Andy Friend backs Connacht duo to do Ireland proud if selected
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Connacht coach Andy Friend said that his scrum-half Caolin Blade and centre Tom Farrell are fired-up and ready to answer Ireland’s call if they received a call up to Joe Schmidt's Six Nations squad today.
Farrell, who was drafted into Irish training camps in November and at Christmas, has been in incredible form and has forced his way into contention since being brought back to Ireland from second-tier rugby in England.
Tom Farrell's game in numbers:
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) January 5, 2019
107 metres made
14 carries
4 offloads
3 defenders beaten
2 clean breaks
1 try
1 try assist
👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/CRKkniwxSt
Blade admitted a couple of weeks ago that he didn’t know where he stood in the national plan had not heard from Schmidt, has come into contention following injuries to Luke McGrath and John Cooney.
The 24-year old has been superb for Connacht this season since taking over when Kieran Marmion underwent surgery after the win over the All Blacks.
Farrell and Blade will hope to hear from the Irish management today and Friend said the pair are ready to step up.
"Both have been outstanding for us this year. There has been a few others who have been pretty good too, so we’ll wait and see what Joe and his selectors pick. We’d be really, really proud if they get selected. They would definitely step up and they’d do Ireland proud,” said the Australian."
Farrell is hoping for big news today. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t,” said Farrell. “Have I heard anything yet? No, but I have had previous exposure in November and again at Christmas for that short one- or two-day camp. It gave me a taste of it and a sense of what it would be like in there and made me a bit hungrier to get in there.”
Story via: The Irish Examiner
