IN THE FIRST of a new series that will run on The 42 this week and next week, this piece details the options at loosehead prop in Irish rugby.
In the articles to follow, we will also look at options elsewhere across the pitch, including the senior professional and academy players from each of the four provinces.
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Andrew Porter’s long shifts at loosehead prop for Ireland are a testament to his fitness and quality, but Andy Farrell would ideally have another player pushing him harder for minutes.
Porter is one of the best in the business so it will be tough for someone else to get to his level and yet, Irish rugby should constantly be striving to have competition for even its best players.
One suspects that IRFU performance director David Nucifora and Ireland boss Farrell might not view loosehead prop as a position of high-quality depth within the Irish game. With that in mind, development in this area is crucial over the coming years.
There are a range of emerging young looseheads who have ambitions of forcing their way into the international set-up, although many of the more experienced options remain crucial to their provinces and still have plenty to offer in the Ireland squad.
Leinster:
- Andrew Porter [age 27]
- Cian Healy [36]
- Ed Byrne [30]
- Michael Milne [24]
- Jack Boyle [21]
- Paddy McCarthy [20]
Porter is the first choice at loosehead for Leinster and Ireland, by some distance. The sheer volume of minutes he gets through for Farrell’s side underlines his importance to the national team. The 27-year-old has already won 59 caps for his country.
Before his pre-World Cup injury, the 125-times capped Healy had still been second in line to Porter for province and country. He was unlucky to suffer a calf injury in the final warm-up game against Samoa, while he has missed the early stages of this season with a shoulder issue. Healy, who turned 36 last month, hasn’t retired from international duty and will be keen to show that he is still next best after Porter.
30-year-old Byrne is a wily operator with close to 100 appearances for his province, while he won six Ireland caps back in the early days of the Farrell era. His most recent involvement with the Irish camp was as an injury call-up during the tour of New Zealand in 2022 when he came off the bench in one of the midweek games.
24-year-old Milne trained with Ireland during this year’s Six Nations and was on the Emerging Ireland tour last year, but has yet to make a Test debut. Last season was something of a breakthrough campaign with Leinster as the Birr man started eight games in the URC but he wants to kick on further in 2023/24.
There is excitement within Leinster about their pair of academy looseheads, Jack Boyle and Paddy McCarthy.
Both have featured prominently in recent weeks, with 21-year-old Boyle starting four games in the URC. He and McCarthy, who has made his first four appearances off the bench, have impressed, building on their outstanding performances for the Ireland U20s in recent years.
Boyle and McCarthy are explosive players who clearly have plenty of potential, so their development will be keenly tracked by Farrell and Ireland.
Munster:
- Dave Kilcoyne [34]
- Jeremy Loughman [28]
- Josh Wycherley [24]
- Mark Donnelly [22]
- Kieran Ryan [21]
- George Hadden [19]
In Healy’s injury-enforced absence, Kilcoyne was the number two to Porter at the World Cup, coming off the bench four times, albeit for short stints against South Africa and New Zealand. Kilcoyne, who has 56 caps, is well-regarded by Farrell and is another who will feel he still has a huge amount to offer despite turning 35 next month.
Four-times capped Loughman ended up being part of the World Cup squad after Healy was ruled out but only featured off the bench in the opening game against Romania. However, Loughman was the first-choice loosehead in Munster ahead of Kilcoyne as they drove to their URC title last season and he will be determined to keep that spot this season.
24-year-old Josh Wycherley is another man vying for that position, having already racked up more than 50 appearances for the province. He was a Grand Slam winner with the Ireland U20s back in 2019 but hasn’t been involved with Farrell’s senior set-up yet, although was part of the Emerging Ireland tour last year so is clearly on the radar.
Munster have three looseheads in their academy in Mark Donnelly, Kieran Ryan, and recent addition George Hadden. Donnelly previously played at tighthead, including for the Ireland U20s, but has switched across. 21-year-old Ryan has enjoyed the last few weeks, making his first two starts for Munster. He will be hoping the opportunities continue for the rest of the season.
19-year-old Wexford man Hadden joined the Munster academy after his central role in the Ireland U20s’ Grand Slam success and run to the World Cup final this year.
Ulster:
- Eric O’Sullivan [27]
- Andrew Warwick [32]
- Callum Reid [24]
- George Saunderson [22]
- Jack Boal [20]
- Jacob Boyd [19]
New signing Steven Kitshoff will be the main man at loosehead for Ulster as he joins with two World Cup winner’s medals. The provinces’ other looseheads will surely learn a thing or two from him, but they’ll be more eager to get as many playing minutes as possible.
Capped once by Farrell back in 2020, Eric O’Sullivan will hope to be the next in line at Ulster but faces ongoing competition from the consistent 32-year-old Andrew Warwick and 24-year-old Callum Reid, was was part of the Emerging Ireland tour last year.
The mobile Reid offers plenty of dynamism, while O’Sullivan provides punch and slick handling, but Warwick’s set-piece work and accuracy in the tackle make him a regular for Dan McFarland’s side.
The Ulster academy includes ex-Ireland U20 international George Saunderson, as well as more recent recruit Jacob Boyd, who impressed as he captained RBAI to a Schools Senior Cup earlier this year and then played for the Ireland U19s. Jack Boal also featured for the Ireland U19s after coming through Campbell College to join Queen’s University.
Another new recruit to the academy this season is 19-year-old Cameron Doak, younger brother of senior scrum-half Nathan, who has come through as a tighthead and is expected to continue there but recently covered loosehead from the bench in Ulster’s pre-season games.
Connacht:
- Denis Buckley [33]
- Peter Dooley [29]
- Matthew Burke [26]
- Jordan Duggan [25]
- Charlie Ward [23]
- Oisin Michel [21]
For Connacht fans, it’s a travesty that Denis Buckley has never been capped by Ireland despite years of consistency for the western province. Having turned 33 over the summer, he is still out of the international picture despite remaining first-choice with Connacht.
Ex-Leinster man Peter Dooley had possibly hoped his move to Connacht in 2022 would help him push into Ireland contention but his first season there wasn’t without his challenges, so the Birr man will be looking to drive on in the current campaign.
26-year-old Matthew Burke missed last season but was impressive in the 2021/22 campaign, making notable strides with his scrummaging and work around the pitch, but will have to make up for lost ground when he makes his return.
Former Ireland U20 international Jordan Duggan will hope to get more starts, having made nine so far in the past four seasons, while there are two looseheads in Connacht’s academy.
23-year-old Charlie Ward is into his fourth season in the academy, having had injury issues during his time with Connacht. 21-year-old Kildare man Oisin Michel won a Grand Slam with the Ireland U20s in 2022 and will be hoping to get senior chances sooner rather than later.
