Doris and Co. keen to make good on 'second chance' after All Blacks performance

TURNAROUND NEEDED: Ireland players Finlay Bealham, left, and Caelan Doris react at the final whistle of the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Caelan Doris has admitted his Ireland team are getting a second chance from Andy Farrell having been given the opportunity to face Argentina in Dublin on Friday night and atone for a error-strewn performance in defeat to New Zealand seven days earlier.

The Ireland captain is one of 14 players retained in the starting line-up from the 23-13 Aviva Stadium loss to the All Blacks in their first game of November’s Autumn Nations Series, with Bundee Aki the only casualty, replaced at inside centre by Robbie Henshaw.

There are also four changes to the replacements with Iain Henderson, Conor Murray and Ciaran Frawley axed and uncapped tighthead prop Thomas Clarkson coming in for the injured Tom O’Toole. Sam Prendergast could also make his Ireland debut on Friday as he takes over as fly-half cover from Frawley for Jack Crowley.

Doris echoed head coach Farrell’s praise for the 21-year-old Prendergast when he faced the media for his captain’s run press conference on Thursday, a day after the Ireland boss had said several players had been lucky to keep their places.

Speaking after the training session at Dublin’s UCD Bowl, with the national rugby team making way for the their football counterparts ahead of a Nations League tie with Finland at Aviva Stadium on Thursday night, Doris acknowledged those words and said: “Yeah, definitely, we’re getting a second chance and there’s competition.

“There are a lot of people who want to wear the jersey so there's a bit of pressure to perform there but excitement as well, an opportunity too, so that's the underlying thing.” 

Doris counted himself as one of the players in need of a big performance against Pumas this weekend but said the litany of mistakes that helped to end a 19-Test winning run on home soil were all fixable, not least Ireland’s penalty count against the All Blacks last time out.

Ireland captain Caelan Doris. Pic: Dan Sheridan

“I think so. Discipline for this team has been a strength. I think we average around 10 penalties or less. We were up at 13 and they came at crucial moments in the game. We’d five in a row after we’d scored in the second half and they kicked nine points from that and as we were getting momentum back it completely turned back towards them.

“When you are playing on the edge, you are always going to give away a few but a lot of them were avoidable ones so there was disappointment around that. But there was also a feeling that there’s more in us, in terms of intent and making it happen a little bit as individuals. 

"I definitely felt that myself, there’s more in me and I was a little bit disappointed with the lack of impact in the game and not as many involvements as I would have liked and I know a few guys who were like that and we’ve another chance tomorrow.” 

Prendergast’s expected introduction as Crowley’s replacement for his Ireland debut after just eight starts at number 10 for Leinster has piled the pressure on the Munster out-half, an ever-present for Farrell following the retirement of Johnny Sexton 13 months ago and Doris’s assessment of his provincial team-mate did not relieve the expectation on Ireland’s starting playmaker to deliver a big performance.

“He's an unbelievable player,” Doris said of Prendergast. “Some of the things he does in training, it's pretty unique. He's probably one of the most skilful guys I've come across.

“He can pull a rabbit out of a hat but he's also calmer and making the right decisions a little bit now and playing what's in front of him and not always trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat, even though he's got that capability.

“He's finding the balance there in terms of controlling a game, making the right decisions, bringing the best out of other people but also capable of a bit of magic. The message to him has been be himself and do his thing during the week and I'm excited to see what he does tomorrow.”