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your country's 31 man squad for the 2023 World Cup

ruck987

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Nov 21, 2017
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hey everyone I just came up with a bit of a fun topic even though it's so early what would be your country's 31 man squad for the 2023 World Cup
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Ireland's squad will be mostly made up of these:
https://www.salesharks.com/teams/academy/u18/

30 players on there so chuck in James Ryan as captain and that's the lot.
Drop it to 29, Ryan and Ringrose. That buck with the beard is clearly lying about age and will be well past it come 2023!

Actually come to think of it, that means he's a lock for an Ireland world cup squad.
 
Prop: Genge Mako Sinckler Williams Ibuanokpe
Hooker: George LCD Barbeary
Lock: Itoje Kpoku Ewels Isiekwe
Back Row: Curry Curry Underhill Earl Billy
Scrum-Half: Spencer Robson
Fly-Half: Ford Farrell Smith
Centre: Lawrence Redpath Marchant Slade
Back Three: Cokanasiga Thorley Nowell Watson Daly

I'm sure some bolters will come in and disrupt that back three and possibly at 9 (interested to see how Henry Taylor goes at Northampton). Think the pack should be relatively predictable and experienced though.
 
^ No room for Dombrant in the back row?
Daly has to improve big time as he has been found out as a full back too many times.
Maybe OC or Wing but not as a FB..

Hopefully Bath prop Obano can make the grade too.
 
^ No room for Dombrant in the back row?
Daly has to improve big time as he has been found out as a full back too many times.
Maybe OC or Wing but not as a FB..

Hopefully Bath prop Obano can make the grade too.

Good point on Dombrandt, I'd drop a centre (probably Redpath) to have him in. I'd see Daly being used as a utility back as he can cover 13, wing and FB. Would not have him starting anywhere other than 13 though, assuming he is playing well enough to deserve it.
 
Genuine question: Why have you picked Redpath?

Mostly because I think he has been earmarked for an international future, already been on tour with the senior squad, and will be given every possible opportunity to be successful (as long as he keeps his teeth to himself). I can't profess to have seen hours and hours of his games, but in terms of playing ability, I think he provides an interesting option at 12, seems to have a lot of time on the ball. Reminds me a bit of Slade but with a bit more composure/rugby nous than Slade had at that stage of his career.

Would be interested in the point of view of someone who has probably seen more of him.
 
He's really not taking to senior rugby so far - no composure/consistently making wrong reads/decisions.
Still really young, so that should hopefully come with time, though.
 
1. Genge, Obano
2. Singleton, George, Barbeary
3. Sinckler, Heyes, Stuart
4. Itoje, Ribbans
5. Kruis, Isiewke,
6. Hill, Willis
7. Underhill, Curry
8. Vunipola, Dombrandt
9. Spencer, Mitchell,
10. Ford, Farrell
11. Cokanasiga,
12. Lawarence (mainly 13 but so what!!)
13. Tuilagi, Marchant, Daly
14. Thorley, Loader
15. Watson, Mallinder (..........)
 
He's really not taking to senior rugby so far - no composure/consistently making wrong reads/decisions.
Still really young, so that should hopefully come with time, though.

Fair enough, remember thinking the opposite at age group but perhaps the physicality and pace of the men's game has given him problems. Will be interesting to see if he develops this year.
 
I don't see Mako playing in the next RWC 4 years will take it's toll on his loose game and he isn't a good enough scrummager for it too carry him
 
1. Genge, Obano
2. Singleton, George, Barbeary
3. Sinckler, Heyes, Stuart
4. Itoje, Ribbans
5. Kruis, Isiewke,
6. Hill, Willis
7. Underhill, Curry
8. Vunipola, Dombrandt
9. Spencer, Mitchell,
10. Ford, Farrell
11. Cokanasiga,
12. Lawarence (mainly 13 but so what!!)
13. Tuilagi, Marchant, Daly
14. Thorley, Loader
15. Watson, Mallinder (..........)

I've bolded some good shouts that I missed. I think double Curry has to happen after the way Tom has played. Mallinder made me LOL in the office.
 
A genuine question out of curiosity for Englush fans: what has Mallinder done to deserve all the contempt? Remember being impressed by him at U20 level but almost anytime I see his name on the internet he's the butt of a joke.
 
He's really not taking to senior rugby so far - no composure/consistently making wrong reads/decisions.
Still really young, so that should hopefully come with time, though.

How's Luke James coming along? Played quite a few times and still only 20, looks to have a bit of everything in the brief highlights I saw last season...
 
How's Luke James coming along? Played quite a few times and still only 20, looks to have a bit of everything in the brief highlights I saw last season...
Alec Guinness: Genuine Class.

Looked real good in the centres last season - got moved to fullback due to injuries and looked shaky for a few games but really grew into the role and was pretty bloody good by the end of the season. Looks far better than Redpath IMO.
Crazy that he was a flanker right up until making the senior Sale academy.
 
31 one guys to get knocked out in the quarter finals, carry on our proud tradition of not bringing Sale players to the WC and extrapolating on limited data. Oh and also forgetting some players because the provinces have bad websites. Mirroring squad make ups to our previous two.

Props: Tadhg Furlong, Andrew Porter, Thomas Clarkson, Eric O'Sullivan, Peter Dooley - Pretty confident in the tightheads in terms of ability but all three currently being at one club may be too big an obstacle and allow someone like O'Toole a better chance. Loosehead is a crap shoot. There's a few guys who seem to be around the same standard. I do think since switching back to loosehead Milne looks good and Wycherly looked very good at twenties but was a bit underweight so it remains to be seen how he goes at pro level.

Hooker: Niall Scannell, Ronan Kelleher, Shane Delahunt/Dyaln Tierney-Martin - Scannell the most proven option at this point in time, but not very exciting. Hopefully one of the young lads will come along strong.

Locks: James Ryan (C), Iain Henderson, Ryan Baird, Jack Dunne - St Michael's and friend. Locks can develop weirdly so there's a few players around the country who could be in with a shout. Three from the same squad again probably not super realistic but more so than tighthead. Probably too premature not to include Beirne now that I think of it. Could have Wycherly performing the hybrid role but his height may hold him back.

Backrows: Max Deegan, Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Josh Hodnett, Scott Penny - probably too many guys who are technically 8 but think they can cover 6 well enough. If Leavy can come back near where he was he's straight in. Penny still has a lot to prove regarding his size at the highest level. Hodnett is one of those I'm probably extrapolating too much off u20s, the likes of O'Donoghue are obviously more known quantities. Discriminating against those who'll be over 30 due to the attritional nature of the position.

Scrumhalves: Craig Casey, whoever the Leinster scrumhalf is - Hopefully Casey lives up to his potential. Again there's a host of guys who could be there or thereabouts. I'm presuming Marmion goes abroad so Gibson-Park, McGrath and Blade will probably all be in with a shot.

Outhalves: Joey Carberry, Harry Byrne, Ciaran Frawley - I don't think Frawley will end up as a 10, I see him as mostly playing 12 in the future, but he gives a lot of options around a more playmakers in the backline if we want and should be able to cover sufficiently for the group. Flannery might be someone who could also provide that option. If there was any injury doubts to a 10 I'd swap in a more obvious 10 be it Ross or someone like Healy. I see Harry overtaking Ross simply due to being the better athlete. Part of me would like to see Carberry used more at 15 but I don't see it happening.

Centres: Garry Ringrose, Stewart Moore, Conor O'Brien, Sean French - again this is a rather attritional position and given injury history I can't see the likes of Henshaw making it. Again this years u20s show strongly here their depth at centre was insane but so was the injury record. The likes of Hawkshaw and Turner again have more to prove due to their size.

Back three - Jacob Stockdale, Aaron Sexton, Jordan Larmour, James Lowe, Jimmy O'Brien - The first three I feel are nearly nailed on, Sexton has rare speed that we can't afford to pass up. Lowe depends on a number of things especially his arthritis. O'Brien is my bolter and is partially included because he offers something very different to he others from fullback making us more versatile. There seems to be a lot of young wings in the country and wing is the one position I think picking on form is actually a priority so could well see the likes of Nash, Wren, Lyttle, Balcounne, Lowry, Keenan and Byrne involved.

This squad will probably be shown to be completely stupid within two years but they way things stand now I think it would be a very dynamic squad with strong carriers in the pack and a lot of strikerunners out wide. Also laughably Leinster biased at the moment but I'm sure the other provinces will have done their shopping by 2023 so it'll look different :p. I did err too much on the side of youth an am more familiar with the young Leinster players. Looking at the age profile of Munster they're in for a lot of change. Only 10 from this tournament's squad but we had a high age profile and I can see careers becoming shorter
 
1. Genge, Obano
2. Singleton, George, Barbeary
3. Sinckler, Heyes, Stuart
4. Itoje, Ribbans
5. Kruis, Isiewke,
6. Hill, Willis
7. Underhill, Curry
8. Vunipola, Dombrandt
9. Spencer, Mitchell,
10. Ford, Farrell
11. Cokanasiga,
12. Lawarence (mainly 13 but so what!!)
13. Tuilagi, Marchant, Daly
14. Thorley, Loader
15. Watson, Mallinder (..........)

Not a single chiefs player?
 

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