Andy Farrell said his side’s 36-20 win against Japan was “a good night at the office”, although the Ireland head coach admitted he was “relieved” to escape Newcastle with a bonus-point win.
Ireland picked up another bonus-point victory in their Nations Championship campaign, scoring five tries in total as they avoided a banana skin before next week’s season finale against New Zealand in Auckland.
On a night where Farrell made nine changes to his team, and with four players making their debuts, there was always going to be a struggle for cohesion at times, and so it proved.
Ireland trailed three times during the opening half as their lineout again misfired, and it led to Japan’s opening try through Taira Main just three minutes in.
But in spite of a fractured performance, Ireland had too much for Eddie Jones’s side, leaving Farrell with mixed feelings about the win.
“I’d say more relieved than anything,” the Ireland head coach (below) said.
“The scoreline is the scoreline and that’s the reality, but it flattered us probably a little bit, especially with the stop-start nature of the game, with the errors and stuff like that.
“But I was just saying to the lads – that happens in sport, especially when you tinker a lot.
“We put them [the team] under a lot of pressure as coaches this week with all the changes, different combinations, lads not playing for a long time and all of that.
“So all in all, with the experience that they have got and all the learnings and the takeaways, it’s a good night at the office for us, because there’s a lot to take.”
Farrell handed out four new caps in Newcastle. Connacht props Billy Bohan and Sam Illo came off the bench, as did Ulster flanker Bryn Ward, but the star of the show was Sean Jansen, with the Connacht number 8 marking his debut with the bonus-point try and a man of the match display.
And Farrell believes it was an “educational” experience for those four debutants, as well as some of his other inexperienced squad players.
Sean Jansen celebrates the victory with friends
“How Sean Jansen actually attacked the game, as a debutant, it’s a learning for everyone, y’know?
“To be able to get the man of the match and play as he did first up is a massive credit to him so that’s great learnings for anyone coming in.
“And then, for the set piece to be under pressure, the scrum, for Sam and Billy to come on and to feel and cope with all that. Some good, some bad, but the learnings that they get from that is absolutely priceless
“Even Sam and Billy in the carry sometimes – you feel the difference between the URC and international rugby. And they’ll use that. Same for Bryn. They’ll use that and kick on.
“And others having the chance to wear the shirt after a while in positions that they want to play… there’s all sorts of stuff going on there that we can talk about in the future.
“It’s always a risk doing this but a calculated one that’s going to pay for us whether we won or not today. It just so happens that we got a bonus point win and we roll on to a special week next week.”
The Ireland head coach didn’t shy away from giving his inexperienced bench players, with Illo, Bohan and Ward all featuring with the game very much in the balance, as Japan cut Ireland’s lead down to six points with 19 minutes left.
James Ryan (l) congratulates Sam Illo
Japan coach Eddie Jones had ramped up the pressure on Ireland’s rookie front rows by suggesting Japan would “dominate” Ireland in the second half, given the lack of experience among the replacements.
And Farrell was particularly pleased with how Ireland shut the game down in the final quarter, as a Harry Byrne penalty and a try for Tom Stewart sealed victory.
“I mean, we got told that they were going to batter us in the second half in the scrum!
“That’s brilliant for Billy [Bohan] to feel that and to hear that and to go on and compete. And Sam [Illo] and Tom Stewart as well – not many caps.
“So for them to feel that experience, I mean, it’s a Test match and they’re all there to be won.
“We’re playing for Ireland, like, y’know? It matters. If we don’t give them the time and the experience, then what’s it all for? They rode it out.
“You could talk about whether the scoreline flattered us or not but it’s the reality and we’ll take that and move on.”