Indo Sport
Six Nations Squad Announcement | French Omissions | Connacht’s new home & Munster’s Misery
21 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is an Irish independent podcast. Now, welcome. So Six Nations opener in Paris is but 14 days away. Thursday night, fast approaching for Andy Farrell in Ireland. A game which you suspect will probably define the general mood for a good chunk of this tournament. Well, they've Italy in round two, but then Twickenham round three. So will it be Twickenham?
Very much on the back foot, and God, you don't want to lose two of three, or will it be people whispering about unlikely Grand Slam possibilities? So big, big opening game. First step is, of course, Farrell's squad announcement, which has just landed as we speak. We'll get to that now and more besides French squad. Very dramatic. And then a few other bits and pieces as well.
Our rugby coverage, as ever, is with thanks to Energia. They sponsor rugby in Ireland at all levels, at grassroots with the Energia AAL. They are official energy partners for Leinster, Connacht and the Irish men's and women's teams. And their Rugby for All initiative welcomes everyone of all abilities to participate in the game.
If you want to learn more about Energia's exclusive home energy offer for rugby fans, you can visit energia.ie forward slash rugby. One other point of business, if I can, our live show is fast approaching. Really looking forward to it now that the Six Nations is kind of coming into view. So it's the 30th of January. We're going to be at the Helix in Dublin.
And if you want to come along, last few tickets remaining, thehelix.ie is where you can go, thehelix.ie. And you'll get your tickets there. We'll have Ian Madigan, Lucas Gerald, Eddie O'Sullivan, Sinead Cassan, Will Slattery, all on stage, very much an Indosport in-house chat. So looking forward to it. It should be really good. Thehelix.ie to get your tickets.
We do have a pair of tickets to give away. Last chance to enter as well for them. Eddie O'Sullivan led Ireland at two World Cups. Which country did he coach against Ireland in the 2011 World Cup with? So who was he coach of against Ireland at the 2011 World Cup? Indosportpodcast at Independent Dolly for your answers, please. Keane Tracy, welcome.
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Chapter 2: What are the key highlights from Andy Farrell's Six Nations squad announcement?
Hello, Joe. Six Nations season is on. We're back. We are so back. 37-man squad. I almost want to jump straight to France. Bought your time. 37-man squad. I don't know. Do you want me to read out the whole 37 names like in the internet age? Do you need that? I'll give you the gist really quickly. I guess if you're looking for headline news, headline news is easy. Andrew Porter is out.
Robbie Henshaw is out. We saw Robbie Henshaw come off against Bayonne with a knee injury. Porter's calf has been an ongoing issue. And there are two uncapped players in the squad. Edwin Adogbo, no surprise. Again, we saw his power off the bench against Cass just at the weekend. And then Nathan Doak, 24 years of age, scrum half is in. Both uncapped, both in.
So if you want to kind of go by position, maybe that's the easiest way to digest it. Props. We have Jack Boyle, Michael Milne, Jeremy Lockman, Tom O'Toole, Tyke Furlong-Inn. He obviously jogged off early as well at the weekend. Tyke Furlong-Inn, Thomas Clarkson and Finlay Beelham. At Hooker, Dan Sheehan, Ron Keller and Tom Stewart.
And then locks, we'll have Joe McCarthy, Tyke Byrne, depending where he plays, but Tyke Byrne, James Ryan, Tom O'Hearn and a dog bow. The back row is very much Caelan Dorris, Jack Cohn and Josh Vander Fleer with Nick Timoney and Keane Prendergast. At scrum half, we have Gibson Park and Craig Casey, just the two. Sorry, Nathan Doak as well, of course.
And then Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley, Harry Byrne are the tens with Ciarán Frawley floating around in as well. Centres, Stuart McCluskey, Bundy Ackie, Gary Ringrose and Tom Farrell is in. No surprises given his form. And then the back three, Hugo Keenan is in. We have Jamie Osborne in. His injury has been very much ongoing.
And then James Lowe, a bit of a neck injury recently, but James Lowe is in. Tommy O'Brien, also kind of injury-ish, is in with the two Ulster boys, Balakun and Stockdale. So that's your squad. Keane. I feel like there's an injury asterisk beside lots of them.
And there's 10 players officially listed. You've named a couple of them there, Joe, but there's 10 players listed as being unavailable through injury. And yeah, there's guys in there who have injury doubts over them at the moment. The likes of Tadhg Furlong, who you mentioned, Finlay Beelham, who isn't going to play against Leinster this weekend.
And I was down in Connacht yesterday and Stuart Lancaster was confused.
sort of saying that he'd be touch and go really kind of paraphrasing for Paris so I think in that regard it's no surprise that Ireland have named four tight heads which they wouldn't normally do Tom O'Toole and Tom Clarkson are both there I would imagine that that is for cover for both Beelum and Furlong Hugo Keenan obviously hasn't played since the Lions tour Jamie Osborne hasn't played since he dislocated his shoulder against Japan
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Chapter 3: How do the uncapped players Edwin Adogbo and Nathan Doak fit into the squad?
razzle dazzle a bit more pace to the back line you've two relatively young guys Zach Ward is 27 he's not quite young as many people think it's a bit of a shame but that's not to say that they won't be called into the Six Nations squad later on and get a first cap for sure so back three at the moment is assuming they go well in training and people like Hugo Keenan are naturally fit anyway
It's most likely Keenan, Tommy O'Brien, James Lowe.
I think so, yeah. Big ask for Hugo Keenan. I sat down with him just before Christmas and the inclination was that he would probably play a game or two for Leinster and I would have imagined that the game this weekend against Connacht
was going to be that game but according to the Leinster squad update earlier in the week he's not going to be playing this weekend so that means Hugo Keenan is most likely you'd have to say if he passes all his fitness tests going to be going into the cauldron of the Stade de France not having played since last August for the Lions now as you said Joe he's probably one of the fittest players in Irish rugby but that is a big ask I think Tommy O'Brien
particularly with Matt Hanson out of the team, is nailed on. I think he's been brilliant. Obviously, last season was his breakout, but he's been excellent again this season for Leinster. I think James Lowe is under serious pressure for his place. He is not having a great season. Obviously, he picked up an injury lately. He didn't have a great Lions tour.
I think Jacob Stockdale is another Ulster player who's having a brilliant season. I think he's putting pressure on him. I think the likes of Zach Ward and JJ Kenny are putting pressure on him.
Well, they're not, according to this one.
Yeah, but on the fringes, I'd imagine that game in Paris, if James Lowe is starting, he's going to get the old Joe Schmidt, Rob Carney tap on the shoulder that I need a big one from you here because he just hasn't been delivering over the last while.
Because this squad does, I mean, you'd have to say broadly speaking, this does...
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of Andrew Porter and Robbie Henshaw's injuries?
They all have glaring, I think, weaknesses. Glaring problems, yeah. And they're not getting better, which is the worrying thing.
No. Like, funny, I think Prendergast is attacking better than ever at the moment. He looks incredible at the moment. He's really finding his feet, his eyes in an attack. Yeah. But the tackling is the tackling and you're away in France and they'll target him. Which they did in Dublin. Yeah.
And there's the kicking off the tee, which, you know, if Ireland are going to win this game, it's going to be tight. France could win the game tight or it could be 15, 18 points if they're in the mood. But Ireland are going to win this probably tight if they're going to win it. So you would presume... 90% of kicks have to go over. Yeah. It's tricky. It's a fascinating one.
That's why Harry Byrne, I think, gives you... Well, he's the hybrid. Yeah, a mix of the both, but without maybe the flash and the excitement.
The 7 out of 10 of everything.
And maybe that's what Ireland need right now, but it's some turnaround for him.
No, it is. Rob Carney was at the Virgin launch last week and he thinks Byrne's going to get the nod. And Rob Carney would be well connected. Well, I never want to say it to him, but I'm like, are you talking to Johnny Sexton? Do you like play paddle together? What's going on? I don't want to reveal. I just am like, you seem just so sure of that. So anyway.
When X players, a bit like Luke Fitzgerald on the left wing, when they come out with stuff like that, you always have to take note of it because the circles that they mix in.
I love a good Luke Fitzgerald. I was talking to someone I really respect. Oh, really? Okay, cool. And then we were playing paddle. Yeah. So I don't know. It is fascinating though. This Six Nations, I mean, this is it really in many respects.
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