Farrell the Roy of the Rovers story Ireland need right now

The 32-year-old Munster centre believed his chance of Test recognition had eluded him

Tom Farrell during an Ireland Rugby training session at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Just when Irish Rugby needed a lift after the disappointment of that Solider Field defeat to New Zealand, along comes the feelgood story of the season so far, a Test debut for Tom Farrell in this Saturday’s Quilter Nations Series Test against Japan.

Head coach Andy Farrell delighted in his selection in a much-changed team tasked with rebounding from the 26-13 reverse to the All Blacks in Chicago last Saturday, and rightly so, given the form his namesake has shown since his career resurrection at Munster having been released by Connacht two summers ago.