Time running out for Ireland's summer bolters to appear

Time is running out on the club season, and with it, the chance to catch Andy Farrell's eye.

With a World Cup just 18 months away, the opportunities to grab the attention of the Irish coaching staff are disappearing. Given the nature of the World Cup cycles, next season will be more about fine-tuning rather than discovery.

Of the group that tours New Zealand this summer, there's a fair chance Farrell's entire World Cup squad could be contained within. In short, unless you're either injured or deliberately rested, if you aren't on the plane to Auckland this summer, you'll likely need to do something very, very special next season to break into the group.

It's believed that England, Wales and Scotland could rest some of their Lions contingent for their own summer tours this July, but with Ireland heading into the toughest tour of them all against the All Blacks, it's likely that Farrell will be using the series as a trial run for France 2023, and have his stars up front and centre.

And while it leaves less room for experimentation in the Test matches in Auckland, Dunedin and Wellington, the two proposed midweek games against the Maori All Blacks mean Ireland will be carrying a larger than usual squad, on what will be their first major tour since the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

The exact size of the travelling party is yet to be confirmed, but it's expected to involve in the region of 40-42 players, with the first Test slated for Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday, 2 July.

The November Tests and Six Nations have given a pretty clear picture of both the type of game, and the type of player Farrell wants in his squad, with a large chunk of this summer's squad being predictable based on those last couple of Test windows.

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