Henderson: Selection worries need to take a back seat for Samoan challenge

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has brought forward his World Cup squad announcement from Monday morning to Sunday afternoon.

TEAM FOCUS: Ireland captain Ian Henderson during an Ireland rugby media conference. 

Iain Henderson has challenged his Ireland squad-mates to forget any anxiety about World Cup selection and concentrate on pushing their claims through producing a collective team performance to be proud of against Samoa on Saturday night.

The Ireland lock will captain his country for the second time in this pre-tournament summer campaign as Johnny Sexton sits out the third and final game of his three-match suspension when Andy Farrell’s squad round out a week of warm-weather training in southwestern France against a strong Samoa side at Stade Jean Dauger.