Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has dismissed talk of his side being “underdone” before Saturday’s autumn Test opener against the All Blacks in Chicago.
Six players in Farrell’s line-up have played just once this season, while number eight Jack Conan will make his first appearance since starting all three Tests for the British and Irish Lions over the summer.
But Farrell, who has returned to the Ireland hotseat after his Lions sabbatical, insists “if you’re in a good place mentally, physically the body will follow”.
“It’s irrelevant,” he said while discussing his players’ game time in the build-up to Saturday’s Soldier Field rematch.
“You guys have talked about the performances of some of the guys in the big game, Leinster v Munster, some of them hit the ground running. They’re mentally prepared to give the best of themselves.
“When they turn up for camp, realise what they’re representing and what the shirt means, it seems to focus the mind a lot more. You still have to go out and prove it.”
Farrell added: “Even if people think we’re underdone slightly because of lack of game time, I don’t believe that, I don’t believe that. These lads are fit, the challenge is for them to be mentally sharp, to be ahead of the game.”
Looking to improve after recent defeats
Farrell has beaten New Zealand three times as Ireland coach, but has lost the past two — the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final and last year’s November Test in Dublin.
In the latter, a flat performance resulted in Ireland’s first home defeat since 2021, and Farrell is keen to see an improvement from his team, admitting they failed to “come to the party” 12 months ago.
“It’s almost as though it happened, we got a backlash as far as winning the next three games,” he said.
“The 150th [IRFU anniversary game against Australia] was a pretty big occasion for us and I’m not saying we were outstanding there, but we got the job done.
“But I thought, you can have all the excuses in the world and you can take them on board if you want and let them drown you or you can just take the challenge for what it is and challenge yourself to be as good as you can be early doors.”
“We’ve got to be better than what we were last year and come to the party a little bit more to keep that rivalry going.”
Farrell praises McCarthy and Sheehan
Paddy McCarthy is the only potential Ireland debutant on Saturday with the Leinster prop having earned a spot on the bench.
McCarthy — the younger brother of lock Joe McCarthy — was an unused member of Ireland’s summer squad in Georgia and Portugal under interim boss Paul O’Connell, but Farrell said the 22-year-old has been on his radar since impressing for the under-20s in a training session against the first team in 2023.
“That’s why we train against the Under-20s, so we know who is coming through,” said the 50-year-old.
“I get asked the question, ‘do you want to train against them this year?’. Imagine being in the Under-20s and you didn’t get an opportunity to train against the first team and every other year has. It’s an unbelievable tradition.
“He spoiled our session on many occasions, but there’s something in the eyes there that not a lot of people have got.”
With Caelan Doris starting on the bench after recovering from shoulder surgery, Dan Sheehan will captain Ireland for the second time, having previously led the team against Wales in this year’s Six Nations.
Farrell also picked Sheehan as captain for the British and Irish Lions’ game against Western Force in June, and while he has several players capable of deputising for Doris, he said he has been struck by how the 27-year-old hooker has “developed as a leader”.
“He’s so calm, controlled, considered. He uses, from his body language to everyone else, that he’s in control. That it will be OK. Let’s just prepare properly.
“That gives confidence throughout the squad. Not just that, he doesn’t get in the way of his own performances either. It’s a big honour for him and I suppose that will continue to grow for him down track.”
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