Clock ticking for Ireland to sort out their problem position
With 15 frontliners away on Lions duty, there is a rare opportunity for fringe players to hold their hands up in a way that could be highly significant come the next World Cup in two years' time. Paul O'Connell will bring a young Ireland squad on tour to play Georgia and Portugal this summer. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Especially when you consider that eight of those Irish Lions (Aki, Lowe, Gibson-Park, Furlong, Beirne, Ringrose, Conan, Ringrose and Van der Flier) are in their 30s and not guaranteed to be in the mix come Australia 2027.
Plenty to play for then and a selection that has pretty much all audition bases covered.
However, the one area causing concern when looking through this squad is the ongoing issue of who is next up at openside if anything should happen to Josh van der Flier? The likes of James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park, Bundee Aki and Tadhg Furlong are all in their 30s and there may be spots available at the next World cup. Pic: INPHO
Ireland have seemed uncertain as to who covers for Van der Flier for around four years now and have been fortunate that the 32-year-old has been so durable and available over that period.
The most like for like player in the Irish system is Leinster's Scott Penney, but he is not named in the squad. Nor is fellow Leinster openside Will Connors — who was in favour at the start of Andy Farrell's Ireland reign but has fallen away since for injury and other reasons.
Nor is there a place for John Hodnett — Munster first choice in the No7 jersey for some time and a player battle hardened by exposure to high pressure Champions Cup and URC rugby but one who has become something of a cause célèbre omission by Ireland over the years. Josh van der Flier has been first choice No7 for Ireland for some time. Pic: Sportsfile
Instead, it is Hodnett's understudy at Munster, Alex Kendellen, who is named in this Ireland squad as the only specialist openside flanker.
Kendellen is a fine player and has performed well for his province, primarily off the bench, for some seasons but there has been no concerted clamour for Kendellen's elevation to the international stage the way there has been with Hodnett and, even if he goes well on this tour, it is clear the No7 depth issue remains a live one.
Nick Timoney is the other openside option in the squad and the Ulster flanker is a player who looks to have all the tools needed for international rugby. John Hodnett of Munster has not made the touring party. Pic: Sportsfile
The problem is that Timoney is not a natural No7, although he has plenty of experience in that position, and he is more of a six-and-a-half David Wallace style openside — very different in style to Van der Flier. He will also be 32 come the next World Cup.
The problem of talented players not getting enough exposure is an ongoing headache for Irish rugby and it has cost Scott Penney in this instance. Opportunity knocks for Munster's Alex Kendellen. Pic: INPHO/Billy Stickland
It has opened a door for Kendellen this summer but the fact he cannot force his way into the Munster starting team raises questions about his ability to step through that door.
One hopes he can because it is clear Ireland have a real issue at openside and the clock is ticking.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
When Shamrock Rovers moved lock stock to Boston
I think it is fair to say that football has finally taken off in the United States. With a World Cup on the horizon and steadily increasing attendances, the sport that always eluded the adoration of the US sporting community has begun to embed itself in the culture of young sports fans across the Atlantic. A lot of effort and some strange ideas have gone into the countless attempts by different individuals to get the world's most popular sport into the heart of the US public. There has always been a very American approach to the philosophy around growing the sport in the US. Get the big stars in and surround them with pageantry and hype and the celeb-crazed American public will lap it up. In 2025 it is Lionel Messi, in 2007 it was David Beckham. Some people of a certain vintage will remember in the 70s when it was Pele. However, in the 1960s it was Shamrock Rovers. Well, not quite, but stay with me. Following the fanfare around England's 1966 World Cup triumph, there was a growing interest in the US around building a professional football league in a country where the sport barely registered with the general public. Two rival football associations emerged - The National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and the United Soccer Association(USA). The United Soccer Association, otherwise known as The USA (confusing, I know) took an audacious shortcut to build up their league and their credibility. Instead of spending years registering teams, building squads and recruiting players they decided to import entire clubs from Europe and South America and gave them new identities in order to kickstart their new league. Some recognisable names set sail to the United States for the inaugural USA League in 1967 including Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aberdeen, Cagliari and Shamrock Rovers. Teams were renamed and placed in a city relevant to them which led to Shamrock Rovers being stationed in Boston due to Boston's large Irish community. They were renamed 'Boston Rovers'. Boston Rovers pin badge. 'Going to the States in the sixties was fantastic,' according to Mick Leech, the Shamrock Rovers legend who was just 20 when he boarded that transatlantic flight. 'Dublin and Ireland at the time was a dreary, gloomy place. The whole trip was Disneyworld.' Rovers played their home games in the Manning Bowl in Lynn, a suburb 10 miles out of downtown Boston. It was a baseball stadium that was not necessarily decked out for soccer due to its square playing surface. Around 7,000 spectators went to see Rovers nab a 1-1 draw in their opening game on May 28 against the Detroit Cougars, better known to you and I as Glentoran FC from Belfast. The following week saw a 3-1 victory over the Houston Stars but things quickly went downhill after that and positive results on the pitch were few and far between. Rovers suffered a heavy 5–0 defeat to the Chicago Mustangs and a 4-1 loss to Dallas Tornados. The glamour of a trip abroad to America would not have been complete without a few celebrity encounters. Leech talks about an encounter with a young musician in an elevator in Toronto who turned out to be a 17-year-old Stevie Wonder. The squad also met with Maureen O'Hara, the Irish film icon from Dublin who was a diehard Rovers fan her entire life. Boston Rovers finished dead last in the league with two wins, three draws and seven losses. At the same time the whole project was failing quite spectacularly. 'They were interested in promoting soccer, but it was a business situation,' Leech says. 'The crowds were poor, there was no money to be made.' The players began to notice the quality of their food and accommodation diminishing as well as their spending money being reduced. The league received modest coverage in the American press but was basically not reported on at all back home in Ireland. The plug was pulled and the project was over only a couple of months after it had begun. Of the 12 teams who competed in the league, only the Dallas Tornados (Dundee United) would exist to see the beginning of the next decade. In 1968, the USA and NPSL merged into the North American Soccer League which would later use the same guiding principals to draw in global stars such as Pele, Cryuff and Beckenbauer. The Rovers squad returned home to Dublin and the Boston Rovers renamed themselves the Boston Beacons before folding one year later. In hindsight, it was always unlikely that a country with no interest in football was going to have its passion for the sport ignited and set ablaze by the likes of Shamrock Rovers and Stoke City, but the efforts of the USA league was the first attempts of a tactic that would remain as a means to increasing the sports popularity for decades to come and one which has ultimately worked. In other words, Shamrock Rovers walked so that Inter Miami could run. Though there were few great on-field moments or iconic games to talk about, it was an opportunity for young Dublin footballers such as Mick Leech to travel to America and see the world at a time when this was unaffordable to most. It also gave somewhat of an international reputation to clubs like Shamrock Rovers and, who knows, maybe there's a few fifth generation Irish Americans who retained their interest in the hoops long after Boston Rovers were gone.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
More imagination needed to solve the housing emergency
When the Government declared covid-19 an emergency, bureaucracy was set aside and targets were achieved in recognition of the common good. No matter how well-intentioned the Government is about solving the housing crisis, it will require a collaborative approach as effective as addressing the pandemic. While the recently revised National Development Plan (NDP) announcement of enhanced infrastructure investment, including over €30bn of investment in housing, is to be welcomed, a more imaginative approach is needed. At this stage, given rising homeless figures at over 14,000 - including 5,000 children - the need for housing is an emergency and should be declared as such. It's now time for all stakeholders to put their shoulder to the wheel including senior civil servants, local authorities, communities and citizens. There seems to be a sense in Government that only 35,000 new homes will be built per year, even though it has increased annual housing targets to 83,000. The pent-up demand of around 151,000 units in the National Planning Framework (NPF) is underestimated in comparison to those projected by the Housing Commission with a shortfall of up to 250,000 units identified. The NDP's revised aspiration of 300,000 new homes over the next five years will only be achieved if radical steps are taken. It is important to deal with the core issues impacting further supply of housing, in particular a lack of available zoned land for construction. Up until 2014 there was always a supply of land where builders could buy and sell zoned land with planning. Since the core strategy of finding sufficient zoned and serviced land to cater for future housing demand was implemented in 2014 and incorporated into the NPF in 2017/18, zoned land has been artificially constrained to the point that this market is non-functioning. Nature abhors a vacuum with almost the entirety of available zoned land purchased by investment funds and the Land Development Agency (LDA). This has resulted in small and medium-sized indigenous builders being forced to reduce output and increasingly going out of business due to an inability to acquire adequate sites. This is a key contributing factor as to why national target outputs are not being reached. To increase output as envisaged, there needs to be a functioning land market as existed pre-2014 where agents had a supply of this type of land and builders could purchase. Construction work at Waterfall Heights, by Bridgewater, at Waterfall Road, Bishopstown, Cork. Ireland now has the second highest proportionate housing expenditure in the EU. Picture Larry Cummins There is also the innate loyalty and stickability of the Irish domestic builder: the same cannot be said of developments funded by foreign capital. Having excess amounts of land zoned doesn't translate to bad planning – allowing badly planned development on zoned land causes bad outcomes. In recent years, the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) has overseen the dezoning of land, much of which was serviced, based on a flawed NPF reliant on out-of-date ESRI model of future demand. The OPR's role must transition to one of 'implementor' - facilitating and overseeing domestic Irish construction companies throughout the country to build housing estates of 50-150 homes creating employment throughout various regions and rural Ireland. Indeed, in this capacity they can also oversee the necessary construction of large apartment complexes in cities and large towns, while also facilitating high-density compact housing estates on the periphery of cities and satellite towns. But while kickstarting smaller apartments is necessary to meet housing targets, encouraging a proportionate number of larger homes should also be considered to accommodate families. No further dezoning should be permitted without proven and solid grounds. What chance do large, medium or small developers have in securing funding for purchasing and building on serviced zoned land when the local authority, at the instruction of the Planning Regulator, can withdraw that zoning without notice. Funders or developers cannot operate in such a business environment. Lands dezoned in recent years should be rezoned by each relevant local authority. This, coupled with prioritised water and electricity supply schemes, would increase availability to build several thousand houses in the short term. Many housing developments are subject to Local Area Plans (LAPs) several of which have expired and therefore cannot be relied upon. Preparing masterplans is expensive and time consuming leading to planning application submission delays up to 12 to 18 months. This process needs to be streamlined and prioritised and LAPs need to be fast-tracked. Apprentice training schemes mentioned in the revised NDP are of course welcome, however, in the immediate term availability of trained personnel is not the problem. Recent lay-offs by indigenous companies points to this with others stating they are operating well below capacity. Reduced local authority levies and other costs within the State's control would be more effective, particularly in the short-term. The cost of building is also having a damaging impact on further vitally-needed supply. Dublin is the second most expensive city in Europe to build apartments with the cost of delivering a two-bed apartment around €600k in Dublin, and €460k to deliver a three-bed house. Ireland now has the second highest proportionate housing expenditure in the EU. Several Government initiatives have been introduced to address these costs including the Croi Conaithe Cities Scheme, First Home Equity Scheme, and the Help to Buy scheme among others. However, these demand-side subsidies have not had the desired impact and therefore need to be enhanced including a recalibration of the caps set for the First Home Equity and the Help to Buy Schemes, respectively, and allowing the payment support of the Croi Conaithe Cities scheme to be made upfront. Garry Keegan: 'The National Development Plan's revised aspiration of 300,000 new homes over the next five years will only be achieved if radical steps are taken.' The recently announced reduction in the minimum size requirement for apartments and other deregulations to increase the number of allowable units per core proves that the Custom House is listening to expert and experienced advice from the construction industry. More needs to be done to reduce the gap between construction costs and what can be achieved in the open market. By adopting the same collective approach as has been done in the recent past to address the most pertinent issue facing the State, only then will this current crisis be averted. Dr Garry Keegan is a former Dublin City councillor, former ESB board member and recently published Infrastructure Projects and Local Communities . He has worked on infrastructure and housing development projects over the past three decades.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, August 7th: On the wisdom of Metrolink, abortion data, and the red fox
Sir, – Dermot Desmond's claim that AI will render MetroLink obsolete ignores the reality that traffic congestion already costs the Dublin economy over €336 million annually, rising to €1.5 billion per year by 2040 (' AI will make Dublin's MetroLink obsolete ,' says Dermot Desmond, August 5th). Congestion isn't typically caused by parked cars, but by vehicles using roads at the same time. Self-driving cars won't solve that problem as they will still take up the same road space as existing vehicles. Meanwhile, Ryanair's Michael O'Leary's fanciful proposal that we should cancel MetroLink in favour of building a new motorway in the Irish Sea would also surely find itself to be expensive and highly congested on whatever day in 2045 or 2050 it would open. What does work is the high-capacity public transport solutions in use all across the world, including in Ireland, such as electrified suburban rail (Dart, Luas, MetroLink), combined with segregated cycling lanes and walking tracks and greenways. READ MORE These are systems that move thousands efficiently, reduce emissions, and make urban spaces more liveable. We have the plans now. Let's get on with implementing them without further delay. – Yours, etc, ROSS Ó CURRÁIN, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. Sir, – What is it about Irish billionaires/multi-millionaires and MetroLink, and with our eagerness to listen to their 'pearls of wisdom'? First Michael O'Leary's rant and now Dermot Desmond, with his outlandish claims that self-driving cars will make public transport redundant. Setting aside the serious safety concerns with autonomous vehicles, especially in urban areas, we would do well to learn from the experience of Uber and other rideshare platforms which made similar claims about congestion reduction. Study after study has shown that they in fact increased congestion in cities where they operated and had almost no impact on car ownership. Any privately operated AI-driven autonomous vehicle service will have the same commercial pressures to increase car dependency. I do, however, share Mr Desmond's optimism about the possibility of significant reductions in car ownership. This will be achieved, not through futuristic technology, but by investing in our public transport and active travel infrastructure which will make cars redundant in our cities. – Yours, etc, CIARÁN FERRIE, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Sir, – I must keep an eye out for Dermot Desmond the next time I'm waiting for the Luas. – Yours, etc, HELEN PEAKIN, Terenure, Dublin 6W. Sir, – Why does The Irish Times continue to publish the opinions of billionaires about public transport projects? When was the last time Denis Desmond took a train? He tells us that self-driving cars will mean there are fewer cars on the road, and thus no need for the Metro. Even a brief moment of introspection will show this to be the opposite of the case. Self-driving cars will likely spend more time on the road as they cruise around looking to pick up passengers, just as taxis do today. Would car manufacturers really be investing in AI if they thought it would result in fewer car sales? AI will likely make Dublin's traffic much worse, not better. It will be the same the world over. China, no laggard on AI, is massively expanding its public transport system in the coming years. Dublin absolutely does need a metro. – Yours, etc, Dr MARK SUGRUE, Donaghmede, Dublin 13. Sir, – I have just read the report about Dermot Desmond and the proposed metro system. The newspaper recently has seen an onslaught of articles against MetroLink and improvements to the public realm, led by contributors such as Frank McDonald and Michael McDowell. Is there any space to be had for progressives in the newspaper? The arguments currently being used against the metro we have seen before. The Dart would cost too much, nobody would use the Luas. Nobody now would seriously suggest we dismantle either rail system. The same will be true of the MetroLink when it too is built. It is never going to be cheaper to build the metro than now, it is never more needed than it is now. Let's stop the propagation of fantasy arguments and promote a positive vision of MetroLink. – Yours, etc, ADAM LADD, Drimnagh, Dublin 12. Sir, – It is reasonable to expect that southside residents wanting to use the metro to go to the airport will have luggage with them. But how are they to get to the St Stephen's Green station with that luggage? Luas and buses are not able to accommodate luggage, and it is unlikely that a sufficient park and ride could be offered in that area. The metro would therefore be useless for airport access for a huge number of potential travellers. This problem needs a solution before we spend any of the billions proposed. We don't need a white elephant. – Yours, etc, DAVID O'HIGGINS Stillorgan, Co Dublin. Slim chance Sir, – I read with interest how the availability of GLP-1 medications has rung the death knell for the body positivity movement (' Body positivity fell from favour as soon as Ozempic brought thinness back ,' August 4th). Any chance someone will invent an Ozempic to help slim down the size of and curtail the appetite for SUVs on our roads? – Yours, etc, ULTAN Ó BROIN, Blackrock, Co Dublin. Abortion data collection Sir, – It was recently reported that the HSE will be rolling out a pilot scheme in some hospitals to collect more data and information on abortion in Ireland (' More detailed data on abortions to be collected from Irish hospitals ,' August 5th). This is welcome, as Irish data collection for abortion has proven inaccurate and unsatisfactory, in contrast with other jurisdictions. For example, the total number of abortion notifications received by the Department of Health for 2021 was just 4,577. But according to a supplementary memo, the department acknowledged this figure fails to tally with the total number of abortions actually performed. Instead, it estimated, based on the total number of reimbursements for abortion paid to GPs in 2021, that the figure is likely closer to 6,700. In addition to inadequately completed notifications returns, the limited data sought in the forms leaves much to be desired as it only provides the total number of abortions performed by month and county. This excluded collecting data such as age, gravidity, and gestational age. Knowing this information is important to inform the public about the scale and nature of abortion in Ireland, but also to allow researchers and policymakers to identify trends. When the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was being drafted in autumn 2018 after the referendum in the same year, an amendment to the legislation was tabled which would have ensured that such comprehensive data was included in the notifications form. The amendment sought the same data as that collected in the English HSA4 form. But the government of the day rejected this motion outright, instead opting for limited data collection. Had that amendment been taken on board at the time, we would have a far clearer picture of the trends and realities of abortion in Ireland. While it is welcome that the HSE has recognised the importance of comprehensive and accurate data collection, this should have been a key component of abortion policy since the law became operational seven years ago. – Yours, etc, EILÍS MULROY, Pro Life Campaign Dublin 2. Sunny disposition Sir, – Concerning falling birth rates, Breda O'Brien contrasts five European countries where the decline is not so steep (Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden and Britain) with four which are rock bottom (Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain) ('Let's stop glorifying motherhood and glorify parenthood instead,' August 2nd). Could sunshine have something to do with it? – Yours, etc, SADHBH Ní SEACHNASAIGH, Galway. Gaza and showing compassion Sir, – Fintan O'Toole's latest article on events in Gaza is a lesson in what real journalism can and should achieve. It sits as a reminder to others that there is no such thing as 'silly season' when it comes to informing and educating the public. The homeless remain homeless, the poor remain poor, and the victims of war continue to suffer no matter the season. O'Toole's compassion and erudition is a beacon in a sea of mediocrity and long may he continue in his quest. – Yours, etc, PAUL GRAY, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. Sir, – Una Mullally is right: the passing of the Occupied Territories Bill by the Irish Government could well be a catalyst for a global boycott, divestment, and sanctioning of Israel (' Ireland can be a beacon with the Occupied Territories Bill, ' August 4th). As Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu considers a full takeover of the Gaza Strip and the starvation and killing continues, this legislation should be expedited as a matter of urgency – and it should include services (as recommended by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade). In this context, the Dáil and Seanad should be recalled during the summer recess for an emergency session to pass this legislation – which could coincide with a national day of protest, as suggested by a previous letter writer. Importantly, a national day of protest combined with legislative action in Leinster House on the same day should be accompanied by politicians and the public alike calling on Hamas to release all the hostages, to disarm, and to disband. The time for decisive moral leadership and action is now. – Yours, etc, CHRIS FITZPATRICK, Terenure, Dublin 6. Sir, – I agree with Diarmuid Ó Cinnéide (Letters, August 5th) that the publication of pictures of starving and emaciated children is both gut-churning and traumatising. However, these distressing pictures have dramatically served to increase the public and political outcry as to the urgent need for an end to these horrific conflicts. – Yours, etc. JOSEPH TUMMON, Circular Road, Galway . Looking busy Sir, – Greg Maxwell's letter (August 2nd) on the matter of 'The look of looking busy' and the experience of the late Sam McAughtry reminds me of my own experience many years ago, coincidently again in the Department of Agriculture but here in Dublin. I was assigned early in my civil service career to the minister's office and during the day, made a point of dutifully clearing my desk and ensuring that all files and correspondence were dealt with . On one of these days, the deputy secretary general of the department stopped, looked at my pristine desk, and his advice was: 'Never sit at an empty desk, always have a significant number of files at hand, at least two open, and avoid looking up or interrupting your close scrutiny of all these documents.' I took his advice but I doubt if my career blossomed to the same extent as Sam's. – Yours, etc, MARTIN McDONALD, Terenure, Dublin 12. Speeding motorists Sir, – Travelling to Donegal from Dublin and back again over the weekend I was amazed at the complete disregard by a very large number of my fellow motorists for the speed limit on our roads. Each time I went over the speed limit by two or three kilometres my car emitted a reminder to inform me of my transgression. As I slowed down to the appropriate kilometres per hour I was on each occasion overtaken by several cars travelling at a much greater speed. – Yours, etc, MARY DALY, Rathfarnham, Dublin. Protecting the red fox Sir, – I commend to all, John Fitzgerald's excellent letter 'Protecting the fox', August 5th. Ireland, due to its geography, has a dearth of natural fauna and is fortunate to have foxes, a beautiful and intelligent animal, which has sadly been persecuted in the past. Urban dwellers are now favoured by the presence of these animals, giving children the opportunity to observe nature close up. Foxes also do much to keep rats under control and contrary to ill-informed prejudice do not spread of disease. We should admire and protect our fine red foxes. – Yours, etc, Dr D O'BRIEN, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14. Sir, – While I share John Fitzgerald's opposition to hunting foxes with dogs I do not agree with his assertion that: 'The hound is not a natural enemy of the fox. Both are dogs. Hence, the need to train novice hounds to hunt foxes from an early age.' I have owned dogs of various shapes and sizes for many years and found that they, unfortunately, required no training at all to chase after foxes; in fact it would have required some intensive training to stop them from doing so. While foxes and domestic dogs are from the same family of mammals, their evolutionary paths diverged millions of years ago. – Yours, etc, KATHERINE QUIRKE, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. Supermarkets and food recalls Sir, – It appears that the supermarkets are keeping a low profile in relation to the listeria infection. While I do not have a loyalty card, I, nonetheless handed back my suspect chicken jalfrezi to the customer services desk of my local Tesco and was refunded the ¤4.25 in cash without question. – Yours, etc, TONY CORCORAN, Dublin 14. Front gardens Sir, – Louisa Moss draws attention to the environmental dangers involved in building small homes in back gardens (Letters, August 6th). In recent years many front gardens in suburban areas have been replaced by cobble lock and tarmac, neither of which is permeable, thus leading to direct run-off and local flooding. If houses are built in back gardens there will undoubtedly be an increased demand for car parking in front gardens with the consequent demise of the already threatened hedges, shrubs and small trees which contribute so much to urban biodiversity and help prevent flooded drains. – Yours, etc, LOUIS O'FLAHERTY, Dublin 9.
