#20 Who Starts at 10 for Ireland? O'Gara and Biggar Go Head-to-Head

The Rugby Pod

The Ringer

Sports, Comedy, Rugby

4.7 • 5.3K Ratings

🗓️ 1 February 2026

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ronan O’Gara and Dan Biggar break down Ireland’s biggest selection call ahead of the Six Nations: who starts at fly-half? From Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast's battle, to Harry Byrne’s late charge, the lads dig into what Andy Farrell really values at ten, in terms of game management, attacking ambition, and long-term best option to take Ireland forward. It’s a proper rugby-nause chat, shaped by two men who know a thing or two about pulling the strings at the very highest Test level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Ireland has always been a team led by a powerful figurehead up fly half.
0:09.0	Whether it was Ulsterman David Humphre's 13-year international career of Ronan Agara
0:14.0	or the 118 international caps of Jonathan Sexton.
0:17.0	However, since Johnny Sexton's retirement, nobody has been able to make the shirt their own.
0:21.3	Now, one year out from the next Rugby World Cup, two clear young candidates are battling it out.
0:25.7	But does Andy Farrell need to make a decision and back one man as has always been the Irish way?
0:31.0	In this video, myself and Ronan Agara break down the options at 10, how Ireland want to play,
0:36.1	and whether they should stick or twist with their selection policy.
0:39.7	Hello and welcome back to a special edition of the Rugby Pod,
0:42.8	a deep dive into the Irish 10 debate with a man who wore that jersey for 13 years,
0:48.0	Ronan O'Gara.
0:49.2	So settle back, enjoy, and make sure you subscribe to on Spotify.
0:55.4	This episode is brought to you by HubSpot.
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1:03.2	Well, that's like playing a rugby match with one-fifth of a team, Andrew.
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1:31.6	Key question for Ireland at the minute seems to be the decision around who gets the 10 jersey.
1:36.5	Yep, a few contenders.
	...

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