Six Nations preview: Andy Farrell’s Ireland set for second place

Next in our set of previews ahead of the Six Nations we examine the prospects of last year’s third place finishers, Andy Farrell’s Ireland.

As always, the Irish come into February as serious contenders for the Six Nations trophy. With a handful of marquee players ageing and Johnny Sexton’s future in green nearing its end, this may be the beginning of the end for Ireland as we know it. However, with a relatively healthy side – minus Jacob Stockdale and James Lowe – the men in green are set to launch a title bid once more as they look to bring home the bacon.

Coming off a trio of awe inspiring wins over Japan, New Zealand and Argentina in the autumn, Farrell will look to keep this momentum going into the Six Nations where his side will combat four world rugby heavyweights – and Italy.

A rocky start in 2021 led to an under whelming Six Nations Championship for Farrell’s side. Early losses to Wales in Cardiff and France in Paris knocked the Irish out of contention, rendering the final three wins moot.

The loss of Peter O’Mahony to a red card on 14 minutes of that opener against eventual champions Wales was a significant setback as the hosts eventually got over the finish line with their noses in front, with that result compounded a week later by a narrow loss to Les Bleus.

As mentioned, winning their final three games against Italy, Scotland and England gave them something to cling on to and they’ve since gone from strength to strength, shown by their stellar performances during the Autumn Nations Series.

On a personal note, Sexton had a fantastic Six Nations in 2021, particularly from the tee, leading the tournament in penalty goals with 15 and points with 64.

This year the Irish side is at full strength albeit without