u/lethalpearxx

A pretty disappointing tournament for the team overall, but you have to say there looks to be a very strong class coming through the ranks. Interested to hear everyone’s thoughts on the group.

Alex Moloney (Presentation Brothers College) – One of the best underage centres we’ve produced in a long time . Serious prospect and looks to have a massive future ahead of him.

Xabi Scanlan (Castletroy College) – Great build and gets through a huge amount of work. I’d imagine he’ll continue climbing the ranks.

Rian Macfarlane O’Shea (Presentation Brothers College) – There’s just something about Rian. Hard to put my finger on exactly what it is, but I have really high hopes for the lad and think there’s a lot more to come from him.

David Nolan (Presentation Brothers College) – Solid campaign overall and definitely showed some promise.

Ryan McCormack (Ardscoil Rís) – Another solid campaign!

Any names to keep an eye out for with the U18 Schools team?

I have a concern around the lack of young centres coming through, particularly at 13. Postlethwaite has impressed and Gavin has a lot of potential, but neither are 13s to me. With Ringrose, Henshaw, and the crop of 12s getting older, the question is who steps up in the following years, and for the 2031 World Cup.

My potential players to break into or secure a starting role in the Ireland squad post-World Cup are listed below. I’d love to hear people’s thoughts.

-Osbourne 🔵 (⭐️ next incumbent of the 12 jersey IMO.)

-Postlethwaite ⚪️ ( a rising ⭐️ IMO I think the guy can be world class.)

-Gavin🟢 (potential ⭐️)

-Forde🟢 (unsure on)

-West 🟢 (has shown flashes, but still vry unsure.)

-Nankivell 🔴 (will be 32 by the time he qualifies in 2028 but currently an excellent player.)

-Hume ⚪️ (I’ve been impress this year, but I’m indecisive on.)

-Tector 🔵 (has shown a lot of promise IMO a potential⭐️)

-Kelly 🔴 (I’m much more bearish on him than the general consensus I’ve found. I don’t see him being anything more than an Ireland XV player.)

Are there any of the U-20, U-19, or U-18 players you have high hopes for? I’ve listed below some U-20 players I’m excited about who exhibit varying levels of potential:

-Deegan 🔵 (Bernard Jackman stated he is one of the best under age players he’s ever seen. High hopes for him!)

-Walsh 🟢 ( Already a senior cap under his belt. I’ve heard great things, also high hopes.)

-O’Leary 🔴 (A big bruiser of a 12, but I’m a bit uncertain he has what it takes to even be productive at the provincial level.)

-Carney 🔴 (really lit up the six nations this year, but similar to his Munster counterpart I’m uncertain of his viability even as a provincial player.)

One thing I’ve been really pleased with over these last two games is the noticeable improvement in some of the areas where he’s faced the most criticism. I’ve seen no missed tackles, a real willingness to take on defenders, and a greater readiness to absorb contact as the first receiver rather than immediately shifting the ball on. Whether these instances in the past games have been the right option is debatable. but it adds a new dimension to his game that he seemed hesitant to embrace previously.

Yesterday wasn’t a great game from him overall I’d say, but those developments are really encouraging. It feels like he’s genuinely worked on the weaknesses that fans and the media have highlighted.

I’m curious what everyone else has made of this two-game stretch for him?