Physicality of modern game means rotation is everything

After a bruising encounter against Samoa in Bayonne, Andy Farrell was finally able to announce his 33-man World Cup squad.

As expected, there weren't many surprises, other than Cian Healy’s late exclusion through injury.

Other nations have been hit with high-profile injuries too, so Ireland aren’t going through anything unique. Although Healy isn’t the starting loosehead, his absence is a huge blow to Ireland’s squad strength and experience.

With Dave Kilcoyne also enduring some injury struggles, the Irish loosehead position feels considerably weaker after the weekend.

The front row in general will be a talking point considering Ronan Kelleher’s lack of game time as well as Dan Sheehan’s latest injury concerns.

Between the lineout and scrum, any fragilities in the front row could have a serious impact on Ireland's game, especially when they play the likes of South Africa, France or New Zealand.

"When you get drawn in a pool with Tonga, South Africa and Scotland, a fresh and fit pack is a necessity."

The biggest surprise in the squad announcement is that Farrell went with 18 forwards as opposed to 19. It means both Stuart McCloskey and Keith Earls will retain their places in the squad when many thought that one would be sacrificed for an extra forward.

The reason for bringing an extra forward really comes down to the physicality in the game at present. You can see how attritional the game is with all the injury announcements after warm-up games. When you get drawn in a pool with Tonga, South Africa and Scotland, a fresh and fit pack is a necessity.

However, you can understand the reasoning behind needing McCloskey in the midfield. I wouldn’t be surprised if Farrell has picked McCloskey for the Tonga game and with an eye on South