Six Nations: Can Simon Easterby's Ireland author an unprecedented three-peat?
2025-01-28
Category: sports

Having lost just one Six Nations fixture in the past two seasons, Ireland enter this year's championship aiming to make history.While the back-to-back champions missed out on consecutive Grand Slams thanks to defeat by England at Twickenham in 2024, there is another first on offer for them this year.No side has ever won three outright titles in succession - shared crowns were still a feature of what was then the Five Nations as recently as 1988 - but, with what figure to be their two toughest games in Dublin, Ireland have been widely touted to be the favourites once again. However, there are plenty of bits and pieces for the side to sort out before they can think about celebrations on 15 March, not least a new head coach, a big selection call at fly-half and some worrying trends to address from the autumn.
Easterby takes charge with Farrell away
With prop Jack Boyle and Jack Aungier, the latter following Tadhg Furlong's injury-forced withdrawal, the only new faces among a 36-man squad that boasts an average of just over 40 caps per player, continuity remains key for Ireland.After yet another disappointing World Cup quarter-final exit in 2023, the side's brains trust resisted the urge to make sweeping changes to their panel and were rewarded with another Six Nations title.Again, Test centurions Peter O'Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray will be relied upon in what is an experienced group.There, will, however, be one huge change going into this campaign with head coach Andy Farrell seconded to the British and Irish Lions to prepare for their summer Test series with Australia.In his absence, defence coach Simon Easterby takes up the reins.The 49-year-old former flanker is no stranger to the squad having been on the ticket since 2014 and he has already received the backing of players and the Irish Rugby Football Union's performance director David Humphreys. Still, these are uncharted waters for Ireland and there will be interest in how Farrell's absence impacts the side's title credentials. 
Lions contenders looking to stake a claim
Speaking of the Lions, no fewer than eight of Ireland's playing squad, plus coaches Easterby and Paul O'Connell, know the feeling of pulling on the famous red jersey.However, with the tourists' last trip coming after a season when Ireland finished third in the Six Nations and were still finding their feet under Andy Farrell, there are a host of key players who come into this championship targeting a first call-up to the invitational side having missed out on South Africa four years ago.Josh van der Flier, for example, may be a former World Rugby player of the year, but at 31 years old has never represented the Lions.The three-Test series against the Wallabies will likely represent a final chance to do so in his prime.While slightly younger, Garry Ringrose, 30, Hugo Keenan and James Ryan, both 28, will be in the same boat.Kiwi-born Jamison Gibson-Park and native Australian wing Mack Hansen will be in the mix having become key Test players since the last tour, while Caelan Doris has been tipped as not just a potential first-time tourist but as a Lions captain too.There will be plenty of talk of taking things game by game and focusing on the task at hand in the coming weeks, but as Doris himself noted, Lions selection will be an "extra factor" to each round of the championship.
Simon Easterby's starter for 10
How about a Lions bolter from one of Ireland's fly-halves? With Scotland's Finn Russell the only experienced Test 10 looking sure of a starting role among the home nations, it certainly feels likely.The only question is - which one? After Johnny Sexton monopolised the jersey for more than a decade, Munster's Jack Crowley got the first crack at becoming his successor and helped Ireland to a Six Nations title in 2024.The 25-year-old played his part in Ireland's drawn series in South Africa last summer too, even if it was Ciaran Frawley who sealed the side's victory in Durban.Given Munster's uneven start to the 2024-25 season, Crowley's form was understandably patchy in the campaign's opening block but he retained the jersey for the visit of the All Blacks to start the autumn internationals. 
Leinster's Sam Prendergast, 21, made his Test debut from the bench the next week against Argentina before, as expected, he was handed a first start against Fiji. That  the former Ireland under-20s Grand Slam winner was then retained for the concluding fixture against Australia was among the most discussed selections of Farrell's tenure to date.Debate over the pair's respective merits has barely ceased among supporters who were denied a straight head-to-head over Christmas when Crowley was rested for Munster's home defeat by Leinster. Prendergast will be expected to start in round one against England but after Crowley found form in Munster's Champions Cup games this month, it would be no surprise to see him get substantial time on the pitch through the championship.
Finding fitness and form quickly
Prior to confirmation that Furlong would miss at least Saturday's opener against England, Ireland had been in relatively rude health. Their star tight-head's struggles with a calf injury after he missed the entire autumn slate through injury should again see Finlay Bealham in the number three jersey, but third-choice in the position, Tom O'Toole, is also banned for the opening two fixtures. Leinster trio Hugo Keenan, James Lowe and Dan Sheehan have all made their returns from injury in recent games, the latter just six months after a torn ACL, but come into camp without substantial minutes under their belts. A visit from England first up does not allow for much time to work your way up to Test match speed and Easterby will be expecting an increase in accuracy across the board. Ireland started November with a litany of handling errors in defeat by New Zealand (21) and managed to prevail in their final game against Australia despite an even higher tally (28). In between, victories over Argentina and Fiji were not the most cohesive either. Struggles with their line-out date back to before even the 2023 World Cup, while slipping discipline was a theme of last year. Staying on the right side of referees had been a foundational piece of Ireland's rise to be the number-one ranked side in the world, but they were shown 11 cards in 11 games through 2024. Furthermore, they have allowed 69 points from kicked penalties in their past five games. Ireland did still win four of those contests but, as we see time and time again, the Six Nations is a championship of fine margins. 