Lions-bound Ireland coach relishing the chance to celebrate the IRFU’s 150th anniversary by taking on Joe Schmidt’s Australia
Andy Farrell and Ireland aiming to end the year on a highIn the meantime, after spluttering a little rustily in an opening loss to New Zealand, Ireland accelerated off the grid against Argentina only to run out of gas, before a slightly refreshed, reconfigured team delivered the most fluent and well-oiled performance of the series so far in beating Fiji 52-17 last Saturday.
It’s a pity that the classy Jamie Osborne will be sidelined with the adductor injury which cut short his third Test start at full-back after 28 minutes , albeit Ciarán Frawley banished some of his demons from the All Blacks game by dovetailing smoothly with Sam Prendergast as dual playmakers. “Yeah, but we’ll do what’s right for the team,” said Farrell. “That’s what we have to do. He played really well. Jack did as well, didn’t he, the other day, so we’ve a few selection headaches, that’s for sure.”
But Farrell wasn’t just paying lip service to a number when saying next Saturday’s game to mark the Union’s 150th anniversary would be a special one for his chosen players. “I think it’s progressing exactly how we thought it would do. He’s took his team by playing a good few players first and foremost and took a little bit of pain but he’s done the right thing for the squad so he’s got a good opinion and they’re reaping their reward for that at this moment in time.
This being Farrell’s last game before his sabbatical, he’ll desperately want to sign off with a win and help lay firmer foundations for when he’s observing a watching brief in the Six Nations.
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