Who,will replace Paul O'Connell as captain of the Irish side

[johng]

Akin would be IQ at the end of his contract. Te'o is finished at the end of the season and so would require another contract to become IQ.

[Dave Cahill]

Can people stop using the term 'project player' generically.

A Project Player is a player contracted by the IRFU for a period of time in order to allow that player qualify for Ireland. The player is here for one reason and one reason only, to be available for selection for the Irish team.

Not every foreign player who hasn't previously played at a disqualifying level is a Project Player, most of them are just professional players going where the work and the wages take them. Some of them may become Irish qualified, some may play for Ireland, some will not and won't.

[Oldschoolsocks]

Akin would be IQ at the end of his contract. Te'o is finished at the end of the season and so would require another contract to become IQ.

So Aki is project player, Te'o isn't cool

[Peg Leg]

Akin would be IQ at the end of his contract. Te'o is finished at the end of the season and so would require another contract to become IQ.

But we're sorted at inside centre John?

[fourthirtythree]

I don't think there will be any wholesale 'clear out'.

Neither do I, bad use of the term. I had only talked up to the end of next year with the current squad. Is Autumn 2017 too early to be thinking about the squad for the next world cup? You naturally tend to see some players try to keep their international career active until the world cup, though we aren't seeing a raft of retirements.

But given the age profile of the squad we, like every other country, will see a lot of change in the team before 2019. It's a long time away.

[johng]

Akin would be IQ at the end of his contract. Te'o is finished at the end of the season and so would require another contract to become IQ.

But we're sorted at inside centre John?

Then why are we playing a full back at 13 and a 13 at 12?

[johng]

Akin would be IQ at the end of his contract. Te'o is finished at the end of the season and so would require another contract to become IQ.

So Aki is project player, Te'o isn't cool

Hey! Te'o is TOTALLY cool.

[simonokeeffe]

Aki has always played 12 for Connacht (alongside Henshaw), he has only played 13 once or twice when he was outside Ronaldson

Thats why such a big deal was made of Henshaw suddenly playing 12 for Ireland when he played all his centre rugby bar one game at 13

Personally as he cant/doesnt pass I think Henshaw at 12 and Aki at 13 is a better fit

[Oldschoolsocks]

Akin would be IQ at the end of his contract. Te'o is finished at the end of the season and so would require another contract to become IQ.

So Aki is project player, Te'o isn't cool

Hey! Te'o is TOTALLY cool.

OK, I deserved that for bad punctuation

[hugonaut]

I don't think there will be any wholesale 'clear out'.

Neither do I, bad use of the term. I had only talked up to the end of next year with the current squad. Is Autumn 2017 too early to be thinking about the squad for the next world cup? You naturally tend to see some players try to keep their international career active until the world cup, though we aren't seeing a raft of retirements.

But given the age profile of the squad we, like every other country, will see a lot of change in the team before 2019. It's a long time away.

Exactly. I saw a thread here with some journalist's team for the 2019 RWC [I think it was from The Journal or Joe.ie or something], and I didn't so much laugh as become bewildered by it. It's four years away, a half-career in pro rugby.

In 2011 Henshaw was probably doing his Leaving Cert – if somebody had said he'd be a first choice Irish international in time for the next World Club, they'd have been laughed off the board, and 99% of the time those doing the laughing [about hot sh*t schools players making an impact on the pro game immediately] would have been right.