“I’m in a soundproof box,” Andy Farrell said, “but I could tell that the mood was flattish throughout the first half.” Farrell’s Ireland team huffed, puffed and eventually flowed to a 42-10 win over Japan, at Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Tommy O’Brien was named man of the match after a try-scoring performance in his first Test match at home. The 27-year-old is making up for lost time after two major injuries delayed his arrival on the international stage.
O’Brien made 13 carries for 144 metres gained, had four clean breaks, beat three defenders and, at the breakdown, won two turnovers. The blots on his copy book were a couple of missed tackles and passing out of play when a softer ball to Jacob Stockdale would have meant a gift-wrapped try.
Overall, though, the Leinster man is backing up his positive summer performances and lessening the blow of Mack Hansen’s injury. In the post-match briefing, Farrell said:
Tommy getting man of the match is certainly deserved. It wasn’t a perfect game, as far as errors are concerned, but he had proper intention in his game. He wanted to make things happen. You could see the hunger he had.”
O’Brien looks a good bet to keep the No.14 jersey for next Saturday’s visit of Australia to Dublin, but Farrell has some other, tougher calls to make when settling upon his XV.
Jamie Osborne could be out for a while after suffering a shoulder injury, while Ireland’s lineout woes could lead to a positional switch and captain Caelan Doris taking on a role he does not have heaps of experience in.
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Ryan Baird of Ireland is tackled by Japan players, from left, Shuhei Takeuchi, Ben Gunter and Epineri Uluiviti of Japan during the Quilter Nations Series 2025 match at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile)
Second half changes hint at interesting Ireland team
The leading candidates to take over from the injured Jamie Osborne at fullback are Jacob Stockdale and Jimmy O’Brien, although Ciarán Frawley is versatile enough to wear No.15.
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Mack Hansen could yet be fast-tracked back into the starting XV after missing the opening games of the Autumn Nations Series with a foot injury. Another option is Ulster’s Michael Lowry coming back into the squad after playing for Ireland XV in their win over Spain.
Ireland’s lineout struggled for much of the first half, with Rónan Kelleher overthrowing once and being let down by bad calls, on a couple of other occasions. Farrell reacted by taking off James Ryan and Nick Timoney with 30 minutes to play and rejigging his second- and back-row.
Ryan Baird went into the second row with Tadhg Beirne, Cian Prendergast played blindside, Caelan Doris openside and Jack Conan slotted in at No.8. Following the game, Farrell commented:
Caelan has obviously played there, at openside, for us a few times and is a good option there. So, yeah, having a look at a few different options that might happen down the track is always important.”
Doris has three career starts at openside, with two of them coming for Ireland (both against Italy) and in the Champions Cup for Leinster, against Leicester, in 2023. Farrell may look at Doris in that openside role to accommodate a starting position for Jack Conan against Australia. That could see Josh van der Flier left on the replacements bench.
Alternatively, Farrell could go Doris at blindside, van der Flier openside and Conan No.8, and switch Ryan Baird into the second row with Tadhg Beirne.
The other big calls are who starts on the left wing, with Stockdale pressing James Lowe but cursing luck, decision-making and poor passing that cost him not one but three tries against Japan.
The centre pairing may well be Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose, but neither man can be certain of starts until Farrell either calls them to one side, early next week, or the team is announced to the wider panel, midweek.
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