If nothing else, that chastening 36-14 opening-night defeat to France and now Andy Farrell’s much-changed team selection at least makes Saturday’s Six Nations game against Italy at the Aviva Stadium (kick-off 2.20pm) more interesting.
In making another six changes in the starting XV and handing an Ireland debut to Edwin Edogbo off the bench, there are a couple of themes.
This is a selection notable for its welcome diversity while also providing opportunities, if once again or belatedly, in the case of others. Hence, this will be a landmark game for some, perhaps even career defining.
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Less so Robert Baloucoune and Cormac Izuchukwu, who are making their Six Nations debuts at the ages 28 and 26, or indeed the 26-year-old Craig Casey, who has 25 caps but is making just his third Championship start.
[ Ireland v Italy teams: Andy Farrell makes six changes for second-round clash at Aviva ]
Head coach Farrell in effect admitted Edogbo’s selection was as much based on “potential” as his body of work with Munster, where two ruptured Achilles’ tendons have restricted him to just 24 games, 14 of which have been starts. But that promise is vast, as is underlined by Farrell fast-tracking the 23-year-old lock into the team.
“Edwin – I mean, what a story,” Farrell said on Thursday. “If you look at the story, it’s actually phenomenal to celebrate that with his family tonight. It’s going to be a joy for all of us.”
The rationale behind affording Edogbo his debut this week, rather than in Paris last week, had more to do with the player acclimatising himself to the Irish set-up than the opposition or the venue.
“It can be unbelievably taxing, not just physically but mentally, and he’s certainly more comfortable in his own skin as far as that’s concerned. And then once people settle down and start being themselves, you can actually see what it is that they’re made of and what they can bring to the fore, and I’ve been pretty impressed,” Farrell said.
“He’s a quiet lad, but he’s quietly obsessed with his rugby,” Farrell also said, and though “not coming from a rugby background” Edogbo had adapted quickly because “there’s something about him”.
Edogbo’s parents and older siblings hail from Nigeria and moved to Cobh, Co Cork, before the 23-year-old and his younger brother Seán (who is ploughing the same furrow through the Ireland Under-20s and Munster academy) were born and reared. Thus, having become the first Munster player from Cobh, the 23-year-old Edogbo is now set to become the first Irish player from Cobh Pirates.
At Edogbo’s jersey presentation before the rest of the squad last night, his mother Patience, older brother Moses, older sister Favour and younger brother Seán were all in attendance.
Baloucoune and Izuchukwu are making their Six Nations debuts, belatedly so in the case of the former, who is 28 and earned the first of his four caps against the USA in July 2021. Baloucoune, whose father is from Senegal, began his rugby journey in his home-town club Enniskillen RFC and Enniskillen Royal Grammar School.
The 26-year-old Izuchukwu, born in London to an Irish mother and Nigerian father, was reared in Offaly from the age of seven. A product of Tullamore RFC and Roscrea College, he became the first Men’s XV player from Offaly to play for Ireland when he made his debut against Fiji in November 2024.
Hence, while this strikingly diverse Irish selection is based on merit, and such considerations are not part of Farrell’s remit, it has to be a positive that the team is reflective of the country and thus providing a greater variety of role models.
“Of course it is,” Farrell agreed. “That’s the way that it should always be, but at the forefront of that it has to be that these people, whoever it is, when they put on a green shirt, deserve it, and these lads do. So this is the right time for them.”
Casey made his debut off the bench against Italy in 2021 and his previous two Championship starts also came against the Azzurri in 2023 and 2024. His selection ahead of Jamison Gibson-Park may partly be the consequence of this year’s shortened Six Nations window, meaning this game is sandwiched by treks to Paris and Twickenham.
Even so, Farrell also said that for all Casey’s time in the squad, the Munster scrumhalf needed more experience. “He’s a guy that’s desperate for more time and more opportunities in big games and rather than give him a second-tier game, that has happened in the past, this is a big game now against Italy and he gets to show us what he can do in a big game,” Farrell said.
“I’ve been impressed with him, how he’s handled himself this week. He plays quick, he’s nice and accurate. He’s one of the best passing games I’ve seen in world rugby actually, so it’s a big opportunity for him.”
There have already been some significant “losers” in this selection, with Tommy O’Brien, Jacob Stockdale and even Josh van der Flier, whom Farrell has picked more than any other player in his seven campaigns at the helm, missing out on the 23 altogether.
This could be interpreted as a message to the larger squad that no one is untouchable, but Farrell said: “I think everyone realises that anyway. We all know what Josh can and will bring. He doesn’t get the opportunity this week, but next week? We’ll see about that.”
Listing the other changes in the matchday squad, Farrell said: “Jack Conan 100 per cent deserves a start, I thought he and James Ryan were excellent last week. They showed the way, showed the character that’s needed. So there’s always reasons for it.
“It’s not rotation. Everything gets thrown into the mix. But this is the side to play against a very good Italian side.”
Ireland (v Italy): 15 Jamie Osborne; 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe; 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Craig Casey; 1 Jeremy Loughman, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Thomas Clarkson; 4 Joe McCarthy, 5 James Ryan; 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 7 Caelan Doris (captain), 8 Jack Conan.
Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Tom O’Toole, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Edwin Edogbo, 20 Tadhg Beirne, 21 Nick Timoney, 22 Jamison Gibson-Park, 23 Jack Crowley.
