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Just one XV change for Ireland, but two rookies named on the bench

Ireland players huddle during last Friday's Autumn Nations Series loss to New Zealand (Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Andy Farrell has unveiled an Ireland team that has just one alteration from the XV that lost 13-23 to New Zealand last Friday, Robbie Henshaw replacing Bundee Aki at inside centre.

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The Irish were off the pace in their Autumn Nations Series opener, the 10-point defeat seeing them relinquish the World Rugby No1 ranking, but their reaction has been to keep faith with 14 of those same 15 starters.

Their selection gets more interesting on the much-changed bench, however, with uncapped Leinster pair, tighthead Thomas Clarkson and out-half Sam Prendergast, named at the expense of the injured Tom O’Toole and the out-of-sorts Ciaran Frawley.

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Rassie Erasmus on facing England at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.

The Springboks will be bracing themselves for a huge showdown against an England team desperate to right the wrongs after suffering back-to-back home defeats.

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Rassie Erasmus on facing England at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.

The Springboks will be bracing themselves for a huge showdown against an England team desperate to right the wrongs after suffering back-to-back home defeats.

There are also two other bench changes with Ryan Baird and Craig Casey respectively included as sub second row and sub scrum-half in place of Iain Henderson and Conor Murray.

Sub loosehead Cian Healy has been retained, though, lining him up to join Brian O’Driscoll as Ireland most capped Test player.

Team Form

Last 5 Games

3
Wins
3
1
Streak
1
10
Tries Scored
22
-9
Points Difference
29
4/5
First Try
1/5
3/5
First Points
2/5
4/5
Race To 10 Points
1/5

Farrell said: “There has been a sharp focus in training this week and the squad are determined to get back to winning ways in front of a vocal home crowd. Friday will be a special night at Aviva Stadium for more reasons than one.

“For Cian, on the other end of the career spectrum, it will be an incredible moment for him, his family and friends to reach Brian O’Driscoll’s 133-cap landmark.

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“We will pay tribute to Cian again, but he is a legend of the game in Ireland and his influence amongst his teammates, past and present, transcends his many successes on the field. It promises to be a special night.”

Ireland (vs Argentina, Friday)
15. Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster) (40)
14. Mack Hansen (Corinthians/Connacht) (22)
13. Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster) (61)
12. Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster) (74)
11. James Lowe (Leinster) (34)
10. Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster) (17)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster) (36)
1. Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster) (67)
2. Ronan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster) (34)
3. Finlay Bealham (Corinthians/Connacht) (43)
4. Joe McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster) (13)
5. James Ryan (UCD/Leinster)(65)
6. Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster) (53)
7. Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster) (65)
8. Caelan Doris (St Mary’s College/Leinster) (44) (captain)

Replacements:
16. Rob Herring (Ballynahinch/Ulster) (41)
17. Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) (132)
18. Thomas Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster) (0)
19. Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster) (22)
20. Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) (108)
21. Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster) (15)
22. Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster) (0)
23. Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster) (3)

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Comments

3 Comments
S
SK 7 days ago

No need to panic for Ireland. Should nail these inconsistent pumas however they need to beware the bite and flair of the Argies. Irelands defensive system is sound but Argie have picked apart every side they played against this year. Even against the much vaunted Bok defence they scored 4 tries on their home turf in quick succession and completely blitzed the Aussies.

J
Jacque 7 days ago

I personally think this Ireland team peaked the last 2 years & it ended in the RWC QF against NZ

L
LRB 7 days ago

Well this Puma side is the real deal, they've played some incredible rugby recently (& not so recently) with South American flare you could say. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they win this clash.


Ireland's woes to continue.?

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JW 1 hour ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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