Ireland head coach Andy Farrell names his squad on Wednesday for next month’s Nations Championship home leg — and with less than a year to go until the 2027 Rugby World Cup, every selection will be scrutinized. Here’s what he’s wrestling with.
Ciaran Frawley (left) and Mack Hansen (right) in Ireland camp (Credits: BBC Sport)
Ireland face a brutal run of fixtures: home games against Argentina (November 6), Fiji, and back-to-back world champions South Africa (November 21), before the finals weekend at Twickenham. They opened the Nations Championship with wins over Australia and Japan, but were thrashed 40-21 by New Zealand in Auckland — so the mood is anything but settled.
Injury Headaches Up Front
Captain Caelan Doris remains out after missing the July tour with knee and foot issues, and Farrell had more bad news over the weekend as Jack Conan left Stade Marcel-Michelin with his arm in a sling following Leinster’s Champions Cup win over Clermont. With both possibly missing, Sean Jansen — who scored on his Test debut against Japan — could be in line for a bigger role.
There is some good news. Loose-head Andrew Porter is available for the first time since last year’s defeat by the Springboks in Dublin, and utility forward Ryan Baird is back after a fractured tibia cost him the Six Nations. Popular winger Mack Hansen also returns after an injury-hit 2025-26 season limited to two Test appearances.
The Fly-Half Battle
With Jack Crowley still sidelined by a vascular injury, the number 10 jersey is up for grabs between Sam Prendergast and Ciaran Frawley — and both have started the season strongly.
Prendergast, 23, has won 17 caps but was dropped by Farrell after a shaky start to this year’s Six Nations, with his defensive frailties targeted by opponents. He has responded in style: back-to-back man-of-the-match awards for Leinster against Cardiff and Clermont, showcasing a sharpened running game.
Frawley, meanwhile, has made the opening act of his Connacht career impossible to ignore. The fly-half battle could define Ireland’s November — and shape who Farrell trusts with the keys to the attack in Australia next year.
The squad announcement comes at 15:00 BST on Wednesday. With the Six Nations his only extended competitive block before the World Cup, Farrell has no room for experiments — only answers.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
