Andy Farrell has wronged Munster by leaving out in-form Reds for Ireland World Cup squad

Andy Farrell recently announced a 42-man World Cup training squad, with a lot of the players who were extremely influential in Munster’s amazing run in winning the URC title left out in the cold.

The squad reveal came only a few days after Munster’s historic win over the Stormers in Cape Town, but it did have the look of a squad that was set in stone some time ago, with current form not really considered.

The argument has been made that Munster’s victory came too late, but Munster have been playing superb rugby since the victory over South Africa A at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in November, with only five games being lost since.

One of the points used to explain why so few Munster players have been in the Irish squad in recent years is that they have not won any silverware or really produced in big games. 

Well, wins away from home versus Glasgow, Leinster and the Stormers to win the URC crown has well and truly put a line through that excuse.

RED-HOT

World player of the year Josh van der Flier is the only out-and-out openside in the squad, which seems bizarre. 

Farrell clearly sees Peter O’Mahony as a backup no. 7, but the Munster captain does his best stuff at blindside, and the omission of the red-hot John Hodnett was surprising.

The Rosscarbery man capped off his superb year with a man-of-the-match performance in the URC Grand Final, where also scoring the winning try. He can certainly feel extremely hard done by not being in the frame.

Calvin Nash’s brilliant form has been rewarded with inclusion in the squad. The big question now is whether he can leapfrog Jacob Stockdale for one of the much sought after 33 spots on the plane to France. 

Form would suggest that he should, given that Stockdale has not shown his top form for about five years now, but these selections are never as simple as that.

Mike Haley could have provided genuine cover to Hugo Keenan at fullback too, while Shane Daly, Diarmuid Barron and Jeremy Loughman also were unlucky to miss out.

And now, to the elephant in the room, the non-selection of Jean Kleyn. The second row started an incredible 24 games for Munster in the campaign just ended. Munster had huge injury issues at lock this year, but Kleyn was the constant in the engine room, with him being rolled out week after week. If one player deserves a Player of the Year award, it is him. 

His fitness levels and skillset has come on in leaps and bounds under the new coaching regime too and he is a far more accomplished player than when he last played for Ireland at the World Cup in 2019. 

The manner in which the Dublin media used him as a scapegoat for the losses at that World Cup to Japan and New Zealand, when he did not play in either game, left a bad taste in the mouth.

The recent news that Kleyn has been called up to South Africa’s training squad is great for him, but has potentially big repercussions for Munster, should he suddenly become Non-Irish Qualified.

It was a complete no-brainer that he should be in Farrell’s squad yet now he might end up playing against Ireland. South Africa have far deeper second-row resources than Ireland, so for them to call him up, when Ireland turned their noses up at him, tells a story in its own right.

Add to that the fact that Kieran Treadwell, who did not start a single game in the URC for Ulster last season, is ahead of him, and it seems like a huge error on Farrell’s part, as it seems odd that there are a number of players in the Irish squad who would not get into Munster’s match-day 23 at present.

Ireland are undoubtedly in a great position right now, as they have rode the momentum of last year’s historic series win down in New Zealand to win the Grand Slam. You just hope that the squad has not become stale, and that a fantastic opportunity to freshen it up has not just been missed.