TOM AHERN’S omission from the Ireland Six Nations squad was discussed by James Tracy and Murray Kinsella on today’s episode of Rugby Weekly Extra, the podcast for subscribers to The 42.
“I think the only player that I kind of had earmarked, that I’d love to see a bit more of was Tom Ahern,” Tracy, the former Leinster and Ireland hooker, said.
“For me, that lineout option at six, and with the balance of the current back row, I just feel like (they should be) building a bit of depth of who’s going to be that man moving forward.
“I suppose they are trying different options there, but I think (there needs to be a) big focus on that person being a lineout expert.”
“For sure, and that’s what Peter O’Mahony has given them for so long,” Kinsella said.
“Tadhg Beirne has been playing there recently. He’s been the kind of starter, and I think they’ll be happy that Ryan Baird has come back into such great form, because he’d been one who maybe was earmarked for that.
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“Even with the kind of transition that’s happening away from O’Mahony, slowly but surely, it is still so competitive, when you think that Cian Prendergast can also play there. But I agree with you, it feels unfortunate for Tom Ahern.”
Kinsella added: “Is there anything you think he needs to do to make his point or to be that man in the mix?”
“Yeah, just consistency of performance,” Tracy said.
“For coaches, a lot of the time with selection, it’s obviously your stats. It’s what you’re putting out there, your meat and veg of the work you’re putting out and the consistency of your training and your performances.
“But then it’s also the big moments, how you react and how you do little things in big moments. Like the very last play in that Munster-Saracens game, you know, if he was 50/50 on Ahern, then dropping the ball cold in contact when you’re trying to close a game out and the game is on the line . . . things like that, you’ve just got to be squeaky clean.
“You don’t see the top players having those moments. It’s just little lapses of concentration like that, because he’s so close and he offers so much.
“I’ve been beating the Tom Ahern drum for a while. Now that drop might not have been the cause of the decision, it might not have been what swayed it, but little things like that definitely don’t help,” Tracy said.
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'It feels unfortunate for Tom Ahern . . . he's so close and he offers so much'
TOM AHERN’S omission from the Ireland Six Nations squad was discussed by James Tracy and Murray Kinsella on today’s episode of Rugby Weekly Extra, the podcast for subscribers to The 42.
“I think the only player that I kind of had earmarked, that I’d love to see a bit more of was Tom Ahern,” Tracy, the former Leinster and Ireland hooker, said.
“For me, that lineout option at six, and with the balance of the current back row, I just feel like (they should be) building a bit of depth of who’s going to be that man moving forward.
“I suppose they are trying different options there, but I think (there needs to be a) big focus on that person being a lineout expert.”
“For sure, and that’s what Peter O’Mahony has given them for so long,” Kinsella said.
“Tadhg Beirne has been playing there recently. He’s been the kind of starter, and I think they’ll be happy that Ryan Baird has come back into such great form, because he’d been one who maybe was earmarked for that.
“Even with the kind of transition that’s happening away from O’Mahony, slowly but surely, it is still so competitive, when you think that Cian Prendergast can also play there. But I agree with you, it feels unfortunate for Tom Ahern.”
Kinsella added: “Is there anything you think he needs to do to make his point or to be that man in the mix?”
“Yeah, just consistency of performance,” Tracy said.
“For coaches, a lot of the time with selection, it’s obviously your stats. It’s what you’re putting out there, your meat and veg of the work you’re putting out and the consistency of your training and your performances.
“But then it’s also the big moments, how you react and how you do little things in big moments. Like the very last play in that Munster-Saracens game, you know, if he was 50/50 on Ahern, then dropping the ball cold in contact when you’re trying to close a game out and the game is on the line . . . things like that, you’ve just got to be squeaky clean.
“You don’t see the top players having those moments. It’s just little lapses of concentration like that, because he’s so close and he offers so much.
“I’ve been beating the Tom Ahern drum for a while. Now that drop might not have been the cause of the decision, it might not have been what swayed it, but little things like that definitely don’t help,” Tracy said.
If you are not already a subscriber then sign up here to listen to this podcast and enjoy unlimited access to The 42.
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