Andy Farrell closes the door on Simon Zebo recall

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has poured cold water on the possibility of Simon Zebo being recalled to the test team while he is still plying his trade in France.

Simon Zebo's recent performances for Racing 92 have led to calls for his recall to the Irish squad particularly after his brace in the Champions Cup final against Exeter Chiefs. 30-year-old Zebo has 35 test caps to his name as well as five tries in the Ireland jersey but hasn't featured for the side since Ireland's 22-50 win over Japan back in 2017.

The former Munster outside back joined Racing 92 in 2018 and wasn't selected for Ireland under Joe Schmidt and is unlikely to be recalled under Andy Farrell.

“First things first, I suppose you know the answer to this, I’ve always got to think of what’s the right thing to do for Irish rugby in the here and now and the long term.

“That’s the reason that we’ve always gone down the route of not looking outside of Ireland so we’re protecting Irish rugby.”

Currently, there is no official rule prohibiting Farrell from turning to Zebo but the Ireland boss like his predecessors has decided against selection players based outside of Ireland. In fact, the last time a player featured for Ireland while not plying his trade for either Connacht, Ulster, Munster or Leinster was back in 2015 when Jonathan Sexton played against Scotland while still contracted to Racing 92. 

Farrell's comments come after former Exeter Chiefs' flyhalf Gareth Steenson called on the IRFU to review its policy.

"There are only four provinces that you can select from, so why take away the opportunity if some of your best players are away playing top-level rugby in a different competition? They will be are learning from other players and other leagues." Steenson said after Exeter won the Champions Cup.

"I understand that it is an easier way to look after players, being at home, but for me I never had an opportunity to play for any of the provinces." he continued.

"I was always at a disadvantage as I was never going to get selected for Ireland, that was just the way it fell for me. Hopefully, one day, the IRFU might look across the water, but I can say that now I'm finishing." 

Steenson's clubmate Ian Whitten won two Ireland caps while playing for Ulster but didn't get another look in after he joined Exeter while Zebo was his opponent in the Final. Steenson believes both players should have more Ireland caps.

"Ian was not getting the opportunities he would have wanted at Ulster, and did not have a chance to play for another province," Steenson continued.

"He ended up over here but could have more caps for Ireland. It is the same with Simon. I had a good chat with him after the game, he is loving life over there and playing some great stuff."