Former Ireland star hints he could swap nations and play for England

Yesterday at 02:33 PM

Joey Carbery could be on the move again – and this time, it might come with a new international jersey.

Find your local Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!

The former Ireland fly-half, once touted as Johnny Sexton's long-term successor, has revealed he's open to representing England as he approaches three years in the Test rugby wilderness.

Now 27, Carbery departed Munster under a cloud last year and currently plies his trade at Top 14 giants Bordeaux, but his future remains uncertain.

From golden boy to forgotten man

Born in New Zealand, Carbery emerged at Leinster but found himself playing second fiddle to Sexton. Ireland and then-head coach Joe Schmidt wanted him as a frontline No.10, leading to a high-profile move to Munster in 2018.

That switch was supposed to fast-track him to greatness, but injuries – coupled with the rise of Jack Crowley and Ben Healy – saw him fall down the pecking order. With game time drying up, he walked away from Irish rugby and took up a contract in France.

England on the cards?

Speaking to Off the Ball, Carbery admitted that if a Gallagher Premiership club came calling, he could throw his lot in with England.

"Actually, through my mum, I'm English-qualified as well in November because it's been three years since I played for Ireland," Carbery revealed.

"If an English team comes looking, then it makes it easier for me to slot into the Premiership because I'm English-qualified."

The ultimate plot twist?

Could the former Irish golden boy make a dramatic switch? The door is open – and with England's fly-half depth far from settled, it's a move that could shake up the international landscape.

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How England will likely line-up against Scotland, major changes expected

All eyes will turn to Scotland from Monday, with England preparing to end their run of consecutive defeats to Gregor Townsend’s side. The Calcutta Cup has begun to collect dust after being sat in the Scottish trophy cabinet for the past four years, with England adamant to get the iconic piece of silverware back down to the south side of the border next Saturday. All the while, the Scots eye up a historic fifth win in a row against their old Anglo enemies, and send Borthwick’s men back to the drawing board ‘tae think again’.

There has been some high profile arrivals at the England training centre this past week, with plenty of hope behind the potential returns for Manny Feyi-Waboso, Alex Dombrandt and Jack van Poortvleit. We’ve gone early in our prediction for the incoming Test match, as we try and decipher who Borthwick will pick next Thursday, when he officially announces the squad to face Scotland.

PREDICTED SQUAD: ENGLAND TEAM TO FACE SCOTLAND – 2025 GUINNESS MEN’S SIX NATIONS

BACK THREE

15. Marcus Smith (Harlequins)

14. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)

11. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)

There is an abundance of excitement around the potential return of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, as the Exeter Chiefs man has been recalled to the squad for a day of injury rehabilitation. Feyi-Waboso has not featured for either England of the Chiefs since December, as the flyer sustained a dislocated shoulder in a Premiership clash with Sale Sharks.

However, the 22-year-old seems to be on the mend faster than first expected, as Feyi-Waboso decided to forgo a shoulder operation that would have ruled him out for the entirety of the 2025 Six Nations. The Exeter University medicine scholar certainly knows his anatomy, and backs himself to be fully fit for a late push for some Six Nations minutes. We will find out in the next few days whether Manny gets the go ahead for the Scotland training week, with Ollie Sleightholme expected to start in his absence.

We’ve predicted the 15 and 14 shirts to remain unchanged from the side that beat France, with Marcus Smith and Tommy Freeman returning to the starting XV. Whilst Smith had an underwhelming afternoon from the kicking tee, the Harlequin lit up the Allianz with some devastating kick returns deep from the back-field. Freeman was also excellent in the win over Les Bleus, with his stand-out moment being a top-rate try, as he collaborated with his Saints teammate Fin Smith, to collect and ground a kick to the corner.

CENTRES

13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)

12. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)

The tried and test midfield is once again our predicted England partnership, with Henry Slade and Ollie Lawrence exuding an impressive combination against Fabien Galthie’s side. The latest 28-man training squad for this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s training week has only solidified the pairing, as Fraser Dingwall was not included in the squad, despite being the main outside contender to a starting centre spot.

The potential for Feyi-Waboso’s return would also strengthen Henry Slade’s claim to the outside centre shirt, which would see the midfielders swap jerseys from last weekend’s win. Slade would be able to link up into the wide channels with his Exeter Chiefs teammate, and Steve Borthwick has previously expressed his desire for synergy in his squad to be strengthen at club level. Just look at the assortment of Northampton options in the back-line, or the solid Saracens contingency in the forward pack to reinforce this idea.

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