Farrell freshens it up in Ireland's window of opportunity

There is an awareness on Andy Farrell’s part that reaching the heights between the World Cups rather than at the tournament itself is a cycle to be broken.

Paddy McCarthy and Head Coach Andy Farrell. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

There’s a lot to like about Andy Farrell’s Ireland personnel to face Australia at Aviva Stadium on Saturday. The visit of a Southern Hemisphere team in the hands of Joe Schmidt is not usually the time to roll the dice with selection, particularly when the head coach is still searching for a definitive performance of the November Test window, yet there is sufficient fresh blood in his matchday 23 to suggest he is not as conservative as his critics would have us believe.

The selection of Mack Hansen at full-back for his first Test start in the number 15 jersey brings x-factor to the Ireland backline when safer options were available as stand-ins for the injured Hugo Keenan and Jamie Osborne. The return of Stuart McCloskey at inside centre is further recognition of early season good form and a vindication of the Ulsterman’s selection to face New Zealand a fortnight ago in South Africa as squad veteran Bundee Aki still waits for a first Test start of the year in midfield.

And a first start for rookie loosehead prop Paddy McCarthy ahead of established first-choice Andrew Porter is to be applauded two years out from the next World Cup when Ireland’s in-depth squad quality will be of the utmost importance.

There is a further exposure at Test level on the right wing for Tommy O’Brien and additional opportunities to deepen the experience of back-five forwards Nick Timoney and Cian Prendergast from the bench following solid outings in last Saturday’s 41-10 victory over Japan.

While Ireland have no intention of allowing the Wallabies a free pass in Dublin following their loss to Italy in Udine last weekend, this selection marks a move away from previous windows and an awareness on Farrell’s part that reaching the heights between the World Cups rather than at the tournament itself is a cycle to be broken. It was put to the head coach yesterday as he discussed his team selection that if there is going to be a dip in form, as there undoubtedly currently is, better two years out than at Australia 2027.

"Are we getting it right this time?!!!” Farrell responded with a laugh, before adding more seriously: "This is the window for us.

“I mean, like we talk about all those players… who haven't quite got the experience but we need to give them that and this is the window to do that.

"And also, on the back of it, I think there are pretty determined senior members of the squad that's going to turn up as well on Saturday night.” 

Nine changes and two positional switches from last weekend’s big win over the Brave Blossoms was not beyond the bounds of possibility but five different faces from the team which faced the All Blacks in Chicago the previous week suggests a need to freshen up a tried and trusted selection, particularly with a rampant South Africa due in Dublin to round out the Quilter Nations Series a week later.

The recalls of James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong were to be expected but a switch from No.8 to openside flanker for captain Caelan Doris to accommodate the return of Jack Conan at the base of the scrum suggests an attempt to spark a revival while, in Farrell’s mind, it is also a further opportunity to move on from the errors of a disjointed and underwhelming first half against Japan.

“I mean, obviously it was freshened up last week but part of last week was, you know, I think when we made a few errors we went in on ourselves a little bit. And some players would have seen last week as a big opportunity and there’s a little bit of desperation that comes with that and if it’s not going too well you become a little bit supressed and all that.

“So there’s learnings from that and if you look at the lads who you would think has got an opportunity this week as far as Test level, hopefully they’ve learned the lessons from what the team went through last week.” 

IRELAND (v Australia): M Hansen (Corinthians/Connacht); T O'Brien (Blackrock College/Leinster), R Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster), S McCloskey (Bangor/Ulster), J Lowe (Leinster); S Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster), J Gibson-Park (Leinster); P McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster), D Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster), T Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster); J Ryan (UCD/Leinster), T Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster); R Baird (Dublin University/Leinster), C Doris (St Mary’s College/Leinster) – captain, J Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster).

Replacements: R Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster), A Porter (UCD/Leinster), T Clarkson (Blackrock College/Leinster), N Timoney (Banbridge/Ulster), C Prendergast (UCD/Connacht), C Casey (Shannon/Munster), J Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster), B Aki (Galwegians/Connacht).