I suppose all will depend on how we perform. I thought the tactics against Wales were fantastic, and it was great to see how quickly and regularly we spread the ball and involved our back 3. I strongly fancied Wales to beat us in advance of the game but we were clearly the superior team with a more coherent plan of attack, and Farrell's tactics definitely played a role. I suppose we might also give him the benefit of the doubt as someone just getting used to the new demands of being number 1.
I meant to reply to this two weeks ago , saying the tactics were not dramatically different but Henshaw's half breaks and off loads made a huge difference.
He couldn't do that against England and we reverted to type. Box kicks and passes to forwards who are standing still because Murray takes too long to get the ball out of the ruck.
I think we need to start thinking of long term changes at 9&10. There might be a short term dip but maybe not as big of one as you might think.
Murray was brought into the Ireland team as a physical nine who could cope with defending forwards and big 9's like Mike Phillips who was a real handful for teams to plan against.
The trade off was that his passing wasn't great but overall it was a good trade off. Then he added a box kicking game that teams struggled to defend and he was the best player in the world one year. But as soon as teams nullified the box kick he lost his best weapon. He has shied away from the physical part of the game since his neck injury. So really there's nothing positive left to pick him for.
I'd play Cooney every game , with a view to bringing along Blades and Luke McGrath to take over in the next two years. Casey at Munster looks promising too.
Sexton is now a part time player and isn't able to just turn it on. Carberry was the obvious one to take over but injuries are a problem.
I quite like Byrne but he's not international class, but I'd be willing to give him a few games to see how he goes. (his younger brother is rumoured to be the better of two)
What's the Ulster outhalf picture looking like ? Is Lowry any good ?
I think the players coming through the provinces in the pack will keep us competitive up front - I think Kelleher is going to be good. Leinster's three young back rowers Doris, Deegan and Penny all look capable too. We're not short of forwards prospects.