1 week Ago
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell is unlikely to make wholesale changes to his team to face Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night as he looks for a big response from his players following last week’s defeat to the All Blacks. Cian Healy is set to equal Brian O’Driscoll’s record as Ireland’s most-capped international, as the veteran prop (37) prepares to win his 133rd cap off the bench. Farrell could decide to freshen up certain positions such as the midfield and the back-five of the pack, just as he did for the second Test win in South Africa last summer.
On that occasion, Farrell dropped Bundee Aki, while his then captain Peter O’Mahony was also left out. Robbie Henshaw is a strong contender to earn a recall in the No 12 jersey, although Jamie Osborne is also in the mix should Aki miss out. O’Mahony would relish a start in the back-row against a fiery Pumas pack, as Farrell ponders switching Tadhg Beirne back into the second-row.
Otherwise, the back-three of Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and James Lowe is likely to remain unchanged. Ciarán Frawley missed his chance to further pile the pressure on Jack Crowley, who may get another chance at out-half alongside Jamison Gibson-Park. With Tadhg Furlong still nursing a hamstring injury, Farrell may be inclined to give the Wexford tighthead another week to recover, which would mean Finlay Bealham continuing in the front-row alongside Andrew Porter and Rónan Kelleher.
As Tom O’Toole has been ruled out with a head injury, Leinster prop Thomas Clarkson looks primed to make his debut off the bench. The 24-year old was included in the wider Ireland squad as a ‘training panellist’ but he is set to be pressed into action on Friday. Joe McCarthy, James Ryan and Tadhg Beirne are under pressure for their starting spots from O’Mahony and Ryan Baird, who like Munster scrum-half Craig Casey is pushing for a return to the match-day squad in what could be a freshened-up bench.
Caelan Doris is in line to continue as captain from No 8, with Josh van der Flier at openside. Farrell will name his Ireland team to play Felipe Contepomi’s Argentina at 2.0 on Wednesday.
Possible Ireland team to play Argentina: H Keenan; M Hansen, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J Lowe; J Crowley, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, R Kelleher, F Bealham; J McCarthy/J Ryan/T Beirne; Beirne/P O’Mahony, J van der Flier, C Doris (capt). Read more.
