THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP has made for fascinating viewing from afar, particularly as Ireland are playing three of the four Southern Hemisphere nations in a couple of months.
Andy Farrell and his coaches will have been dissecting every minute of the action so far ahead of a busy autumn that sees Ireland face New Zealand in Chicago before clashes with Japan, Australia, and South Africa.
The Rugby Championship has been absorbing and unpredictable across the opening four rounds, with Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Argentina all having won two and lost two of their games so far.
Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies are top of the table by just a single point.
This weekend is a break weekend but the closing two rounds promise to be riveting, particularly with the Aussies set to meet the All Blacks in their two Bledisloe Cup games.
Despite the lack of respect shown to them before and during the Lions series, the Wallabies have continued their upward trajectory under Schmidt.
They built on victory over Farrell’s Lions in the third Test by pulling off an astonishing comeback victory over the Springboks in the opening round of the Championship. Seemingly dead and buried when they trailed 22-0 after just 18 minutes against Rassie Erasmus’ side, the Wallabies went on to win 38-22 at altitude in Johannesburg.
The Boks bounced back the following weekend, but Australia then showed their grit again when they beat Argentina with the clock deep in the red in Townsville. Los Pumas responded with a stirring victory in Newcastle last weekend, yet it’s clear that Australia are a serious team.
Schmidt and co. have a challenging autumn ahead with games away to Japan, England, Italy, Ireland, and France, but their renaissance has been a delight to watch. Following on from the huge crowds at the Lions games, the Wallabies sold out Allianz Stadium in Sydney for last weekend’s clash with Argentina.
Advertisement
Joe Schmidt has got the Australian public behind his team. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
It looks like the second Bledisloe Cup game, potentially the Rugby Championship decider, in Perth will also be a sell-out.
In this context, it’s just a pity that Will Skelton is back on club duty with La Rochelle and hasn’t been named in the Wallabies squad for the Bledisloe Series. They’ll also be without scrum-half Nic White, who is finally being allowed to retire from Test duty.
Rugby Australia was able to clear its debt after the reported €68 million windfall from the Lions tour, and these ongoing sell-outs are hugely welcome. Rumours of Aussie rugby’s demise may have been exaggerated, but Schmidt and his coaching staff deserve great credit for bringing the Australian public back onside after the Eddie Jones debacle.
Ireland will finish their autumn campaign with the latest instalment of the heated rivalry with the Springboks, who had been worrying their supporters until last weekend’s 43-10 hammering of the All Blacks in Wellington.
Erasmus picked a team missing lots of the old familiar stalwarts of the back-to-back World Cup successes. Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe, Handré Pollard, Jesse Kriel, Willie le Roux, and Damian de Allende were among the absentees, but the Boks once again underlined their unmatched depth by taking the Kiwis apart.
Sharks back Ethan Hooker impressed on the wing as he made his first start, while the Boks also dealt with first-half injuries to Lood de Jager, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Apelele Fassi with consummate composure.
This is not to write off the senior figures who have driven much of the Springboks’ glory under Erasmus. He is a master at managing his resources.
The Boks will bring lots of ferocity against Ireland in Dublin this November, with their last encounter having seen Farrell’s men grab victory in Durban thanks to two late Ciarán Frawley drop-goals.
South Africa broke a three-game losing streak against Ireland the week before in Pretoria, but this rivalry is only continuing to grow. Expect fireworks this autumn.
First up, though, Ireland will be in Chicago for what is being marketed as ‘The Rematch’ against the All Blacks at Soldier Field, scene of that famous first-ever win over the Kiwis under Schmidt back in 2016.
INPHO / Billy Stickland
INPHO / Billy Stickland / Billy Stickland
Ireland are the ones who now have a score to settle with New Zealand, having lost to them in the 2023 World Cup quarter-finals and then in Dublin last November. Again, this is a fixture that brings plenty of feeling between the teams.
Scott Robertson’s men are currently focusing on bouncing back from being smashed by the Boks in Wellington, just a week after a muscular win over the South Africans at Eden Park.
The reaction in New Zealand has been scathing, with declarations of the end of an era and discussions of the pressure mounting on Robertson. The reality is that this is the chapter of international rugby we’re in – most of the top nations can beat each other.
This Rugby Championship has underlined again that the leading sides are all of a roughly similar quality, even if the Springboks have shown an extra layer of mental strength when it comes to the World Cup.
When the All Blacks have been good this year, they’ve been entralling. The speed they can play at is sometimes a little frightening, so they still have superstrengths that can cut any defence apart.
Ireland might see some opportunities, but they know they’re in for a bruising autumn opener in Chicago.
Their first November Test back in Dublin will be against Jones’ Japan, who play Fiji in the final of the Pacific Nations Cup tomorrow [KO 2.35am Irish time, RugbyPass TV] in the US.
Japan enjoyed a win over Wales in their first Test in July before the Welsh finally ended their 18-game losing streak the following weekend, while Jones’ men have made light work of wins over Canada, the US, and Tonga in the Pacific Nations Cup.
Jones has been trying to bring through a new generation of Japanese stars, but doesn’t seem to have found any world-beaters just yet. This weekend’s final against Fiji will be a good barometer of where the Brave Blossoms are ahead of their autumn clashes with Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Wales, and Georgia.
So there’s plenty of important scouting for Farrell and his Ireland coaches still to do in the coming weeks as they look into what should be an enjoyable, challenging autumn.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
4 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Farrell's Ireland scouting Rugby Championship with autumn focus
THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP has made for fascinating viewing from afar, particularly as Ireland are playing three of the four Southern Hemisphere nations in a couple of months.
Andy Farrell and his coaches will have been dissecting every minute of the action so far ahead of a busy autumn that sees Ireland face New Zealand in Chicago before clashes with Japan, Australia, and South Africa.
The Rugby Championship has been absorbing and unpredictable across the opening four rounds, with Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Argentina all having won two and lost two of their games so far.
Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies are top of the table by just a single point.
This weekend is a break weekend but the closing two rounds promise to be riveting, particularly with the Aussies set to meet the All Blacks in their two Bledisloe Cup games.
Despite the lack of respect shown to them before and during the Lions series, the Wallabies have continued their upward trajectory under Schmidt.
They built on victory over Farrell’s Lions in the third Test by pulling off an astonishing comeback victory over the Springboks in the opening round of the Championship. Seemingly dead and buried when they trailed 22-0 after just 18 minutes against Rassie Erasmus’ side, the Wallabies went on to win 38-22 at altitude in Johannesburg.
The Boks bounced back the following weekend, but Australia then showed their grit again when they beat Argentina with the clock deep in the red in Townsville. Los Pumas responded with a stirring victory in Newcastle last weekend, yet it’s clear that Australia are a serious team.
Schmidt and co. have a challenging autumn ahead with games away to Japan, England, Italy, Ireland, and France, but their renaissance has been a delight to watch. Following on from the huge crowds at the Lions games, the Wallabies sold out Allianz Stadium in Sydney for last weekend’s clash with Argentina.
It looks like the second Bledisloe Cup game, potentially the Rugby Championship decider, in Perth will also be a sell-out.
In this context, it’s just a pity that Will Skelton is back on club duty with La Rochelle and hasn’t been named in the Wallabies squad for the Bledisloe Series. They’ll also be without scrum-half Nic White, who is finally being allowed to retire from Test duty.
Rugby Australia was able to clear its debt after the reported €68 million windfall from the Lions tour, and these ongoing sell-outs are hugely welcome. Rumours of Aussie rugby’s demise may have been exaggerated, but Schmidt and his coaching staff deserve great credit for bringing the Australian public back onside after the Eddie Jones debacle.
Ireland will finish their autumn campaign with the latest instalment of the heated rivalry with the Springboks, who had been worrying their supporters until last weekend’s 43-10 hammering of the All Blacks in Wellington.
Erasmus picked a team missing lots of the old familiar stalwarts of the back-to-back World Cup successes. Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi, Frans Malherbe, Handré Pollard, Jesse Kriel, Willie le Roux, and Damian de Allende were among the absentees, but the Boks once again underlined their unmatched depth by taking the Kiwis apart.
Sharks back Ethan Hooker impressed on the wing as he made his first start, while the Boks also dealt with first-half injuries to Lood de Jager, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Apelele Fassi with consummate composure.
This is not to write off the senior figures who have driven much of the Springboks’ glory under Erasmus. He is a master at managing his resources.
The Boks will bring lots of ferocity against Ireland in Dublin this November, with their last encounter having seen Farrell’s men grab victory in Durban thanks to two late Ciarán Frawley drop-goals.
South Africa broke a three-game losing streak against Ireland the week before in Pretoria, but this rivalry is only continuing to grow. Expect fireworks this autumn.
First up, though, Ireland will be in Chicago for what is being marketed as ‘The Rematch’ against the All Blacks at Soldier Field, scene of that famous first-ever win over the Kiwis under Schmidt back in 2016.
Ireland are the ones who now have a score to settle with New Zealand, having lost to them in the 2023 World Cup quarter-finals and then in Dublin last November. Again, this is a fixture that brings plenty of feeling between the teams.
Scott Robertson’s men are currently focusing on bouncing back from being smashed by the Boks in Wellington, just a week after a muscular win over the South Africans at Eden Park.
The reaction in New Zealand has been scathing, with declarations of the end of an era and discussions of the pressure mounting on Robertson. The reality is that this is the chapter of international rugby we’re in – most of the top nations can beat each other.
This Rugby Championship has underlined again that the leading sides are all of a roughly similar quality, even if the Springboks have shown an extra layer of mental strength when it comes to the World Cup.
When the All Blacks have been good this year, they’ve been entralling. The speed they can play at is sometimes a little frightening, so they still have superstrengths that can cut any defence apart.
Ireland might see some opportunities, but they know they’re in for a bruising autumn opener in Chicago.
Their first November Test back in Dublin will be against Jones’ Japan, who play Fiji in the final of the Pacific Nations Cup tomorrow [KO 2.35am Irish time, RugbyPass TV] in the US.
Japan enjoyed a win over Wales in their first Test in July before the Welsh finally ended their 18-game losing streak the following weekend, while Jones’ men have made light work of wins over Canada, the US, and Tonga in the Pacific Nations Cup.
Jones has been trying to bring through a new generation of Japanese stars, but doesn’t seem to have found any world-beaters just yet. This weekend’s final against Fiji will be a good barometer of where the Brave Blossoms are ahead of their autumn clashes with Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Wales, and Georgia.
So there’s plenty of important scouting for Farrell and his Ireland coaches still to do in the coming weeks as they look into what should be an enjoyable, challenging autumn.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
andy farrell Ireland November Tests