IRELAND BOSS ANDY Farrell expressed his excitement about handing 21-year-old hooker Gus McCarthy and 24-year-old Ulster flanker Cormac Izuchukwu their Test debuts against Fiji this Saturday.
McCarthy wasn’t even part of Ireland’s main squad for this window but having joined the group as a “training panellist” for their camp in Portugal ahead of the Autumn Nations Series, the Leinster academy hooker impressed Farrell and his coaches.
McCarthy was the Ireland U20s captain in 2023 as they won a Grand Slam and reached the World Cup final.
McCarthy made his senior Leinster debut off the bench against the Stormers last season, while injuries to Rónan Kelleher and Dan Sheehan meant McCarthy made five senior appearances for Leinster early this season. He was also part of the Emerging Ireland tour in October.
Meanwhile, Ulster’s Izuchukwu has taken a different route to this point. He wasn’t a schoolboy star in Roscrea College and was playing amateur club rugby in Scotland when the IRFU brought him back into the fold through the Ireland 7s squad.
He has been on the Emerging Ireland tours in 2022 and this year, while making progress in the second row and back row with Ulster, particularly after the appointment of Richie Murphy last season.
Now, McCarthy and Izuchukwu will step up for Ireland against Fiji.
“Loads and loads of potential, obviously,” said Farrell this evening when asked what excites him about the pair of forwards.
“I suppose Izzy has been in and around the squad now for a while actually. The first Emerging Ireland is when we first came across his ability, his athleticism, his point of difference, and since then – I know that’s a couple of years ago – the improvement and maturity of his game because he was young in as far as the 15-a-side game when the first Emerging tour was on.
“The difference between the first tour and the second tour was chalk and cheese. His ability, point of difference, his potential with that maturity, he deserves a shot to show what he’s got.
“Gus, what a rise in such a short space of time. Obviously coming from the 20s and being successful there, he’s been a captain for a long time now and you can see why because you can see his maturity in how he goes about the game. But rugby is a strange thing.
“You think there’s a pecking order and all of a sudden a couple of players get an injury then a kid gets an opportunity and he shows up really well when we take him on the training week with us as a development player. He showed up unbelievably well and he’s forced our arm to keep him in the squad, first and foremost.
“And he deserves a shot to see what he can do as well.”
21-year-old Sam Prendergast starts at out-half this weekend having made his debut off the bench in the win over Argentina last Friday night.
Prendergast toured South Africa with Farrell’s squad last summer, then returned there with Emerging Ireland in October as he started all three games on that trip.
Farrell believes the Leinster man, who has made just 20 appearances for his province, is ready to guide the team from the number 10 shirt.
“I’m confident from what we’ve seen,” said Farrell.
“We took him on the Emerging and he played in all of those games and the aim of that was for him to grab hold of that team and make sure that he treated it like his own as though he was in charge.
“He did that in spades and this week we’ve seen the benefit of that. We need to see it transfer obviously.
“His character is composed, confident but yet not over-confident. He’s assertive in what he wants and he has a nice way about how he goes about his business.”
Ulster man Jacob Stockdale returns on the left wing for Ireland, having last played in the pre-World Cup game against Samoa last year.
“He deserves it,” said Farrell of Stockdale.
“His form has been great. He’s been back in the fold with us, albeit not getting an opportunity, over the last 12 months and we’ve seen that improvement within his game. He’s chomping at the bit and this is his chance to show us what he’s about at this level again.”
Ulster tighthead Tom O’Toole will cover loosehead prop from the bench, having been training on that side of the scrum with Ireland over the past year.
Cian Healy was fit but doesn’t feature in the matchday 23 so he won’t have the chance to set a new all-time Ireland caps record this weekend.
“It’s all about planning and looking at next steps,” said Farrell. “Tom’s been training away and improving and progressing in the loosehead area so we want to see how that goes this weekend.”
And the Irish bench also features Ciarán Frawley, who will be looking to bounce back after a tough outing as a replacement in the defeat to New Zealand two weekends ago.
“Just to be himself,” said Farrell when asked what he wants to see from the Leinster playmaker.
“I mean, things happen, don’t they? Sometimes you have a couple of errors and you then lose the run of yourself a little bit, that’s human nature, 100%, and that’s certainly not how Frawls is as a player.
“He’s super excited that he gets another chance to right the wrongs of a couple of weeks ago and we’re excited about seeing him play because he’s a top-quality player.”
First-choice tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong remains sidelined due to a hamstring issue that has kept him out of the autumn Tests so far.
That means Thomas Clarkson gets another chance on the bench after his debut against Argentina last weekend.
“He [Furlong] tried his best,” said Farrell. “I feel for him. It’s been tough because everyone is desperate to play for Ireland and he’s worked really hard to try and get back there and we were hoping it was going to be this week.
“You’re always trying to push on to the next stage and get through that and he didn’t quite manage that.”
Great day for the Prendergast family
Think Izuchukwu could force his way into 23 next week, would be good to have him and Baird in a 23 together. Gus Mccarthy will probably leave Leinster given Kelleher and Sheehan, obviously important Leo blocks anything going down south given the bad blood there so think Connacht would be a great move for him.
@Eoin H: Mccarthy is going nowhere. Barron and mckee can move if they want a player
@chris mcdonnell: If Mccarthy believes a potential world class 2, which I’m sure he does, he’s going to be wise enough not to hang around relying on Sheehan and Kelleher to be unfit to get a shot in Leinster big games. Imo for young players like Mccarthy who would actually actually a fair bit of interest from French and England clubs he should be allowed to go and still be eligible for Ireland. This notion wave of Ireland players would follow is nonsense
@Eoin H: Didn’t block Patterson, Carberry or Loughman. As Munster play in the ECC more regularly than Connacht they may be a more attractive option for both player and national management.
@TL55: The other two were let go by Leinster, while Carbery move didn’t work, but wasn’t so bad for Leinster because we might not have found Hugo Keenan if Carbery had stayed and he’s a far better player.
@chris mcdonnell: if gus has the potential to be a regular international quality hooker he cannot achieve that with sheehan and kelleher ahead of him as he won’t get the game time. If he does end moving it won’t be for a season or two and the two lads ahead of him could pick up injuries/loose form so he might jump ahead of them and not need to move. However hoping no injuries on anyone and making the large assumption that gus will continue to improve I can’t see 3 international quality hookers being happy at leinster in the long term
@chris mcdonnell: Barron is the better player and very comparable with Kelleher and Sheehan. He’s injured otherwise he would be playing on Saturday.
@Con Cussed: BTW, Gus has great potential but he’s currently not at the same level as Barron.
@Eoin H: International rugby is a step up for the young lad.The Fijians are very physical, and prone to the high hit,I just want him to have a steady game,and get off the pitch in one piece
@Eoin H: Why would he leave he hasent even started much with leinster i dont know where ye guys think like this
@Shawn: He could leave to get experience, which is not a bad thing. Others have done so and come back better for it. Problem is if he gets a great deal somewhere outside Ireland he could be tempted not to come back. Better if he could move to one of the provinces. He gets more game time and possibility of playing for Ireland more often.
@Eoin H: Personally, I think McCarthy will pass Kelleher in the pecking order very soon, certainly if his throws this season are anything to go by. His all round game is right up there. I don’t know that Baird and Izzy will ever be in the same squad as I think they are very similar types of players. Baird’s lineout work is a bit more advanced but Izuchukwu offers more athleticism and composure around the park. I would like to see Izzy selected again for the 23 v Australia, assuming he goes well tomorrow.
@Con Cussed: He wont be leaving and definitly not leaving ireland lol he is a pup will play many times for lenister and ireland
Changing of the Guard was always on the cards and delighted but for Osborne at 15. Gimme a minute to articulate..He was the one real spark as an Autumn sub but also in everything else he has done as he grew more influential with Leinster. I think our attack has gone into reverse since Mike Catt has moved on. Anything that has come Keegan’s way recently has been scraps and makey uppy. Putting Osborne there, with the obvious flair he has, is like asking Rudolf Nureyev to dance Swan Lake in hobnail boots.
@Michael Murray: ……cont’d See Ringrose at 13 as anchoring midfield and Osborne at 12 doing the crash thing initially.But as we stress defenses in 2nd, 3rd etc phase, having Osborne running the channels will be lethal and then adding another ball carrying backrower @ 6(Cormac is an exciting prospect and perfect for the job) restores a balance we have lost…… the conspiracy theorist in me says that since MC left ,attack as a resource has lost its voice at the negotiating table
@Michael Murray: I mean there’s no conspiracy there, because it’s well reported Andy Farrell runs the Ireland attack and Catt (Like Goodman now) supplemented it with strike moves and acted as the backs coach rather than attack coach. Goodman was obviously the wrong appointment and should’ve been Prendergarst from Munster, but suppose Munster would fall apart if he left
@Eoin H: ……good man, yeah!! Bit of a rant really, cross about Osborne not being in centre…..had some good news and probably should not have had this 3rd glass of red.
@Michael Murray: the horrid vision of one of Russias finest performing artists prancing elegantly to Tchaikovsky finest ballet number in a pair of wellies (or step up theirof) is the most unsettling simile on rugby I’ve ever heard
@Stuart: ….ha!…never meant to be offensive, just trying to sharpen a point. …..and belated apologies to Hugo….typo had Keenan as Keegan…..really have to take the pledge!
@Stuart: don’t worry Stuart, Putin will have one of his henchman push him out of an upstairs window
There is a lot more to line out symmetry than the caller. If you played at any level you would know that instead of making seeeping generalizations
@JJB: Some people havent a clue on here
I dont know much about line outs, but to an untrained eye, ours looks too ‘stilted’, the opposite of thinking on our feet which has been the mantra since the previous world cup. Only O ‘Mahony seems to make it look like ‘we’ are in charge. Without him, we look too much like we set up for a routine but panic when the opposition force a change. Would be interested in other views here….
Very excited about the debuts. Both huge potential.
A bit disappointing that Gus McCarthy is being set up for failure without a lock on the field that can run a lineout. Beirne overseeing the consistently worst in the URC then doing the same to Ireland is not what you need for a debuting hooker
@teuO6nLS: there is a little more to line out symmetry than the caller. If you played at any level you would know that. Your Sweeping generalizations about an Irish stalwart is not justified
@teuO6nLS: Beirne plays for Munster and I don’t like Munster players so this Leinster player will play badly because of this Munster player. YAWN.
@Adam Pitts: Beirne has run the worst lineout in the URC for 2 seasons and has done the same to Ireland’s since being given responsibility as the caller. The other 3 provinces are able to run a smooth lineout yet as soon as Beirne gets thrown into the mix, it falls apart
@teuO6nLS: set up for failure ??? Berine is world class joe aint halve bad as well crazy these comments
@teuO6nLS: by that logic why are we picking leinsfer and ulster props as they’ve the 12th and 16th best scrum. munster have 3rd best scrum. so let’s select munster props.
I’m loving this selection although I’m surprised Cian Healey didn’t get a go for his record breaking cap.
@peter lynch: I think it is being ‘choreographed’ for a ‘bigger’ occasion – I.e. v Australia
@peter lynch: He will when he comes on
Mad risky, hope it pays off!