Andy Farrell has brought in some fresh faces but will expect a strong team performance.
Ciarán Kennedy EVERY YEAR IRELAND’S Six Nations meeting with Italy prompts calls for heavy rotation, and every year, those hoping for sweeping changes tend to be dissapointed.
The matchday 23 contains a combined total of 695 caps – down from 1,033 against France. Robbie Henshaw is the most experienced international in a starting team which contains six players with less than 20 caps to their name. There’s forward-thinking around the decision to hand Doris the captaincy, too. Doris is already established as a senior figure in this Ireland squad but at just 25, his best years should still be ahead of him. The backrower has the potential to be Peter O’Mahony’s long-term successor as Ireland captain and this is a smart way of easing him into the pressures of the job.
There’s a layer of talent below those players who also look ready to make this team their own. Crowley impressed on his first Six Nations start against France and 22-year-old Joe McCarthy was a sensation on his tournament bow. Calvin Nash is a bit further down the line but also stepped up on the occasion of just his second Test cap.
“Probably when he first came on the scene he was a little bit raw, like we all are, but his discipline has improved a lot, his carries are pretty freakish. The size of him, for such a big guy, he’s very athletic, he’s got such big footwork, he’s got good hands, he’s capable of keeping the ball alive with offloads and he’s got a good head on his shoulders.”
“I think Italy will have lot of belief based on what they did last week in how they played and the result they got, in having a new coaching staff in, we’ve always rated their attack very highly,” says Doris.
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