Farrell backs experience on Ireland's bench as O'Toole gets Six Nations shot

EVEN AFTER THE withdrawal of the injured Leigh Halfpenny, Wales’ team for tomorrow still includes much more Test match experience than Ireland’s.

Rob Herring was always an easy choice for Farrell as his bench hooker once Rónan Kelleher was ruled out through injury. Ulster man Herring has been a consistently good performer for Ireland, bringing a calm head and good basics. He’s excellent at finishing from mauls and while Kelleher and starting hooker Dan Sheehan are punchier athletes, 31-times capped Herring has earned the trust of Farrell and forwards coach Paul O’Connell.

The 24-year-old has only been capped four times so far and while Farrell has long been a fan of O’Toole’s, the Ireland boss’ words yesterday seemed to indicate that he feels it’s time for him to push on as a senior prop now.“He’s been a project for a while and you get to that stage where you can’t keep chasing potential,” said Farrell.Munster’s John Ryan has been playing fine rugby and will be back from New Zealand by the time the World Cup rolls around, so he will be in the frame at tighthead.

There were others who put their hand up for the number 20 shirt, with Munster’s Gavin Coombes playing some of the best rugby of his career since Farrell dropped him last autumn. Coombes’ response has been savage, earning him a recall to the wider group, and it wasn’t hard to imagine him carrying that momentum off the bench in Cardiff.

There was an interesting call for Farrell to make with his replacement out-half, given that Jack Crowley is one of the coming forces in Irish rugby. The Munster playmaker has to be patient for now, though, as the in-form Ross Byrne provides back-up to Johnny Sexton. Byrne was out in the cold up until last autumn and his match-winning penalty against the Wallabies, but his performances for Leinster have been excellent.

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