What to Make of This Ireland Squad: Farrell’s Selects

By Matthew Parke

This November promises a series of monumental clashes for Ireland, kicking off their Autumn Nations Series campaign with a reunion fixture in Chicago against the All Blacks to battle it out for the Gallagher Cup, followed by matches against Rugby Championship winners South Africa and Australia, and Japan.

On Wednesday at 4 pm, Head Coach Andy Farrell announced his squad. Irish fans will be delighted to hear that Caelan Doris, who missed out on the Lions Tour due to injury, is back fit and captaining the team. While he has not played any rugby this season, his leadership and overall ability are sure to bring a significant boost to the team.

Leinster prop Paddy McCarthy is the only uncapped player in the squad, having impressed early on this season with two starts for Leinster and a third appearance coming off the bench. Connacht winger Shayne Bolton and Munster prospects, lock Edwin Edogbo and back-rower Brian Gleeson, are also travelling to Chicago as cover.

Key names missing include Hugo Keenan, Calvin Nash, Joe McCarthy and Cormac Izuchukwu, who were not considered due to injury.

A main concern in Irish rugby discourse is the squad's ageing and the fact that it features only one uncapped player. These November fixtures are a great opportunity to bring new blood into the international set-up, earn minutes in test matches, and gain experience against hardened sides like the Springboks and All Blacks.

Fifteen players in Andy Farrell’s squad are 30 years old or over, and Farrell has mostly stuck with the same tried-and-tested players, despite some of them not likely to make the 2027 Rugby World Cup. This has left many fans baffled by Farrell’s selection choices.

What is crucial to consider, however, is the RWC draw, which will occur on December 3rd. The new format for the RWC 2027 will feature 24 teams across six pool groups. Once all teams have qualified, they will be organised 1–24 based on their World Rugby rankings at the time of the draw. The top six teams will be grouped as Band 1, the next six as Band 2, and so on, with each pool featuring one team from each band. Therefore, Farrell’s likely objective for these November fixtures is to ensure that Ireland stay within the top six in the rankings to secure an easier group, a good indicator as to why he has chosen veteran players he knows rather than gamble on youth.

Some players have also shown stellar performances for their provincial sides to justify their selection, such as Iain Henderson, who has been playing some of his best rugby with Ulster this season and will be a strong, physical option to have at lock with Joe McCarthy injured. Jacob Stockdale is also back to career-best form with Ulster and can play on both the wing and at fullback.

This selection will be looked upon in hindsight following Ireland’s November fixtures. Concerns over the draw are warranted, but with the 2027 RWC looming, perhaps blooding some younger talent in order to build experience and depth must come soon if Ireland hopes to finally break their quarter-final curse.