Cian Tracey

I was a bit surprised that Sam Prendergast wasn't sent back to Leinster last week to get some game time.

Obviously, that went to Harry Byrne, who unfortunately picked up a head injury and that ruled him out of selection.

But I thought that game, the URC game last weekend, would have been an ideal time to put Sam Prendergast back in, like let him run the week back in Leinster.

But obviously Farrell did not opt to go down that route, which actually made me think that maybe he is going to be involved against Wales.

And it looks like now he's just going to be taken out of the firing line for the remainder of the Six Nations.

And you never know in the long run, that could be the best thing for Sam Prendergast.

I think we'd have to...

We'd have to trust Andy Farrell's judgment on this.

Obviously, a lot of people would argue that he got it wrong initially by how quickly he sort of propelled him into the number 10 jersey.

But maybe he's trying to rectify that now by building him back up again.

And maybe it won't be until the summer tour that we see Sam Prendergast in an Ireland jersey again.

But just a quick point on Nathan Doak.

He's 24 years old and he's played over 100 games for Ulster.

It's remarkable really for someone so young.

And he went on this summer tour to Georgia and Portugal last year when there was loads of new caps handed out.

But he was one of only three players who went on the tour and wasn't capped.

And I would imagine that stung like hell because he'd been playing really well.

for Ulster but clearly he went away kept his head down and now he's come back and impressed enough to get an opportunity to to earn his first cap and Eddie is right that third scrum half spot is is fairly wide open Caelan Blade has been one who's been in there for the last couple of years but he's been out now and if Doak takes his opportunity now he could put pressure on Craig Casey who I would say is raging for the reasons that you said Joe because that Italy game just didn't go his way but I still think he is the number two to Gibson Park.

I think it will be a turning point.

I remember a few years ago when the Ireland Blairs were telling us, oh, there's a big performance coming.