Selection Dilemmas for Andy Farrell ahead of Ireland vs Australia

Author: Liam Lacey, Last Updated: 29.11.2024

Ireland head into their final November Series match against former coach Joe Schmidt’s Australia with a record of won 2, lost 1 in their three matches so far this month. The disappointing loss to burgeoning rivals New Zealand has been followed by a less than impressive win against Argentina and a more uplifting win against Fiji last Saturday at the Aviva Stadium. Australia roll into town on November 30th following wins over England and Wales, before a 27-13 loss to Scotland last weekend halted the momentum that the Wallabies were building after a tumultuous Rugby Championship campaign during the summer.

Saturday’s game against Australia will not only mark the IRFU’s 150th anniversary, but it is Andy Farrell’s last game in charge before his Lions sabbatical during 2025. As well as this, it will also be the first time Joe Schmidt is facing Ireland as a head coach of another nation since his departure in 2019, meaning there are lots of reasons to be excited about the prospect of Ireland facing the Australians on Saturday.

Injury News

Jacob Stockdale, Jamie Osbourne, Tadhg Furlong and Ryan Baird have all been ruled out of Saturday’s game, which is particularly disappointing news for Stockdale and Furlong.

Stockdale was impressing in his first start for Ireland since being overlooked for the Rugby World Cup squad in 2023, before injury struck the 28-year-old once again, leading to him being substituted during the match against Fiji. Furlong has yet to play during the November internationals, and Irish fans will now have to wait until at least the 2025 Six Nations before they might see the Leinster Tight-Head wearing the green jersey again.

Osbourne who has proved a useful and versatile member of the squad was also replaced during the Fiji win due to injury and will not feature during the anniversary game on Saturday.

Selection Dilemmas for Farrell

With Furlong being ruled out it means one less selection dilemma for Farrell in his last match before he begins his job with the Lions next year, but there are still plenty of decisions for the coach to have to mull over before the match against his former boss. The out-half position has been Jack Crowley’s since the retirement of Jonathan Sexton after last year’s World Cup but coming into these series of games Ciaran Frawley put his hand up for selection with some impressive performances for Leinster and Ireland.

New star in the making Sam Prendergast has now also put himself into the discussion after a strong first start in a green jersey against Fiji. The 21-year-old responded very well to an early yellow card to show fans why there is so much excitement about the Leinster Fly-Half as he pulled the strings for the full 80 minutes. Frawley off the back of a disappointing substitute appearance against the All Blacks also seemed to recover some confidence in the Fiji game, meaning Farrell has a genuine decision to make about who wears the No 10 jersey against the Wallabies.

Who Plays in the Centre

3 into 2 just doesn’t go, and for Ireland that means one of the world class trio of Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki will always find themselves out of the starting 15. Ringrose and Aki started the loss to New Zealand, but Henshaw has responded to that with two very smart performances at No 12 and No 13 over the last two weeks against Argentina and Fiji. Aki also recovered his form against Fiji, which means that the choice of Ireland’s midfield partnership at the weekend will be far from straightforward for the Coach. Whomever loses out for Saturday’s game can consider themselves very unlucky, but such are the riches that this Ireland team have in those midfield positions.

Back Row Options

Another area where Farrell may have a choice to make is in the back row. Captain Caelan Doris at No 8 and Joah van de Flier at 7 look nailed but at No 6 he might have a choice to make. Tadhg Beirne played there against New Zealand and Argentina and may do so again, but Cormac Izuchukwu looked more than comfortable at 6 against Fiji, and certainly staked his claim for further involvement. Then there is Peter O ‘Mahony. The former Captain came off the bench against New Zealand and Argentina and depending on his fitness may be called upon against Australia.

Whichever team Farrell picks for the game, the Coach will hope that his players are saving their best performance for their final game of the November Series, and his final game before his Lions sabbatical. A win and they are bouncing into the Six Nations in the New Year, another defeat and questions might start getting asked about whether the Irish side needs an overhaul heading into 2025.

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