Donal Lenihan: Andy Farrell will be less than a phone call away from Ireland

Farrell offered game time to 33 players, which wasn’t easy given the calibre of the opposition. However, it’s fair to say he would have preferred to depart on his Lions sabbatical  on the back of a more convincing set of performances

IRELAND'S CALL: Sam Prendergast during Leinster training at UCD on Tuesday. Farrell was not only trusting his gut with the call to start Prendergast, but perhaps seeking to apply pressure on Leo Cullen to start Prendergast in Leinster’s big Champions Cup games. Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

How quickly the focus changes. While the additional Test to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the IRFU not only offered the departing Andy Farrell the opportunity to expose the likes of Sam Prendergast and Gus McCarthy to the top layer of international rugby, it also helped replenish the depleted coffers of the IRFU after last week’s confirmation of a deficit of €18.3m for the year to July.

Everything comes at a cost, however, and, with the Champions Cup kicking off next weekend, Munster, Leinster, and Ulster — Connacht find themselves in the Challenge Cup this season — head straight into action not having seen their Irish contingent for over a month. Hardly ideal.