The Leinster coach is under no obligation to consult Ireland coach Andy Farrell about selection, he has total control of individual games and is free to pick the side as he chooses
"Their front-row is tough, very solid and full of internationals and second-rows Ollie Chessum and George Martin are big lumps, the dynamic changes a bit in the back-row."
"It's very hard in the moment to put any positive spin on it because it's just one of those things, the nature of the game. At least he performed well in the game, he was outstanding.”
Arne Slot’s side had lost six of their previous seven league matches before edging West Ham last weekend and labouring to an unconvincing home draw against surprise contenders Sunderland
The Blues have far from their best so far this term, suffering three defeats from six matches and seemingly lacking the cohesion and consistency that has been their hallmark in recent years
Ireland A beat Spain, world-ranked no15, 61-24, a result that looked far better a week later when England A scored the last two tries to beat Spain 29-25