Ronan O'Gara: An arm around the shoulder or kick up the backside?

With the decision to draft in Sam Prendergast for the second of the autumn internationals, Irish rugby’s favourite blood sport is off to the races – who’s our best 10 option looking ahead to the next World Cup.

LEADING MAN: Record-equalling Cian Healy leads his Irish teammates out at Thursday's captain's run at the UCD Bowl in Dublin. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

So how high is too high a price to pay for one bad performance? It’s a question Ciarán Frawley, among others, has been rattling around this week as Ireland rake over the embers of the New Zealand defeat.

Even the tight turnaround and prep for Friday’s Test against Argentina hasn’t choked off the intriguing debate about Ireland’s out-half pecking order and depth chart.