Footballers' heroics can inspire Irish for 'main event' against Springboks, says Farrell

Ireland’s last-gasp heroics in Budapest last Sunday have reverberated through Farrell’s Irish camp this week

Irish head coach Andy Farrell. Pic: Bryan Keane/Inpho

Andy Farrell believes the feelgood factor enveloping the nation’s footballers can inspire his Ireland rugby team against South Africa this Saturday with the backing of a sold-out Aviva Stadium crowd stoked for a Test match he described as “the main event”.

The Republic of Ireland’s last-gasp heroics in Budapest last Sunday to reach the World Cup play-off qualifying semi-final next March have reverberated through Farrell’s Irish camp this week and the head coach is sure the previous Thursday’s epic 2-0 win for Heimir Hallgrimsson’s team against Portugal at Aviva Stadium helped fuel Ireland’s record 46-19 victory over Australia at the same venue 48 hours later.

The defeat of the Wallabies came against the backdrop of a passionate atmosphere generated by another sell-out attendance last Saturday, though the Ireland boss likened that fixture to a “little taster” compared to the headline act coming next against the back-to-back world champions when the current positivity in Irish sport can inspire his players.

"Everyone feels it, don't they?” Farrell said. “Everyone feels it.

"I don't know whether it had an impact with regards to the atmosphere against Australia, I'm sure it did. I thought the IRFU did a fantastic job with regards to the start of the game, the atmosphere was good from the get-go and players do respond to that.

"It ended up in the scoreline it ended up with, I suppose if that's a little taster, this is the main event coming on Saturday I would have thought."

Farrell on Thursday named a team showing four changes from the side which started against Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies, while retaining Sam Prendergast at fly-half ahead of Jack Crowley, who had started the first two matches this month, a defeat to New Zealand and victory over Japan.

Josh van der Flier is back from a hamstring strain. Pic: Ben Brady/Inpho

Andrew Porter returns at loosehead prop after making way for first-time Test starter Paddy McCarthy last time out, while Josh van der Flier is back in at openside flanker following his recovery from a hamstring strain which forced him out of the Japan and Australia wins, with captain Caelan Doris moving from number seven to No.8 as Jack Conan drops to the bench.

In the backline there is a fresh centre pairing as Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose replace Stuart McCloskey and Robbie Henshaw, both of whom were ruled out through injury, while on the bench there is another opportunity for Munster centre Tom Farrell following his Test debut against Japan a fortnight earlier, as the outside back replacement.

Farrell is confident his team will produce their best performance of the month in this final Test of 2025 having built steadily through November. He also believes Ireland will need to be at their very best if they are to avoid a first home defeat to the Springboks since 2012.

“If you didn’t think that was going to be the case you’re doing something wrong. But that’s not to say playing against the best in the world that that’s going to happen because if you’re not up to speed with how you attack the game then they smell a sign of weakness.

“Obviously we didn’t get the performance that we wanted (in defeat to the All Blacks), but the hard work that we put in, in Chicago and in the camp beforehand, we said at the time after the game that it would stand to us.

“Now, I think we’re more up to speed with international rugby, the pressures of it, the accuracy of it, and the speed of it and the fitness levels, but you’ve still got to turn up and apply all that and take your game forward to an outstanding team.” The Ireland head coach sees Saturday’s game as an opportunity for his players to measure themselves against the world’s best and is not underplaying its importance.

"It always is, but none more so than the expectation we put on ourselves to make sure we make sure we use an opportunity in the right manner.

"Of course, we'll learn no matter what but we're trying to prove to ourselves the whole time that we're taking steps forward and this will be the litmus test for where we are, certainly, that's going to concentrate the mind in the next couple of months leading up to the Six Nations."