Andy Farrell: Craig Casey deserves to start for Ireland in a big game

Craig Casey during an Ireland men's rugby squad training session at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Abbotstown, Dublin. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Andy Farrell says Craic Casey has earned the chance to lead Ireland into a week against one of rugby’s strongest nations after naming the Munster scrum-half in the starting side for the first of their November Tests matches.

Casey has played 32 times for Ireland now but with the vast majority of those coming off the bench given Jamison Gibson-Park’s marked superiority to all other comers in the role for the past six years but the Leinster nine backs him up this time off the bench.

Ulster’s Nathan Doak is the next cab off the rank in the position and Casey can engineer some separation between them while closing the gap on Gibson-Park with a strong performance in a team boasting eight Lions and with five more in the reserves.

Too often in the past the Limerick man has been asked to start games for his country in rejigged sides. He will be partnered at half-back by Leinster’s Sam Prendergast and Farrell made it clear exactly why he was getting this run at this point.

“Because Craig deserves to play in a big game at the start of the season, to have the responsibility to be in charge of the week and how they go about that, and take responsibility for how we play on Friday.

“We need him to be able to have the opportunity to do that. Plus he’s been playing pretty well himself. He knows the competition is there but he’s got the shirt so it’s up to him and his teammates to make a good first impression.” 

The Ireland head coach is backing his players while at the same time making it crystal clear that now, with the World Cup fast approaching over the horizon, is the time to impress. There are only eleven games to play before the tournament starts next year.

Nick Timoney with Forwards Coach Paul O'Connell and Head of Athletic Performance Aled Walters. Pic: Ben Brady/Inpho

Nick Timoney is another who is being challenged to take his chance as he starts ahead of Josh van der Flier at openside. Sam Illo is the reserve tighthead, in instead of Thomas Clarkson who normally wears that shirt.

As for Sean Jansen, het gets his first start on home soil with the unavailability through injury of both captain Caelan Doris and Jack Conan. This, said Farrell, is the start of a !2-month journey” and he is starting it by asking players to close the gaps on the teamsheet.

“Yeah 100 percent, in all areas. If ever a player feels comfortable, we’re failing the group. We are. We’ve not got those players anyway.

“I don’t think people are comfortable, just by their nature, but if you want to keep ambition growing as a group then you’ve got to keep the ambition within the individual.”