position going into a World Cup at the age of 37 (oh hey, a common theme is showing here) is a scary thought. Now that he is retired, Ireland is scrambling each year to find who the best option is at the position (yes, I know Joey Carbery was supposed to be that guy, but the team was banking on that for too long without having a solid backup plan). While Sexton was good enough to play at a high level, having him start probably was not the best idea. Yes, Jack Crowley was on that team and we all look at him as probably the number one on the depth chart, but he was extremely young and Ross Byrne, while playing really well at the time, has never solidified himself as a reliable option at the national level.

So, with some of the players on the current squad who were on this past Six Nations side, this was on full display. Yes, you need veteran guys on the team, but when you're 35 or older then you probably should be making an impact off the bench. Rob Kearney knew his career with the national team, despite being a very productive player at the time, was over after the 2019 World Cup. That was the best decision, but he also wasn't playing at a premium position quite like how Best and Sexton were playing at. Again, I am not saying the two of them should've retired from national duties like how Kearney did, but maybe relinquishing the starting role probably would've benefitted every camp involved. Looking at the 2025 Six Nations squad, I can name a few right off the bat at who should not have been starting. Peter O'Mahony, Bundee Aki, and Conor Murray should not be starters (yes, I know about Murray, but he got more minutes than necessary). Ireland had a very "old" squad on matchday as players such as the three mentioned as well as Rob Herring, Finlay Bealham, Cian Healy, Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Iain Henderson, Jack Conan, Jamison Gibson-Park, and James Lowe are all 32 or older. After that, even Josh van der Flier, Garry Ringrose, and Robbie Henshaw are 30 or older. So think about how old that squad is on matchday. You have to instill some youth in the squad as while experience helps, young talent goes a long way. Holding onto the legacies of some of these players, which is arguably a golden generation, is hard to let go of, but you cannot rely on all these players to produce at a high level once they get to the age of 30 or older. Rugby is a grueling sport and it definitely does not take kindly to aging athletes.

This is going to be the longest written section of the column, but it cannot be stated enough at how young talent needing to be played is said. There is plenty of great talent that needs to be playing in international play and some of the veterans need to step aside and let the youngsters play. Yes, sprinkle in some veterans here and there in the starting lineup and bench, but eventually age catches up and you cannot rely on that.

Andy Farrell Being Gone Might've Hurt

Farrell was on sabbatical to coach the British & Irish Lions, which is a huge honor to say the least. But having him gone might've actually hurt the Irish. Farrell has seemingly proven to be a great head coach as Ireland always looked prepared, clinical, and seemed to have a trick play up their sleeves. While he may have had some the final say on the squad, Farrell was clearly not a part of the coaching decisions or play calling. The team didn't look the same without him despite playing solidly. While maybe the coaching for Ireland is good, it might be worth questioning if they should be the head coach of any side. What made Ireland so successful was how well they held on to the ball as possession plays a massive role in winning rugby matches, but also setting the tempo and pace while connecting through forwards and backs to open up opposing defenses. In this Six Nations, while the Irish still held better possession, they didn't dominate on it like they usually do. Ireland wasn't carrying the ball like they used to as they ranked low in gaining meters or winning turnovers. Yes, the squad was still physical, but opposing defenses weren't allowing them to make any advancements like we are all accustomed to watching. What also changed was changing the whole tactics that made them so successful as the Irish seemed to be kicking the ball more often than not. Maybe that was because when carrying the ball like they had been that kicking the ball to advance it was the only way to apply any sort of pressure. Even the kicking for points was dreadful as Sam Prendergast missed a good amount of conversions and penalty kicks.

In an article by SkySports, it was mentioned that there were some other "bad" statistics for the Irish were being dead last in defenders beaten, tackle breaks, and goal-kicking, plus were number one on having bad passes with 61. While the same article suggests that Jacques Nienaber, coach at Leinster, should be to blame as his influence on the attack was why things changed. Nienaber's style is to kick possession away, trust the defense, and look to strike plus dominate the set-pieces. I'm sorry, but that assessment is a load of crap as Nienaber isn't even on the Ireland coaching staff. To me, from what I can gather, is that whatever tactics the Irish were using just simply not working. Which comes back to my original point, the Irish were kicking the ball because they recognized their ineffectiveness carrying the ball and breaking through the opposing defenses by hoping to apply pressure and that their opponents would make a mistake in the red zone. Part of the reason why the Irish weren't advancing the ball quite as well as they used to is probably because either their tactics became more predictable and their opponents picked up on it or they simply just tightened up. Either way, other nations figured them out.

Solidify The Flyhalf Position

Look, there is some very talented options to wear the 10 jersey. Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley look to be the best flyhalf tandem in Ireland's history. That being said, coming into both 2024 and 2025 before the Six Nations tournament started, it was questioned who was going to be the guy manning the 10 jersey. Someone needs to hold that title as the starter down pat. It is fine to name both to the squad and sometimes alternate them as to whom starts and comes off the bench, but there needs to be a regular starter. That being said, there was a stark contrast between Crowley and Prendergast. There was a visible difference in the tempo and pace of the contest when each was in. Prendergast is talented, but he definitely struggled in this tournament. Ireland was a much better team when Crowley was out there and played like how they normally would. Personally, Crowley is the guy to be running the type of style of play that has made Ireland so dominant the last five years. Prendergast might be best off getting more significant minutes against nations like Georgia or Tonga before getting those minutes.

Leinster Can't Be The Only Province Producing Talent

Some have criticized Ireland for playing like how Leinster plays. It's a great question to ask as seemingly the club is basically the Irish national team in the United Rugby Championship (yeah, they're that good). That being said, why is that the case? Maybe it's because the other three provinces aren't producing enough talent to play at the international level. Maybe it's because so many Leinster players are selected to the national side that it's hard to build a rapport with players from the the three other clubs in the country. The last point is hard to believe as that would've been a problem for Farrell at any tournament played as the players have the opportunity to gel or there would've been proof in the past of this being a problem. However, why is it that Leinster keeps sending essentially their whole starting 15 and bench to the national side? It has got to be because the other three provinces aren't producing more talent. That's a problem. That could also be a problem with the coaching staff in their assessments and recruitment, but there has been plenty of time for that to be addressed during Farrell's tenure. It's either the provinces aren't producing enough talent or the coaching staff is being narrow minded. Cohesion has never been a problem, so it's pretty obvious what the problem is.

Maybe France Has Caught Up

France has a really exciting squad. They are super talented and incredibly deep. Maybe it's time to accept the reality that the French have finally been able to match the talent the Irish have. If that's the case, then the Irish need to find a new way to win. France undoubtedly has the best at certain positions, especially at scrumhalf with Antoine Dupont. But maybe the French have figured out the best talent and can actually matchup with anyone. There isn't much to do there except draw up some plays to catch them off guard, but otherwise, let's have to accept the French are that good at rugby. Ireland was able to beat England single handedly and crushed Scotland, but France dominated too. Physicality is a good measurement and it seems like Ireland couldn't compete with France.

Whatever the problem might be as there is a lot to diagnose, simply put is that this side has fallen below the standard and something needs to be addressed. There clearly is a systemic problem as well as probably the wrong person in charge of running the squad. Ireland should be more dominant than it should be as there is a reason why they were ranked number one at one point in the world for a reason. The way the Irish beat Scotland, a side that has a lot of talent like Finn Russell or Blair Kinghorn, that should be how much Ireland dominates. It is okay that they lose a game here and there, but it's about how they lose and the way the Irish lost to the French this year was embarrassing. Yes, to pull off the feat of winning three straight Six Nations tournaments is an incredibly difficult one especially since it's never been done before, but it seemed like with the performance the Irish showed that they never had a chance. Once Andy Farrell returns from his duties with the Lions, things need to be addressed. Maybe Ireland will have to go a year or two with transition, but there is a lot of talent in the Irish system for there to be the same type of success this generation produced. Simply put, there was regression in the attack, defense, goal-kicking, and discipline. Let's hope it's a one off issue, but everything needs to be looked at closely.