WHILE IRELAND STRUGGLED against the All Blacks, their three upcoming opponents had a weekend to remember, serving Andy Farrell’s side warning that it won’t be plain sailing for the rest of November.
Starting this window with the marquee fixture was a little strange although it’s worth remembering that such scheduling worked out well for Ireland in 2016 when they beat the All Blacks for the first time ever in their opening autumn game, albeit in Chicago.
In truth, last Friday’s occasion and game were disappointing after the excitement of the build-up but there should be plenty of fun ahead Dublin in the coming weeks.
Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies enjoyed a dramatic victory over England on Saturday as new outside centre Joseph Sua’ali’i showed he has the athleticism, skills and mentality to become one of the game’s biggest stars. The Australians have moved onto Cardiff and must fancy themselves to win against Wales before facing Scotland and Ireland.
It’s certainly not inconceivable that the Wallabies could come into the Dublin clash having won all three of their games on tour.
Fiji inflicted further damage to Warren Gatland’s struggling Wales on Sunday, overcoming a rocky start and their lack of discipline in the first half to show grit and their usual levels of dazzling handling and explosive power to edge that tie in Cardiff.
The Fijians face Spain this weekend before arriving in Dublin looking for their first-ever win over Ireland.
All Farrell and his players are thinking about right now, though, is the clash with Argentina. They must be thankful it’s another Friday night game, meaning the chance to get onto the pitch and right the wrongs is a day closer than might have been the case.
There is plenty for Ireland to fix up after an error-strewn showing against the All Blacks in which their attack just never got firing. Issues at the breakdown, lineout, and basic handling cost them time and time again.
Farrell will demand a big response from his players. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
And yet, Ireland will feel the game was hugely there for the taking. Their defence was outstanding on many occasions, underlining that work rate wasn’t the issue.
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When Josh van der Flier scored early in the second half, Ireland led 13-9 and with Jordie Barrett still having another five minutes in the sin bin, there was a big opportunity.
Ireland were swiftly back in the Kiwi 22 thanks to Jamison Gibson-Park’s massive turnover tackle on Will Jordan on the end of an excellent kick chase. But the inaccuracy struck again as James Lowe was penalised for a neck roll on Jordan a few phases later.
Score there and Ireland could have suddenly been 20-9 up and in control of the game. It wasn’t to be, though, and their challenge ended in uncharacteristically meek fashion.
As seems to always be the case with Ireland in these heady days of success, defeat has been met with some wild reactions calling for a full remodelling of the squad or a couple of the coaches’ heads.
It’s certainly fair to wonder whether Farrell and his staff might have brought through a couple more new faces at this stage but he’d probably argue that a new starting out-half in Jack Crowley, a new starting second row in Joe McCarthy, Test debuts for Oli Jager and Jamie Osborne, more experience for fresher faces such as Calvin Nash, Ciarán Frawley, and Craig Casey, as well as a new captain in Caelan Doris, isn’t too bad for 2024 so far. There was always likely to be more depth-building in the upcoming three Tests.
For all the talk of ageing, Ireland’s new skipper is only 26 and very much at the stage where he needs experience around him, their three current out-halves have just 24 caps between them, and several of the squad are coming into or have entered their prime years. The rush to retire players over the age of 30 in rugby nowadays is all the more questionable as the most diligent players can keep going late into their 30s.
That said, it was obvious that Farrell didn’t get the required impact from his players last weekend after going with a highly experienced crew and no one’s place should be guaranteed. Form comes and goes for every player and there is value in Farrell reminding his men that there are consequences if they’re off-colour.
And yet, while a couple of changes to the matchday 23 were probably always planned for this Argentina game, it would be a surprise if there is not a major overlap in selection from last weekend.
Tadhg Beirne and Paul O'Connell at Ireland training today. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
Dealing with the retirement of captain, out-half, on-pitch coach, and general talisman Johnny Sexton meant this year was always likely to include some tough days, but Ireland have managed to win a Six Nations and notch the country’s second-ever win on South African soil, beating the back-to-back world champions in doing so.
So you could see why Farrell might take exception to questions about whether he and Irish fans should be worried about the bigger picture after last Friday’s performance.
He pointed out that his team have bounced back strongly before, which they did as recently as July to win that second Test against the Springboks.
Ireland’s sloppiness in their first Test in New Zealand in 2022 saw them lose on a 42-19 scoreline but that game is sometimes forgotten because of what Farrell’s men did in the following two matches.
Even during the 2023 Grand Slam, Ireland were far from perfect across their five games as they delivered a scrappy performance away to Italy and were turgid even in the clinching clash against England. What matters is that they won the title.
The focus on Ireland’s number 10 shirt is understandable. It’s the same in every rugby-playing nation. Crowley wasn’t quite able to stamp his authority onto the All Blacks game but it’s normal that such a young out-half has those days. Ciarán Frawley had a tough outing off the bench but he’s even newer to Test rugby and the errors almost certainly came from an overeagerness to make things happen. We haven’t seen 21-year-old Sam Prendergast yet but the coaches rate him and he should debut in the coming weeks.
To expect things to be completely seamless for those out-halves at this early stage would be unrealistic. Sexton ended up as an Irish rugby great but he had many low points along the way.
Maybe Friday was a night that showed us Ireland are in alarming decline but the evidence of the last few years tells us that there’s a good chance Farrell’s men will come out and deliver a much-improved performance.
Andy Farrell oversees Ireland training today. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
The frustrating thing for them is that even a powerful win against Argentina wouldn’t wipe away the disappointment of the performance and result against New Zealand. Beating the All Blacks always felt key in this window.
The danger of not getting better quickly is that Ireland could muddle their way through this autumn before Farrell departs on Lions duty, leaving interim head coach Simon Easterby with the daunting prospect of smoothing things over for the 2025 Six Nations.
That Argentina arrived in Dublin with their tails up after a 50-18 win over Italy should inspire even more intent from Ireland this week.
Felipe Contepomi’s men – who have beaten New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia this year – are the 12-point underdogs despite their big victory in Udine, so Ireland remain the firm favourites for Friday.
Farrell’s men need a potent, powerful, precise performance to show that last weekend was indeed just a blip.
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Ireland need a big push against Pumas to show last Friday was a blip
WHILE IRELAND STRUGGLED against the All Blacks, their three upcoming opponents had a weekend to remember, serving Andy Farrell’s side warning that it won’t be plain sailing for the rest of November.
Starting this window with the marquee fixture was a little strange although it’s worth remembering that such scheduling worked out well for Ireland in 2016 when they beat the All Blacks for the first time ever in their opening autumn game, albeit in Chicago.
In truth, last Friday’s occasion and game were disappointing after the excitement of the build-up but there should be plenty of fun ahead Dublin in the coming weeks.
Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies enjoyed a dramatic victory over England on Saturday as new outside centre Joseph Sua’ali’i showed he has the athleticism, skills and mentality to become one of the game’s biggest stars. The Australians have moved onto Cardiff and must fancy themselves to win against Wales before facing Scotland and Ireland.
It’s certainly not inconceivable that the Wallabies could come into the Dublin clash having won all three of their games on tour.
Fiji inflicted further damage to Warren Gatland’s struggling Wales on Sunday, overcoming a rocky start and their lack of discipline in the first half to show grit and their usual levels of dazzling handling and explosive power to edge that tie in Cardiff.
The Fijians face Spain this weekend before arriving in Dublin looking for their first-ever win over Ireland.
All Farrell and his players are thinking about right now, though, is the clash with Argentina. They must be thankful it’s another Friday night game, meaning the chance to get onto the pitch and right the wrongs is a day closer than might have been the case.
There is plenty for Ireland to fix up after an error-strewn showing against the All Blacks in which their attack just never got firing. Issues at the breakdown, lineout, and basic handling cost them time and time again.
And yet, Ireland will feel the game was hugely there for the taking. Their defence was outstanding on many occasions, underlining that work rate wasn’t the issue.
When Josh van der Flier scored early in the second half, Ireland led 13-9 and with Jordie Barrett still having another five minutes in the sin bin, there was a big opportunity.
Ireland were swiftly back in the Kiwi 22 thanks to Jamison Gibson-Park’s massive turnover tackle on Will Jordan on the end of an excellent kick chase. But the inaccuracy struck again as James Lowe was penalised for a neck roll on Jordan a few phases later.
Score there and Ireland could have suddenly been 20-9 up and in control of the game. It wasn’t to be, though, and their challenge ended in uncharacteristically meek fashion.
As seems to always be the case with Ireland in these heady days of success, defeat has been met with some wild reactions calling for a full remodelling of the squad or a couple of the coaches’ heads.
It’s certainly fair to wonder whether Farrell and his staff might have brought through a couple more new faces at this stage but he’d probably argue that a new starting out-half in Jack Crowley, a new starting second row in Joe McCarthy, Test debuts for Oli Jager and Jamie Osborne, more experience for fresher faces such as Calvin Nash, Ciarán Frawley, and Craig Casey, as well as a new captain in Caelan Doris, isn’t too bad for 2024 so far. There was always likely to be more depth-building in the upcoming three Tests.
For all the talk of ageing, Ireland’s new skipper is only 26 and very much at the stage where he needs experience around him, their three current out-halves have just 24 caps between them, and several of the squad are coming into or have entered their prime years. The rush to retire players over the age of 30 in rugby nowadays is all the more questionable as the most diligent players can keep going late into their 30s.
That said, it was obvious that Farrell didn’t get the required impact from his players last weekend after going with a highly experienced crew and no one’s place should be guaranteed. Form comes and goes for every player and there is value in Farrell reminding his men that there are consequences if they’re off-colour.
And yet, while a couple of changes to the matchday 23 were probably always planned for this Argentina game, it would be a surprise if there is not a major overlap in selection from last weekend.
Dealing with the retirement of captain, out-half, on-pitch coach, and general talisman Johnny Sexton meant this year was always likely to include some tough days, but Ireland have managed to win a Six Nations and notch the country’s second-ever win on South African soil, beating the back-to-back world champions in doing so.
So you could see why Farrell might take exception to questions about whether he and Irish fans should be worried about the bigger picture after last Friday’s performance.
He pointed out that his team have bounced back strongly before, which they did as recently as July to win that second Test against the Springboks.
Ireland’s sloppiness in their first Test in New Zealand in 2022 saw them lose on a 42-19 scoreline but that game is sometimes forgotten because of what Farrell’s men did in the following two matches.
Even during the 2023 Grand Slam, Ireland were far from perfect across their five games as they delivered a scrappy performance away to Italy and were turgid even in the clinching clash against England. What matters is that they won the title.
The focus on Ireland’s number 10 shirt is understandable. It’s the same in every rugby-playing nation. Crowley wasn’t quite able to stamp his authority onto the All Blacks game but it’s normal that such a young out-half has those days. Ciarán Frawley had a tough outing off the bench but he’s even newer to Test rugby and the errors almost certainly came from an overeagerness to make things happen. We haven’t seen 21-year-old Sam Prendergast yet but the coaches rate him and he should debut in the coming weeks.
To expect things to be completely seamless for those out-halves at this early stage would be unrealistic. Sexton ended up as an Irish rugby great but he had many low points along the way.
Maybe Friday was a night that showed us Ireland are in alarming decline but the evidence of the last few years tells us that there’s a good chance Farrell’s men will come out and deliver a much-improved performance.
The frustrating thing for them is that even a powerful win against Argentina wouldn’t wipe away the disappointment of the performance and result against New Zealand. Beating the All Blacks always felt key in this window.
The danger of not getting better quickly is that Ireland could muddle their way through this autumn before Farrell departs on Lions duty, leaving interim head coach Simon Easterby with the daunting prospect of smoothing things over for the 2025 Six Nations.
That Argentina arrived in Dublin with their tails up after a 50-18 win over Italy should inspire even more intent from Ireland this week.
Felipe Contepomi’s men – who have beaten New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia this year – are the 12-point underdogs despite their big victory in Udine, so Ireland remain the firm favourites for Friday.
Farrell’s men need a potent, powerful, precise performance to show that last weekend was indeed just a blip.
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Argentina Australia Bouncing Back Fiji Ireland Pumas