WHILE ANDY FARRELL cut a frustrated figure as he watched Ireland’s laboured second-half display against Italy on Saturday, his grievances may have been tempered post-game once he had weighed up his team’s issues against that of their visitors.
Sure, Ireland struggled for cohesion at times and made some poor errors on their way to a 33-17 win, but if anything that will only have clarified Farrell’s thinking in terms of the 33-man group he’ll bring to France later this month.
Italy, on the other hand, suffered those same issues while also losing key men to worrying injuries. Marco Riccone was forced off in the first half and Tommaso Menoncello had the look of a man who feared the worst as he left the pitch in tears in the final quarter.
Not that anyone needed reminding, but half the battle in these warm-up games is damage limitation. In that regard, Ireland have no major concerns following their first hit-out of the summer. Jack Conan was pictured in a moon boot on the bench, while Craig Casey and Jimmy O’Brien were also replaced after knocks, but Farrell was upbeat on all three in his post-match press conference.
A further update will be issued tomorrow, with the squad heading to Portugal today for a week of warm weather training at The Campus facility in the Algarve, before returning to Dublin ahead of their second warm-up fixture against England on 19 August.
Ireland then close out their pre-season with a third warm-up clash, taking on Samoa in Bayonne on August 26 – two days before Farrell is set to name his final 33-man World Cup squad.
All of a sudden, the World Cup is just around the corner and based on Saturday’s evidence, Farrell’s squad are in a good place as they bid to go where no Irish team has gone before at a World Cup.
For all the errors that crept into their game after half time, Ireland were physically dominant and looked sharp when things clicked into place, delivering a largely encouraging performance while shaking off some cobwebs on a night three players – Ciarán Frawley, Tom Stewart and Calvin Nash – won their first Test caps.
A testing week in Portugal will allow the squad time to try iron out some of those issues, while Farrell digests the good and the bad from Saturday before turning his focus to England.
“We’re five weeks off the start of the competition so we are up and running,” Farrell said.
“I’d say (we) could do better and we certainly will (in the weeks ahead).
“I will probably wake up tomorrow, and go, well what is it that you are after really? I mean, the amount of times we had opportunities and didn’t convert. I suppose that’s frustraining but at the same time, am I being greedy in thinking we should have scored another four or five tries?
If that’s the case, if we find ourselves in that situation to do that, there has got to be some good in that as well.
“Yeah, I think it is a little bit frustrating, getting in our own way from time to time a little bit.
“On reflection it is to be expected with a juggling of selection, being the first game etc.”
Ireland’s warm-up schedule follows a slightly different approach to some of the other nations – with England and France both playing four pre-season games, while South Africa and New Zealand are travelling up to Europe for some extra warm-up fixtures having already come through the rough and tumble of the Rugby Championship.
Ireland could have squeezed in another fixture if they wanted to, but Farrell feels the ‘less is more’ approach is the right one for his players, with the group also set to train against the Portugal national team during their week in the Algarve.
“That’s what is correct for this squad. We’re a team that has been together for quite some time. We feel that balance and with the plan of the training, the training schedule in our end fits perfectly.
“Playing four, five or six (games), that’s everyone’s different preference of where they think they are at in their stage of development. We feel like three is right for us going into the Romania game (first World Cup fixture).
“Extremely happy with the fitness levels, I think they are in great nick, the way they’ve trained over the first six weeks has been outstanding.
“It is a good period for us now. Because the heat stresses (in Portugal) is pretty demanding. And we’ll push them over there.
“But they’re in such a good place that we’ll get some massive benefits from that. So a good week over there, coming back and then attacking the England week will be a good carrot for us.”
England and New Zealand both name their World Cup squads today, with South Africa due to announce their selection on Tuesday. Ireland won’t confirm their squad until 28 August – meaning there’s still plenty of time for players to give the head coach something to think about.
“Biggest sticking points? I don’t think there is, I mean over the coming weeks things will be more clearer, making sure you feed back as that goes and we’ll get to a point where we’ve got the best 33 on the plane. Obviously you’ve got an idea now, and what happens in the next three weeks will change that as well, I would have thought.”
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