Later this week, Simon Easterby will announce his 2025 Ireland Six Nations team. Ireland’s first match is against England in Dublin on February 1.
The vast majority will be picked from Leinster, which is indicative of their unbeaten Champions Cup record and proximity to the dominant URC league leaders.
Though Munster and Ulster’s numbers continue to decline, there was a heartening victory over Saracens over the weekend, and this squad will probably have been written in before that game was taken into consideration. In fact, there are hints that Leinster’s numbers could reach a record 70% of a panel that could number up to 36. This comes at a time when Connacht has been punching above their weight with Mack Hansen and Bundee Aki as first team regulars, Finlay Bealham a matchday regular, and Caolin Blade capped last summer in South Africa.
In addition, Tadhg Beirne was the game’s star, while South African loosehead Dan Bleuler, who is almost as good in one of Ireland’s troublesome situations as a backup loosehead, will soon rejoin his parent team, the Sharks.
While center Tom Farrell is on the verge of being included as an investment for the future, the clock is ticking on the Dubliner’s inclusion at age 31. Tighthead Oli Jager is a strong contender, but he has only started four club games this season (Zebre, Ospreys, Leinster, and Saracens).
After a four-game November series in which just one player—Cormac Izuchukwu, who played at number six against Fiji—was given a starting shirt, Ulster’s squad may be as small as four.
Leinster’s lineout issues suggest that Rob Herring and Iain Henderson will be kept, but Stuart McCloskey’s presence in the November series team is encouraging for him.
To the astonishment of many, Nathan Doak’s no9/no10 and place-kicking options have been overlooked here; however, Craig Casey’s injury gives some optimism that this could be his chance. Jacob Stockdale’s call may rely on injuries.
Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, and Dan Sheehan are all scheduled to practice with the team this week after missing the Leinster match against La Rochelle due to injuries.