The Answer to Ireland’s Call: The Rising Stars of Irish Rugby

The victory that secured the third title was at Twickenham, against the rival English on St Patrick’s Day. It was a real show of class too—a 15-24 triumph against the Red and Whites.

It wasn’t, however, the victory against Eddie Jones’ team that’ll stand long in the memory from that year’s tournament — it was matchday one.

A fight back in France

The hopes of a Grand Slam seemed all but over for the Irish in France. As the rain pelted down in Paris, Joe Schmidt’s team trailed les Bleus 13 points to 12.

The clock entered the red zone. A stadium littered with green shirts, six million fans at home, and undoubtedly so many more ex-pats around the globe gasped as the Irish line drove further forward and the pass from Conor Murray was executed perfectly into the hands of Johnny Sexton.

The fly-half got into the position where a drop goal could become possible—and he did it. This wasn’t the end of a glittering year for the IRFU, however. After more than one hundred years of trying and so many bitter blows at the final hurdle, they finally beat the Kiwis on home soil. The result, a 16-9 victory at the Aviva, looked to spell a new dawn for Irish rugby as they reached number one in the world.

Since then, Ireland have said farewell to some of the most iconic names to grace the pitch and the touchline at Lansdowne, Croke Park, and the Aviva.

Having recently delved into the alterations in terms of height and weight within the Ireland squad since Union turned professional, retailer of trainers and men's sportswear, Zalando, here take a look at the rising stars within provincial rugby and how they size up against the legends of yesteryear. First, however, let’s take a look at the departed…

Time to say goodbye

Post-World Cup exit via Kiwi humiliation, Joe Schmidt and Rory Best called time on their Ireland careers—neither of their contributions could be understated.

Schmidt bowed out of the head coach role as Ireland’s most successful ever. Alongside three Six Nations titles and a Grand Slam, the New Zealand native said goodbye to his Irish team with a win percentage of 72.60.

Best, meanwhile, a loyal devotee of Irish rugby, became the only Irish captain to lead his side to victories against the Kiwis, the Wallabies, and the Springboks.

Most recently, Rob Kearney made the decision to hang up his boots after an equally decorated career. With Sexton, Murray, Earls, and Healy all now negotiating their thirty-somethings, it begs the question—how much longer will those boys be around?

That then leads us on to the future and the beckoning talent that awaits.

Ulster—Stewart Moore

Up North, young centre Stewart Moore has been turning heads with his recent performances. At Ireland U20 we witnessed the former Ballymena Academy man hit some devastating tackles and introduce explosive power similar to that of the Ireland greats of yesteryear.

He recently played a huge role in Ulster’s record-breaking 22nd consecutive home win, grabbing himself a try and earning considerable praise from head coach Dan McFarland.

• Ireland Centre 1995—Height: 1.82m | Weight: 93kg

• Ireland Centre 2019— Height: 1.88m | Weight: 102.5kg

• Stewart Moore, aged 21—Height: 1.83m | Weight: 91kg

While Stewart weighs in considerably lighter than the average Irish centre in 2019 and 2kgs less than that of those in 1995, his pace, dancing feet, and strength will certainly be a cause for concern amongst the other nations and fellow club teams who Ulster face in the Pro14.

Leinster—Ronan O’Kelleher

It should come as no surprise that Pro14 Champions and European finalists Leinster are producing a swathe of young talent via their academy to give Ireland coach Andy Farrell a serious headache.

Having played at European level for the past two seasons, Kelleher is by no means a stranger to competitive, high-intensity rugby.

The hooker represented Ireland at U20 level and made a brief appearance for the senior team against Scotland as a substitute back in February. But it’s his achievements in a blue shirt that have gotten the 22-year old the plaudits he deserves.

Nine tries in 14 games, his passing is nothing short of impeccable, and it’s easy to recognise that Ronan made the transition from outside back to the front of the pack in his mid-teens.

• Ireland Hooker 1995—Height: 1.81m | Weight: 102kg

• Ireland Hooker 2019—Height: 1.84m | Weight: 105.5kg

• Ronan O’Kelleher, aged 22—Height: 1.83m | Weight: 105kg

While Ronan’s height and weight sits just between that of the average players who featured for Ireland at both the RWC 1995 and RWC 2019, he appears to have already found an optimum size, having been earmarked by Jerry Flannery as a future star.

Connacht—Niall Murray

Another man to come out of the U20 grand slam winning brigade of 2019, Niall Murray is causing somewhat of a stir down on the west coast thanks to his sharp eye at the lineout.

Having started every game of that tournament for the Ireland youth side, Niall earned himself a number of call ups to the Connacht squad and did not disappoint Aussie coach Andy Friend.

Over the course of the season, deft perception saw Niall win various clean balls across his performances alongside a couple of interceptions from opposition line outs.

Ireland Lock 1995—Height: 1.97m | Weight: 112.33kg

Ireland Lock 2019—Height: 2.01m | Weight: 115.75

Niall Murray, aged 21—Height: 2.01m | Weight: 100kg

While standing at the same height as the locks who represented Ireland at the most recent world cup, Niall Murray is more than 15kg lighter. No doubt his time in training alongside strength and conditioning will see him grow even further, but as it stands, his athleticism is certainly one aspect of his play which will see him transcend through the Irish setup.

Munster—Jack O’Sullivan

The back row, who recently celebrated his 22nd birthday, has been awarded a three-year contract extension with the IRFU—a just reward after a number of incredible performances for his province.

While much of his 2018/2019 season was a non-starter due to a serious ACL injury, Sullivan set about making up for lost time in 2019/2020, bagging his first Munster try and racking up a number of minutes on the pitch.

Munster coach Johann van Graan has pointed to Jack’s intelligence at the back of the pack and labelled him as a ‘classical eight’. He’s also receiving considerable attention for his swift abilities when it comes to receiving and delivering the ball.

Ireland Back Row 1995—Height: 1.90m | Weight: 105.67

Ireland Back Row 2019— Height: 1.90m | Weight: 110.08

Jack O’Sullivan, aged 22—Height: 1.88m | Weight: 100kg

The Munster man weighs in 10kg less than the back rows who headed to Japan last year and more than 5kg less than the predecessors from 1995. His pace and dynamism have been areas labelled as crucial to maintain.

It would be unfair to suggest that the Ireland squad of the future will not add any additional weight, as the four men featured in this article are still only between the age of 21 and 22. However, what we are recognising is the development of faster players in all positions, so we should expect to see size controlled.

Regardless of what happens, the IRFU generation of tomorrow, with young lads like this included, will certainly make for exciting spectating!