Spain v Ireland XV, Leganés, Saturday, 4pm Irish time – Live on Rugby Pass TV
There’s enough in the Ireland XV to pique the interest. Cullie Tucker’s selection contains 10 senior internationals and affords the chance to peek into the short and medium-term future of Irish rugby in a run-on team whose average age is 24 years and some change.
Secondrow and former Ireland Under-20 captain Evan O’Connell (21) is the youngest of that cohort, right wing Rob Baloucoune and number eight Paul Boyle, both senior internationals, the elder lemons.
Top-end pace is a rarity in Irish rugby but in Baloucoune and Shayne Bolton, this team harbours two of the quickest. Nestling in between is the twinkle-toed Michael Lowry, who is as brave as he is talented.
Watching Dan Kelly impress for the Ireland Under-20s – Jack Crowley was his outhalf – while playing alongside Hayden Hyde, he looked a real prospect at outside centre in a pandemic-shortened Under-20 Six Nations. Talking to a couple of coaches who had worked with him after he accepted an offer from Leicester Tigers, the person and the player would be missed.
Kelly won a single senior cap for England but, after the requisite time frame has elapsed, he is once again eligible for Ireland. A summer signing for Munster, his quality was immediately evident. It’s funny that Kelly is named at inside centre while Under-20s Grand Slam winner Jude Postlethwaite wears the 13 jersey, as there is an argument to say that swapping roles would be a better fit.
Suffice to suggest they’ll be a handful.
Leinster’s Harry Byrne will start at outhalf for Ireland against Spain. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Harry Byrne has started the season impressively for Leinster, winning a couple of man-of-the-match awards, and he’ll be keen to kick on again in a green jersey. Scrumhalf Ben Murphy is the fifth member of the backline to have senior Ireland international status, having made his debut during the summer tour.
Prop Michael Milne is another from that vintage, making his debut in Georgia. Tom Stewart, Tom O’Toole, Darragh Murray and Boyle are the senior international ‘stalwarts’ in the pack. The game represents a great chance for O’Connell and Ruadhán Quinn to make the jump from underage internationals.
Alex Soroka has been superb for Leinster this season, his work-rate complementing other skill sets, not least his assured soccer skills as he so capably demonstrated in the victory over Zebre. The bench is an amalgam of youthful promise and form players.
Consistent game time has seen Nathan Doak mature, while David McCann is one of the best backrows in the country. Diarmuid Mangan looks comfortable no matter what position he’s selected in the back five of the pack.
It’s instructive to note that Cathal Forde will cover outhalf, a position he filled at underage. He’s played most of the season with Connacht at inside centre.
“It’s probably one of the biggest challenges, but they’re experienced and knowledgeable enough as players to know that performance collectively will mean as an individual they’ll kick on,” Tucker said of his side.
Nathan Doak in action for Ulster. Photograph: Christiaan Kotze/Steve Haag Sports/Inpho
“Putting our stock into the team and how we play collectively on both sides of the ball will breed opportunity for them. For us it’s been ‘team first’ all week.”
Spain, who have already qualified for the 2027 World Cup in Australia, are yet to confirmed their team. However, one player expected to make his debut is Yago Fernández, the Barcelona-born centre who played rugby with Terenure College in the AIL.
“I’m very happy to have the chance to make my debut,” said Fernández, “and even more so if it’s against Ireland, a country I have a special affection for. That would be wonderful. In Ireland, sport is lived with enormous passion, starting in schools.
“They encourage it a lot. In my school (Terenure), for example, there were swimming, badminton, and Gaelic football teams, but rugby was the most important. It would be an incredible dream. Plus, there are two players on the Irish team I played with during my time there, so it would be very special to face them.”
IRELAND XV: M Lowry (Ulster); R Baloucoune (Ulster), J Postlethwaite (Ulster), D Kelly (Munster), S Bolton (Connacht); H Byrne (Leinster), B Murphy (Connacht); M Milne (Munster), T Stewart (Ulster, capt), T O’Toole (Ulster); E O’Connell (Munster), D Murray (Connacht); A Soroka (Leinster), R Quinn (Munster), P Boyle (Connacht)
Replacements: L Barron (Munster), A Usanov (Leinster), S Wilson (Ulster), D Mangan (Leinster), D McCann (Ulster), N Doak (Ulster), C Forde (Connacht), Z Ward (Ulster)
