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Six Ireland players that didn't make Farrell's final cut
By Ian Cameron
With one of the most settled squads in world rugby currently, Andy Farrell Ireland’s weren’t necessarily left with too many hugely contentious World Cup calls to make when he named his 33-man roster yesterday.
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While Farrell’s chosen 33 players are set to represent Ireland on the global stage, there were at least six notable omissions that will be feeling the pain of missing a World Cup.
Below is a closer look at some of the players who narrowly missed out on a spot in the squad.
1. Cian Healy – injury strikes
Although playing second fiddle to Andrew Porter, Healy’s absence is a bitter pill to swallow for both the player and fans of the veteran loosehead. A stalwart of the Irish front row, Healy’s unfortunate injury against Samoa in Bayonne over the weekend has dashed his World Cup dreams. The early prognosis is that he might be available for the end of the tournament, should Ireland need to call up a prop.
2. Jacob Stockdale – defensive troubles
One missed tackle can alter the course of a career, as Jacob Stockdale discovered. If you had to pin the tail on the donkey of when the Ulsterman’s World Cup selection goose was cooked, it was his glaring missed tackle on Italy’s Lorenzo Pani in their first warm-up in Dublin. He showed flashes of the attacking flair of old, but clearly not enough to beat the super-consistent Keith Earls to the plane.
3. Ciaran Frawley – McCloskey’s moment
Many people – this writer included – fancied that Farrell might opt for the positional versatility and kicking ability of Leinster’s Ciaran Frawley over the physicality of Stuart McCloskey, but the solid Ulsterman won the battle for fourth centre berth. Any injury in the back division and you fancy Frawley is the next cab off the rank.
4. Cian Prendergast – back row battle
The competition for back row places in this Ireland squad is particularly fierce, and Cian Prendergast found himself edged out of the squad despite an impressive late run. He brought huge energy to the table but he was always long odds to break into Ireland’s settled back row. Prendergast could yet get a late call if Jack Conan falls to recover.
5. Tom Stewart – Sheehan’s understudy
Tom Stewart’s hopes were dashed as Farrell confirmed that he will bring his first-choice hooker to France despite concerns surrounding the fitness of superstar front row Dan Sheehan, who’s timeline for recovery remains unclear.
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6. Jordan Larmour – A struggle for game time
Despite being a dynamic attacking threat, Jordan Larmour faced an uphill battle after recovering from injury earlier this season. His inability to recapture his early career form in the limited time available to him likely influenced Farrell’s decision, and he didn’t feature across the Rugby World Cup warm-ups despite being part of the wider squad.
