Donal Lenihan: Now is the time for Andy Farrell to gamble on youth

In the past, especially when it came to the Six Nations Championship, everything was geared towards the next game, every selection driven by short term thinking. In that we are noticeably different from many of the top nations who continually tweak their teams, even in the cut and thrust of the Rugby Championship, with a view towards testing their less experienced players and investing in the future.

CAUGHT YOU: Harry Byrne attempts to escape Conor Murray during Ireland squad training, ahead of the clash with Japan. The biggest selection conundrum for coach Andy Farrell surrounds the perennial issue of who is best placed to cover Johnny Sexton. Picture: Dan Sheridan

The countdown has started. The main protagonists have begun to make their moves.

Anyone watching the Rugby Championship, the southern hemisphere’s equivalent of the Six Nations with rounds three to six hosted exclusively by Australia due to Covid in a series of double headers last September, couldn’t help but notice the amount of fresh talent being introduced to top level competition by the respective coaches.