CONNACHT HEAD COACH has described the inclusion of five of his players — three of them uncapped — in Joe Schmidt’s squad for the opening two rounds of the Six Nations as “a great day” for the western province.
Caolin Blade, Jack Carty and Tom Farrell are the fresh faces to have been included alongside Ultan Dillane and Bundee Aki, both of whom featured in last year’s initial squad.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Darren Frehill on Wednesday, Friend said: “[I’m] absolutely delighted for those fellas — for all five of them, actually. For them to be recognised by the national coaching panel and selected, it’s a great day for them and a great day for Connacht.
Of Blade’s progress in the absence of Kieran Marmion, Friend gushed: “Yeah, that’s been phenomenal. Listen, since the day I arrived here he has really impressed.
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“And that’s what you want: you want that real competition within the squad, and he’s got young blokes behind him pushing him as well, so it’s a healthy squad.”
Carty’s inclusion over Leinster’s Ross Byrne was described by Ireland head coach Schmidt as “an incredibly tight call”, but his boss at provincial level wasn’t at all surprised to see the Athlone man make the 38-man panel.
Indeed, Friend expects the 26-year-old to make quite the impact if called upon in either of Ireland’s opening two fixtures.
Jack Carty was given the nod over Leinster’s Ross Byrne in Schmidt’s 38-man squad to face England and Scotland. Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO
“I’ve just been impressed with his demeanour and his skill set to be honest with you,” said the Australian. “He’s a really calm, collected footballer. He’s that way off the field too — he’s very considered as a young man and that’s the way he plays his rugby.
“So there’s a lot to like about him, and I know he’s not going to look out of place if he gets that chance in an Irish jersey.”
Friend also paid tribute to centre Farrell, noting that “he doesn’t seem like he’s moving that quick but he seems to make line breaks.