Andy Farrell: 'I don't see the relevance now of the World Cup quarter-final loss to All Blacks'
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Andy Farrell has dismissed the relevance of last year’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to New Zealand after naming his Ireland side to face the All Blacks in Dublin on Friday night.
The Ireland head coach has made five changes to the team which beat world champions South Africa last time out to level a two-game series with the Springboks in Durban last July, recalling scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park, inside centre Bundee Aki, right wing Mack Hansen and full-back Hugo Keenan, all of whom missed that 25-24 second Test win at Kings Park. Farrell was also forced to make a change at tighthead prop following a hamstring strain for Tadhg Furlong, and has promoted Finlay Bealham to the starting line-up for his 43rd Test cap.
All of Ireland’s 23 selections bar replacements, hooker Rob Herring, props Cian Healy and Tom O’Toole, lock James Ryan, fly-half Ciaran Frawley and outside back Jamie Osbourne were in the matchday squad that went down 28-24 to the All Blacks at Stade de France 13 months ago, though this Friday’s starting fly-half Jack Crowley was an unused replacement behind captain Johnny Sexton in Paris that night. Farrell, though, on Wednesday said he felt the quarter-final exit had been put to bed by Ireland’s first game after that, a Six Nations win over France in Marseille last February, and this first meeting with New Zealand since was set be played in a totally different context.
"I don't see the relevance of the last game at all,” the Ireland boss said. “We didn't even get a chance to review our last game in South Africa because we were on our holidays, we had to get a couple of flights home and so our main thing was about our last game, what's the areas in which we can improve and that to be honest is the main thing that excites us about where our next steps are.
"We got asked straight after the World Cup about the hangover and that subject is in the past now with the Marseille game etc, so we've moved on since the quarter-final, that's for sure.” Farrell was confident Furlong’s absence would not be long-term but would not confirm the British & Irish Lion prop could make his comeback in the second game of the Autumn Nations Series against Argentina at Aviva Stadium a week on Friday.
"He had a bit of a hamstring strain, a slight hamstring strain, coming into camp, obviously he didn't play in the last Leinster game before coming into camp, we thought it would be something that would progress, he was rehabbing like a few of the other lads but unfortunately it's just come (too soon) and then rather than push too hard and he'll be out for the series, we'll take our time and hopefully he'll be back sooner rather than later.
"We'll see how he progresses. He's had a good week in terms of next steps etc, obviously there's a process that he has to go through.” Despite the loss of his first-choice tighthead, Farrell declared himself pleased with his selection, evidenced by players of the calibre of Robbie Henshaw missing out on a place in the Ireland 23.
"It's a good side, a couple of positions there where we've had to pick a few lads who didn't have much game time and then there's other positions were lads have had good game time and are in good form.
"Unfortunately for Robbie, that's just the timing of things, we know what a world-class player he is. With the week's training under his belt that he's just had, he was very good actually in the training camp and it will set him up for future game over the next month.” The players lacking in game time include Farrell's selections at hooker in the absence of injured Dan Sheehan. Starter Ronan Kelleher will be returning from a minor surgical procedure on an ankle injury while replacement Herring has not featured for Ulster this season, his last game having been off the bench in the second Test against the South Africans.
"Ronan and Rob have done everything since we came into camp so yeah, we're really pleased with them.”