Andy Farrell: 'He's forced our arm to keep him in the squad, first and foremost'
Picture: Ireland Gus Daly/sportsfile Of Mccarthy Rise Farrell The Rise: Seb Quick Has Impressed Andy Coach Head
Andy Farrell hailed the rise of Gus McCarthy from the Leinster academy to Ireland Test status after handing the hooker and Ulster forward Cormac Izuchukwu their international debuts in a much-changed side to face Fiji in Dublin on Saturday.
McCarthy, 21, and Izuchukwu, 24, are two of seven changes from the Irish side which started the 22-19 victory over Argentina last Friday with head coach Farrell also making two positional switches. Sam Prendergast, also 21, is handed the reins at number 10 a week on from his debut off the bench and replaces Jack Crowley, the first time the Munster fly-half has not featured as the starting fly-half since the retirement of Johnny Sexton at the end of last autumn’s World Cup campaign.
Craig Casey is set for his first appearance of the 2024 Autumn Nations Series at scrum-half while Jacob Stockdale returns to the Ireland line up on the left wing for his first cap since the final warm-up game before the 2023 World Cup against Samoa in Bayonne and Jamie Osborne replaces Hugo Keenan at full-back for a first home start.
Izuchukwu’s selection at blindside flanker sees Tadhg Beirne switch from number six to the second row as James Ryan is rested while in midfield Garry Ringrose sits out the penultimate Test of the month as Robbie Henshaw moves to outside centre to make way for the returning Bundee Aki.
Yet it is the debutants who catch the eye with Izuchukwu finally rewarded for a run in the national camp which saw him tour South Africa last summer without being capped and Gus McCarthy’s elevation to the Ireland line-up in particular standing out after just six senior appearances for Leinster.
"Loads and loads of potential,” Farrell said when asked why he was excited to hand the pari their first Ireland caps.
“I suppose Izzy has been in and around the squad now for a while actually. The first Emerging Ireland (tour) is when we first came across his ability, his athleticism, his point of difference, and since then - I know that's a couple of years ago - the improvement and maturity of his game because he was young in as far as the 15-a-side game when the first Emerging tour was on. The difference between the first tour and the second tour was chalk and cheese. His ability, point of difference, his potential with that maturity, he deserves a shot to show what he's got.
"Gus, what a rise in such a short space of time. Obviously coming from the 20s and being successful there, he's been a captain for a long time now and you can see why because you can see his maturity in how he goes about the game. But rugby is a strange thing. You think there's a pecking order and all of a sudden a couple of players get an injury then a kid gets an opportunity and he shows up really well when we take him on the training week with us as a development player. He showed up unbelievably well and he's forced our arm to keep him in the squad, first and foremost. And he deserves a shot to see what he can do as well."
Farrell’s belief in fly-half Prendergast saw the Leinster playmaker feature off the bench as Crowley’s replacement against the Pumas and the Ireland boss had no qualms about handing him his first start, backed up by a returning Ciaran Frawley.
"I'm confident from what we've seen. We took him on the Emerging and he played in all of those games and the aim of that was for him to grab hold of that team and make sure that he treated it like his own as though he was in charge. He did that in spades and this week we've seen the benefit of that. We need to see it transfer obviously."
There is still no return from injury for first-choice tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong as Finlay Bealham continues his run in the team, with Thomas Clarkson also retained for a bench role following his Ireland debut against Argentina while fellow tighthead Tom O’Toole is named as loosehead replacement as Furlong continues to nurse a hamstring strain.
“He's tried his best. I feel for him,” Farrell said of his senior tighthead. “It's been tough because everyone is desperate to play for Ireland and he's worked really hard to try and get back there and we were hoping it was going to be this week.
“You're always trying to push on to the next stage and get through that and he didn't quite manage that.”
: J Osborne (Leinster); M Hansen (Connacht), R Henshaw (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), J Stockdale (Ulster); S Prendergast (Leinster), C Casey (Munster); A Porter (Leinster), G McCarthy (Leinster), F Bealham (Connacht); J McCarthy (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster); C Izuchukwu (Ulster), J van der Flier (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster) – captain.
: R Kelleher (Leinster), T O’Toole (Ulster), T Clarkson (Leinster), I Henderson (Ulster), C Prendergast (Connacht), C Murray (Munster), C Frawley (Leinster), S McCloskey (Ulster).
: V Karawalevu; J Wainiqolo, W Nayacalevu, J Tuisova, P Loiganimasi; C Muntz, F Lomani, E Mawi, T Ikanivere, L Tagi; M Vocevoce, T Mayanavanua; R M Derenalgi, K Salawa, E Canakaivata.
: S Matavesi, H Hetet, S Tawake, S Turagacoke, A Tuisue, P Matawalu, V Botitu, S Maqala.