IT WASN’T HARD to see that Andy Farrell was seriously frustrated after Ireland’s defeat to New Zealand in Chicago and their stop-start win over Japan in Dublin.

He was blunt and honest about their shortcomings. His body language said it all.

But on Saturday evening, after his Ireland team had lost to their bitter rivals, South Africa, Farrell’s demeanour was very different.

His body language was positive. He seemed energised and, if truth be told, happy.

“Because how can you not be proud of an effort where, 15-12 numerical advantage, stop-start, you get a player back and then he goes off again, all that type of stuff,” said Farrell when asked about this.

“You wouldn’t believe the chaos that happens within a side but how they stayed in there and gave themselves a chance because let’s be real, if we had taken our opportunities, we would have been in with a chance.

“It would have been an unbelievable story, wouldn’t it, to write really considering what went on during the match.”

Ireland didn’t manage to write that comeback story but Farrell seemed to love the challenge of it all.

He was famously laughing and joking at half-time when Ireland were hit by chaotic injury issues at Murrayfield in 2023 and he seemed to enjoy the bizarre circumstances against the Boks too.

“That was a little bit different,” said Farrell. “I mean, just the nature of the lads not being able to understand what was going on because it was so chaotic. Who was playing where, what positions were being covered, who was playing 10 and who was covering fullback at the same time, who was playing nine and defending on the blindside wing.

“It’s tough on them, but they stand up to that type of thing.

“We’ve been talking about character a lot during this campaign, and I thought that stood to us massively this evening.”

Garry Ringrose and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Gary Carr / INPHO Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO

Even when Farrell was pressed on how much of the damage was self-inflicted by Ireland, he returned to the positives.

What shone through for him, he insisted, was how his team fought through the game.

The scrum contest was carnage for Ireland, with a penalty try concession and two yellow cards coming in that area.

Ireland’s next game is against France in Paris on Thursday 5 February to kick off the 2026 Six Nations, but Farrell rejected the notion that the Irish scrum is now a big concern.

“If you look at our scrum over the last five or six years, it’s been world-class at times,” said Farrell.

“There’s a Lions front row in there, so that’s not been an issue for us at all. It’s been a strength for us and we pride ourselves on that.

“Sometimes they catch you. They’ve caught plenty of other teams and the momentum, they kept on going for the blood, didn’t they?”

Clearly, Farrell was intent on bigging up his team after defeat at home to a major rival.

He simply had no time for dwelling on the negatives. 

James Ryan’s 20-minute red card was a crucial moment because it left Ireland lighter on numbers, but also meant a possible 7-5 Irish lead after 20 minutes was chalked off.

“He’s gutted, he’s upset in there,” said Farrell. “He apologised to the group. There was other things that went on within the game as well that we need to address. It’s not just one man’s doing by far. We’re all in this together.”

Overall, it’s been a mixed autumn campaign for Ireland, with defeats to New Zealand and South Africa, a strong performance in victory against Australia, and a bitty win over Japan. They played well in passages of every game, but continued to be inconsistent.

Although he insisted it wasn’t an excuse at the time, Farrell indicated on Saturday that the lack of game time for Irish players before the clash with New Zealand was a big hurdle.

“You don’t give any type of excuses, but I’m here talking to you, the players won’t give you excuses, but we know the reality of that,” said Farrell of Chicago.

“I suppose the performance against Australia was one in the right direction.

“And the chaos [against South Africa], amongst all that, how do you judge a 15-man game when you’re nowhere near it. So again, we need to look at ourselves and why that happened, but at the same time, judge it for what it is.”

Paddy McCarthy with his family on Saturday. Gary Carr / INPHO Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO

Farrell sees this as a window in which Ireland made progress with their squad building.

“I just said to the lads that I think it’s been great for us as far as our journey, because when you look at the likes of Paddy [McCarthy], I thought he was really good today.

“And then the experience that you’re giving to people who are stepping up at this type of level now in Cian Prendergast and Nick Timoney, Tommy O’Brien, all those types of people that have got more and more experience. They need that.

“I mean, wow, that’s like fast-tracking international experience going through that type of experience tonight.”

Farrell said he takes his hat off to the “outstanding” Springboks, who are setting the standard in international rugby, but he won’t be thinking much about them until next November when they visit Dublin again.

Farrell now sets his sights on the Six Nations, which includes that trip to Paris and a visit to Twickenham to face an England team who have improved under Steve Borthwick.

The Irish players will return to their provinces for the coming weeks, but Farrell hopes they come back into national team camp in the New Year ready to kick on.

“We have a Six Nations which is our bread and butter, which matters the world to us,” said Farrell.

“So how we go about the next nine weeks in our preparation individually and collectively as a team whilst everyone goes back to the provinces and coming back ready for international rugby, which was obviously difficult to do at the start of this campaign.

“But nine weeks to see how we need to come back into camp is plainly obvious after playing a game like that.”