One win from two rounds feels like an accurate reflection of Ireland’s Six Nations to date. 

Competitive in Paris at points, without quite landing enough shots to leave with any points. Convincing in stretches against Italy, without fully imposing themselves for 80 minutes. 

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The standards of 2022 and 2023, when cohesion felt instinctive and control relentless, have not disappeared, but they no longer are the hallmark of Andy Farrell's team. 

Perspective, however, is needed. 

In reality, this is not a declining setup. It instead is a side going through it's regeneration later than it's key opponents, delaying a major reshuffle in favor of a desire to put to rest the demons of the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal exit and ultimately yielding a Six Nations title and drawn test series in South Africa.

The opening fortnight has underlined the reality that this group is transitioning while still expecting to contend. 

The loss to France exposed areas that need tightening. The win over Italy revealed depth, impact and a bench capable of shifting momentum. That blend tells the real story. 

Ireland remains close to the level required to challenge for titles, but the team actually is recalibrating key positions within a squad that peaked emotionally and physically over the last cycle.

That peak was built on a settled spine of Johnny Sexton, Jamison Gibson Park, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Ak, Robbie Henshaw, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Peter O'Mahony, Tadhg Furlong and Hugo Keenan.

The continuity of that group delivered a Grand Slam, a series win in New Zealand and a side that sat at the top of the global rankings. They ultimately fell short in a World Cup quarterfinal that will linger for years, but they responded by winning the 2024 Six Nations with Jack Crowley at 10 before the deeper rebuild began.

Now, the next phase is taking shape. 

Joe McCarthy and Edwin Edogbo are central to the future engine room. Cormac Izuchukwu has the athletic profile to become a modern test mainstay. Van der Flier and Furlong remain hugely important players, but the reality of regeneration means no shirt can be immune from competition. Injuries to Porter, Keenan, Hansen, Ahern, Boyle and others have masked the full picture. 

Yet, the depth beneath them is substantial. 

Tom Stewart, Billy Bohan and Jude Postlethwaite all will be significant Irish players. And with Munster’s Brian Gleeson, Ruadhna Quinn, Evan O'Connell and Sean Edogbo, Ulster’s Ward brothers, Zac and Bryn, Harry Sheridan and Scott Wilson, Connacht’s Hugh Gavin, Shane Jennings, Harry West, Sean Naughton, Sam Illo and Shayne Bolton, Leinster’s JJ Kenny,  Fintan Gunne, Niall Smyth, Diarmuid Mangan and Alex Soroka, the talent pool is not thinning. 

This group of players are but the surface level of a very deep talent pool.

Within that wider landscape, the conversation at 10 is important, but it is part of a bigger structural question, rather than the entire debate. 

Ireland is in an enviable position with Crowley, Sam Prendergast, Harry Byrne and Ciaran Frawley all capable of operating at test level. 

Crowley already has shown he can manage high-leverage matches and steer a championship-winning campaign. 

Prendergast’s ability to play square, distribute ambitiously and challenge defensive spacing marks him as a long-term cornerstone, perhaps even alongside Crowley. 

Byrne offers composure and the most controlled tactical kicking profile of the group, while Frawley brings versatility and big-match temperament alongside occasional unpredictability.

The task now is sequencing that depth intelligently. 

Crowley is the most rounded test operator at present and should be embedded as first choice through this Championship and towards 2027. 

That does not diminish Prendergast’s trajectory. It simply allows him to develop with graduated responsibility, rather than carrying the attacking framework against elite opposition every week. 

Byrne and Frawley also require meaningful minutes if Ireland is to avoid over reliance on one solution. 

Ulster’s Jack Murphy is emerging behind them and will deserve exposure in due course.

Twickenham sharpens the focus. 

England will test Ireland in the air through George Ford’s kicking game and apply pressure through breakdown contest. 

Scotland showed that England can be unsettled when opponents remain connected in the backfield and attack with direct, quick multi-phase rugby built on dominance at the collision and ruck. 

Ireland’s selection should reflect that blueprint and, as such, below is the team we would like to see take to Twickenham.

Ireland Team To Face England

1. Tom O’Toole, 2. Ronan Kelleher, 3. Tadhg Furlong, 4. Edwin Edogbo, 5. James Ryan, 6. Cormac Izuchukwu, 7. Caelan Doris (C), 8. Jack Conan, 9. Jamison Gibson Park, 10. Jack Crowley, 11. James Lowe, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 13. Jude Postlethwaite, 14. Robert Baloucoune, 15. Jamie Osborne

Replacements

16. Dan Sheehan, 17. Michael Milne, 18. Thomas Clarkson, 19. Joe McCarthy, 20. Tadhg Beirne, 21. Nick Timoney, 22. Craig Casey, 23. Ciaran Frawley

Selection Breakdown

O’Toole’s impact against Italy warrants further opportunity, regardless of the loosehead or tighthead debate, particularly given the carrying and defensive edge he offers against a powerful English pack. 

Kelleher’s scrummaging and breakdown threat complement that selection, with Sheehan primed to influence proceedings later. 

Furlong, even returning from injury, remains Ireland’s premier tighthead when fully fit, though genuine competition beneath him is healthy. 

In the second row, Edwin Edogbo partners James Ryan to inject size and menace against England's hard-edged pairing of Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessu. This combination has the potential to absolutely wreck the English breakdown and maul.

In the back row, Cormac Izuchukwu’s aerial dominance and dynamism suits what will be a physical Twickenham contest. 

Caelan Doris continues to adapt at No. 7 and needs consistent game time in the shirt to get to an elite level with Jack Conan’s work rate at No. 8 too strong to ignore, especially opposite his fellow Lion in Ben Earl.

Jamison Gibson Park’s authority is essential away from home, and Crowley’s control and defensive solidity provide the balance required in a high-pressure environment where territory and aerial management will matter. 

Offensively, this pairing have the ability to pick apart England's blitz defense before finding the space on the fringes where, in short, England is vulnerable. 

James Lowe’s left boot strengthens Ireland’s kicking game, while his ability to cover the backfield will defuse England's biggest weapon which, at present, is George Ford's boot. 

Stuart McCloskey’s form across the opening rounds makes him undroppable, as does his offloading ability and defensive solidity. 

Earning his first real shot in the jersey, Postlethwaite could be exactly the X-factor operator Ireland needs in the midfield to pick apart the English defensive system. 

Robert Baloucoune’s finishing and electric pace will be a dynamic weapon to again target the English fringe defense. 

Completing the back line, Jamies Osborne’s command of the backfield will be critical given the expected aerial exchanges.

The bench maintains both power and long-term vision. 

Michael Milne and Thomas Clarkson continue to build Ireland's front-row depth and both are powerhouse carriers. 

Joe McCarthy and Beirne offer impact and experience in the final third. 

Beirne is a player who has played a huge amount of elite rugby over the past three years, and managing his game time, while ensuring he is on for the key portion of the match, is a huge advantage. 

Nick Timoney provides versatility and oomph from the bench in addition to being a nightmare at the breakdown. 

Covering the back line, Craig Casey injects tempo in the final quarter. 

Completing the squad, Frawley’s flexibility to cover 10, 12 and 15 will ensure that if Ireland does sustain backline injuries, they will not require a major reshuffle. 

Throw into the mix, Frawley's big-game temperament, defensive solidity and ability to land long distance shots at goal, and Ireland suddenly has a key finisher in the back line.

This Championship always was likely to feature turbulence as Ireland regenerates later in the cycle than its rivals. 

As touched upon above, instead of taking the pain earlier in the cycle, Farrell opted for continuity. This changing of the guard was inevitable, and while the current injury list is a challenge, there is no doubt it will make Ireland stronger long-term.

The encouraging reality is that the talent base remains strong, and the next spine is forming around the likes of Gibson Park, Crowley, McCloskey, Baloucoune, Doris, Edogbo and Joe and Paddy McCarthy.

If Ireland can combine that emerging core with clarity of selection and incremental cohesion, the team not only will compete in this Six Nations, it would build genuine momentum toward the 2027 Six Nations and Rugby World Cup competitions.

Twickenham offers the first real chance to accelerate that belief, just as it did when Ireland secured a narrative-shifting victory over England in 2021.