{"id":417245,"date":"2026-04-02T20:49:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T20:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/417245\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T20:49:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T20:49:17","slug":"four-irish-players-to-watch-in-europe-this-weekend-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/417245\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Irish players to watch in Europe this weekend \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cathal Forde (Connacht)<\/p>\n

Since Tom Farrell\u2019s departure to Munster<\/a>, filling the 13 shirt at Connacht<\/a> hasn\u2019t been an easy task. Many were called, a few were chosen, but no one\u2019s claim to the jersey was unequivocal. This season, Stuart Lancaster<\/a> initially turned to Byron Ralston, but a knee injury in October has kept him on the sideline since. <\/p>\n

Hugh Gavin took over, but he too succumbed to injury and hasn\u2019t played since December. Cathal Forde has played 18 matches this season, 14 at inside centre, where the bulk of his Connacht caps have come. He played a couple of matches in December in the 13 jersey, but in the last two weeks, with Bundee Aki back and starting after suspension, Forde has shifted to outside centre.<\/p>\n

\"Connacht'sConnacht’s Cathal Forde is tackled by Ospreys’ Evardi Boshoff during last weekend’s URC game at the Dexcom Stadium. Photograph: Tom O\u2019Hanlon\/Inpho <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a surprise that he has adapted so well. Forde, who celebrates his 25th birthday next week, is a former underage international, has played for Emerging Ireland and the Ireland XV. He brings a formidable array of skills across a variety of positions. He played outhalf at underage level and possesses an excellent all-round kicking game.<\/p>\n

\"\"Transfer rumour mill runs hot as Irish provinces gear up for Europe<\/p>\n

His range of passing, vision, footwork and strength at the line ensure he is a real handful for opponents. The fact he has gelled well with Aki is also important. His medium to long-term future might favour the other midfield role, but there\u2019s not doubt he\u2019ll benefit from his current remit. <\/p>\n

Cormac Izuchukwu (Ulster)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a largely frustrating season to date for \u2018Izzy\u2019, with injury and recent concussion issues the chief disruptors. The London-born, Tullamore-raised secondrow will want a strong end of the season, both from a provincial and national perspective. <\/p>\n

A brilliant athlete, the 26-year-old is the ideal fusion of power and pace, effective in carrying through heavy traffic around the fringes or galloping down the touchline. He possesses excellent ball skills and is aggressive in his tackling.<\/p>\n

\"CormacCormac Izuchukwu scores a try for Ulster during a Champions Cup clash against Exeter Chiefs last season. Photograph: Liam McBurney\/PA <\/p>\n

One of four Ireland<\/a> players shortlisted for the Six Nations<\/a> Rising Player award won by Rob Baloucoune<\/a>, Izuchukwu was given his tournament debut in a start against Italy. Andy Farrell<\/a> has namechecked him several times, highlighting his potential since taking him on tour to South Africa in 2024. He didn\u2019t play in either Test but has since been capped four times. <\/p>\n

Izuchukwu needs consistent game time between now and the end of the club season to ensure a plane ticket for Ireland\u2019s three-match Nations Cup schedule in Australia and New Zealand this summer. There is huge competition in the back five in the pack, so the only way to stake a claim is to be playing on a regular basis. He boasts a high ceiling but needs to add a consistent body of work.<\/p>\n

Jack Crowley (Munster)<\/p>\n

The 26-year-old has come to understand the capricious nature of sport and the court of public opinion better than most, not least this season. He started as first-choice outhalf for Ireland in the November Tests, lost that role to Sam Prendergast, then won the jersey back for the England game and retained it through the Wales and Scotland fixtures.<\/p>\n

While much of the debate was subsumed by provincial bias, there is no doubting that he took the opportunity presented. The retirements of Peter O\u2019Mahony and Conor Murray meant he had to take on more of a governance role alongside his halfback partner Craig Casey. <\/p>\n

\"JackJack Crowley kicks a conversion during Munster’s URC game against the Bulls last Saturday. Photograph: Darren Stewart\/Inpho <\/p>\n

Crowley\u2019s performance last weekend in the defeat to the Bulls was a reminder of his physical qualities, skills and game management. He is a substantial and marked point of difference when Munster find their flow in attack. The disguise and timing of the pass for the Ben O\u2019Connor try was a prime example. <\/p>\n

Place-kicking accuracy remains a work-on for Crowley through a series of fine displays. A facilitator for his team-mates, he will be key if Munster are to find a way past Exeter at Sandy Park on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)<\/p>\n

Perhaps only Antoine Dupont of France and Toulouse offers a comparable focal point for his team\u2019s attacking patterns as Jamison Gibson-Park<\/a>. The 34-year-old scrumhalf fulfils that role for club and country. He is the senior partner at halfback and it is difficult to overstate his importance to the team. <\/p>\n

There is a substantial requirement from the pack to provide the right type of ball, but when afforded scope to run the game, there are few, if any, better than Gibson-Park at getting his team into the right areas of the pitch. His foot speed, quickness of pass, vision, decision-making and ability to read the game provide tempo and direction. His box-kicking is pinpoint, his line-kicking prodigious.<\/p>\n

\"JamisonJamison Gibson-Park during last weekend’s URC game against Scarlets at the Aviva Stadium. Photograph: Dan Clohessy\/Inpho <\/p>\n

A recent high point was his marvellous display at Twickenham, when he showcased a cornucopia of all those skills while taking pressure off his team-mates. If Leinster are to make it all the way to Bilbao in late May, it\u2019s probable that Gibson-Park will be a strong contributor along the way. That starts on Sunday against Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

As Leinster look to reshuffle personnel to accommodate injury issues in several positions, his importance intensifies. This is illustrated by his playing stats for the province this season: eight starts, seven wins. Give him an inch and he\u2019ll take a mile. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cathal Forde (Connacht) Since Tom Farrell\u2019s departure to Munster, filling the 13 shirt at Connacht hasn\u2019t been an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417246,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[56840,56839,23199,158968,18,19,17,73724,103112,12861,12311,132,23200],"class_list":{"0":"post-417245","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-challenge-cup","9":"tag-champions-cup","10":"tag-connacht-rugby","11":"tag-cormac-izuchukwu","12":"tag-eire","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-jack-crowley","16":"tag-jamison-gibson-park","17":"tag-leinster-rugby","18":"tag-munster-rugby","19":"tag-sports","20":"tag-ulster-rugby"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116337087942236755","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417245"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417245\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}