Ireland’s Rugby Team: Takeaways from a Mixed November Series.

Author: Liam Lacey, Last Updated: 10.12.2024

Introduction

The 2024 November Rugby Series has come and gone with the Ireland team picking up three wins from the four matches they played at the Aviva Stadium throughout November. The rugby kicked off with a very disappointing defeat to Rugby World Cup rivals New Zealand on a scoreline of 23-13, before the team won their next three games. A 22-19 win over Argentina was followed up by a 52-17 win over Fiji, with a hard fought 22-19 win over former boss Joe Schmidt’s new team Australia rounding off the Autumn Nations Series.

In this week’s column, we will look at some takeaways for the Ireland team from last month’s matches, as they look forward to 2025 and a year without their Head Coach Andy Farrell who is taking on his new role as Lions Head Coach for the year.

Who will be Ireland No 10 by the time the Six Nations Starts?

Going into the Autumn games Munster’s Jack Crowley appeared to be the man in control of Ireland’s No 10 jersey. He had started all the 2024 Six Nations games and seemed to be the man Andy Farrell, and the Ireland coaches trusted most in that position. Ciaran Frawley looked to be his main competition for the shirt before the November games, but by the end of the Series Leinster’s new star at No 10 Sam Prendergast had shown everybody the quality and potential he has as Johnny Sexton’s long-term successor as Ireland out-half.

A very impressive first start against Fiji, (bar that early yellow card), was rewarded with another start in a vital game against Australia, and once again the 21-year-old did not seem to be fazed by playing at the highest level. How much he can force his way into Leo Cullen’s plans at Leinster over the coming couple of months before the 2025 Six Nations begins may well decide if Prendergast holds onto the jersey for the clash against England on February 1st.

A New Star at Hooker

Ireland had serious question marks over the fitness of many of their Hooker options leading into the November Series. This had led to many believing Connacht No 2 Dave Heffernan was finally going to get a crack in the jersey in the absence of Dan Sheehan, Ronan Kelleher and Rob Herring. Kelleher and Herring managed to get back just in time for the New Zealand game with Kelleher starting, but it was the emergence of another name that caught everybody’s attention over the course of the month. Leinster’s 21-year-old hooker Gus McCarthy. McCarthy was playing AIL rugby back in January and before the start of the season, he had played just 25 minutes of senior rugby with Leinster, but his form over the November matches means that he is now a workable choice at No 2 in the absence of Sheehan. Like Prendergast, how much game time he sees with his province may determine if he is in the squad for the Six Nations.

Doris’ Development as Captain

Andy Farrell’s decision to appoint Caelan Doris as his captain for the November Series grabbed headlines before the action got underway, but the Mayo man certainly grew into the role with each passing game. He was arguably Ireland’s best performer over the month of games, showing that the pressure of being made permanent skipper of the side was not going to detract from the world class performances that we have all grown accustomed to from Doris.

Players of the Series

Despite some less than impressive moments collectively from the team during the Series, there were several individuals that stood out for fans at the Aviva and to those watching at home. New captain Caelan Doris certainly improved as the matches went on, leaving his best performance for the final game against the Aussies. New kids on the block Sam Prendergast and Gus McCarthy have certainly propelled themselves into the limelight with their first few appearances in the green shirt, while Robbie Henshaw was particularly effective over the final three games in both the No 12 and 13 jerseys.

Conclusion

With Andy Farrell’s Lions sabbatical starting after Ireland’s win over Australia it is going to be an interesting 2025 as the side adjusts to a year without their Head Coach in the Ireland set up. Playing their way in to Farrell’s Lions squad in the summer of 2025 is another conundrum facing the team as they look ahead to next year and the kick-off to the 2025 Six Nations against England in Dublin on February 1st.

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