Tadhg Beirne red card appeal a 'distraction' admits Andy Farrell

DISTRACTION: Tadhg Beirne training with Ireland after his red card was overturned. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady.

It was not the most eye-catching selection given the romance of Tom Farrell’s belated Ireland first cap and the return to the starting back row of captain Caelan Doris but Tadhg Beirne’s retention in the second row to face Japan in Dublin this Saturday capped a rollercoaster week for the Munster captain.

It is an Ireland side showing eight changes from last Saturday’s 26-13 defeat to New Zealand in Chicago, with Tom Farrell set to partner Robbie Henshaw in midfield at Aviva Stadium for a debut aged 32.

Doris returns to captain the team from No.8 having made his comeback from a five-month injury absence off the bench against the All Blacks, with Nick Timoney named alongside him in the back row at openside flanker

The front row sees Ronan Kelleher promoted from last weekend’s bench to starting hooker while Thomas Clarkson is handed a start at tighthead prop.

Craig Casey replaces Jamison Gibson-Park at scrum-half in an all-Munster half-back partnership with retained fly-half Jack Crowley while Jacob Stockdale earns a start on the left wing in place of James Lowe as Jamie Osborne and Tommy O’Brien are given another opportunity to bed in at full-back and right wing respectively.

Yet the second row remains intact from the one which started at Soldier Field with James Ryan named alongside Beirne in a renewal of a partnership which managed just four minutes on the field before the latter was issued with a controversial 20-minute red card for a shoulder to the head of Beauden Barrett.

The red card was rescinded by an independent disciplinary hearing on Tuesday night, much to Beirne and Andy Farrell’s relief but the head coach on Thursday revealed it had disrupted preparations for the weekend.

“It's a distraction for Tadhg,” Ireland boss Farrell said. “You can't obviously select a side or know for definite what's going to happen, even if you're putting your mortgage on trying to presume what could happen.

“So, there's a distraction. There's a distraction obviously in going through the process. The amount of emails that are flying around and the hearing itself, I sat through it with Tadhg.

“So, it's not nice. It's certainly not nice and it's not a good start to his week. He was over the moon, not like you would have seen it on his face with Tadhg's manner anyway. He was over the moon to be available to be selected this week.”

Nor where Beirne’s troubles over there, as Farrell explained.

“He trained yesterday and Jack Conan came down on his head with his elbow from a lineout and he got split. I think he had six stitches. So, not a great start to the week for him but hopefully it gets better.”