Tadhg Furlong is in contention to return for Friday night’s clash with Argentina at Aviva Stadium.
The tighthead prop missed the 23-13 defeat to New Zealand due to a hamstring strain, but trained with the team at the High Performance centre yesterday.
However, fellow front-rower Tom O’Toole has been ruled out after he sustained a head injury two minutes after replacing Finlay Bealham against the All Blacks.
Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan
The 26-year-old Ulster prop is going through the 12-day return-to-play protocols.
Uncapped Leinster forward Thomas Clarkson, who is one of five training panellists in Andy Farrell’s autumn squad, could provide back-up for Bealham, if Furlong is unavailable. Ireland have no other fresh selection concerns and have opted against adding additional players to the group.
Ireland’s head of athletic performance Aled Walters is confident players will deliver a positive response this week following some ‘home truths’.
Ireland players Rónan Kelleher, left, and Finlay Bealham after their side’s defeat in the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
‘I think it’s natural that there’s a bit of hurt but there’s no anger,’ Walters, who recently left England to join Farrell’s staff, said yesterday.
‘It’s a group that doesn’t seem to be used to losing.
‘It’s probably an environment that’s been immediately down in the changing room (post-match) but, as I understand, Faz (Farrell) is pretty good at getting things back on track pretty quickly, and the coaches and leaders the same.
They were pretty good today.
Ireland Rugby Captain’s Run, Aviva Stadium, Dublin 7/11/2024 Head coach Andy Farrell. Pic: INPHO/Henry Simpson
‘It’s such a good group to reflect and be honest – home truths were definitely the case and no one has shied away from it.
‘I’ve probably heard more voices in meetings this week than I had in my first two weeks. Everyone is intent on correcting a few things.
‘From being an outsider previously, Ireland tend to react pretty positively to losses, don’t they?
‘I don’t know if it’s because [they’re] not used to it or because the intent is we don’t go there again. I’d be very, very confident we’d get a good response on Friday.’
The coaching team have to address a performance which featured 21 handling errors, 13 penalties conceded, 11 turnovers, three lost lineouts and 30 missed tackles.
‘It’s interesting, it’s how quickly you can summarise and understand what went wrong,’ said Welshman Walters. There’s a few clear things in Andy’s mind and the coaches’ minds.
‘The job is pretty quick. We came in yesterday, we got started and that was getting to understand what didn’t work.
‘They’ve covered a few different areas but it’s pretty clear what we have to get right.’
The effect of the weekend’s action on the world rankings saw Ireland drop from top spot to third, with world champions South Africa back at number one following their 32-15 victory over Scotland on Sunday. New Zealand moved up to second.
France are in fourth, with Argentina fifth, while Joe Schmidt’s Australia are up to eighth after their thrilling defeat of England.
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