On Friday night the Irish rugby team play Argentina in the Nations Championship at the Aviva. Although the 2027 Rugby World Cup is 12 months away, this game could be described as the start of our build-up to the finals in Australia. We have home games against Fiji and South Africa later this month and possibly will be involved the Nations Championship finals at Twickenham at the end of the month. Then the Six Nations start in February and that competition will be followed by a few friendless before our first game in the World Cup finals against Uruguay in Melbourne on Oct. 3. The other countries in our group are Scotland and Portugal.
So plenty of time for head coach Andy Farrell to finalize a squad who can hopefully get us to a final for the first time. We have fallen at the quarter-final stage seven times, including in 2023 when we went out 28-24 to New Zealand.
The Irish started very well, winning all their pool games, the 13-8 victory over South Africa being the most notable result. It was the South Africans who would grind their way to the world title, with successive one-point margins of victory over France (29-28), England (16-15) and New Zealand (12-11).
There are a few injuries for Farrell to worry about, with Calen Doris and Jack Conan still out, but right now the coach has a strong squad to select from. Out-half Jamison Gibson-Park looked very impressive in Leinster’s win over Munster where hooker Dan Sheehan was tried at No. 8. Could Andy Farrell be tempted to follow Leo Cullen’s decision with Leinster to move Sheehan from hooker to No. 8?. The IRFU say that centre Garry Ringrose is unlikely to play in any of this month’s games after injuring a hamstring in training, while scrum-half Sam Prendergast is doubtful for the Argentina game with a wrist injury. And Tadhg Furlong is free to play after being cleared of any foul in a recent URC game against Munster.
Rugby games played between Ireland and Argentina between 1952 and 1973 are not regarded as full internationals by Ireland, but they are by Argentina. So officially from an Irish point of view, our first international against the Pumas was at Lansdowne Road in October 1990 when we won 20-18 at Lansdowne Road. The Pumas were on a tour of Britain and Ireland. In 10 subsequent visits to Dublin since then, including one game at Croke Park in Nov. 2008, Ireland has won them all. However, back in October 2015 Argentina pulled off a famous win when they beat us 43-20 in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Cardiff. Ireland went into that World Cup game without Paul O’Connell, Johnny Sexton, Peter O'Mahony, Sean O'Brien and Jared Payne and lost Tommy Bowe with an injury during the game. The Pumas, who are now coached by former Leinster player Felipe Contepomi, are always exciting and like to run with the ball and will provide a proper test for Andy Farrell and his team. Contepomi is one of the names mentioned as a possible replacement for Leo Cullen at Leinster at the end of the season.
LEINSTER CRUSH CONNACHT
Leinster's depth of talent proved too good for Connacht as Leo Cullen's side signed off their opening block of the URC by routing Connacht 50-5 at Dexcom Stadium. The defending champions defied woeful weather conditions in Galway, as a mix of old and new faces shone, combining for seven tries and extending their winning run in this fixture to 14 games. Joey Carbery gave a reminder of his class as he orchestrated Leinster's fluid attack, scoring a try among a personal tally of 20 points. Elsewhere in the URC Ulster are still looking for their first win of the season, after going down 33-7 to the Stormers in Cape Town. Richie Murphy’s team have now gone five rounds without a win, suffering three defeats and two draws. And Munster also went down to a South African club, losing 15-3 to the Sharks at Thomond Park after a nightmare Hallowe’en performance at Thomond Park.
Meanwhile Béibhinn Parsons scored a hat-trick of tries as Ireland overcame South Africa to conclude their year on a winning note at the Athlone Sports Stadium in Cape Town. Coming off the back of their 40-27 victory the previous weekend at the same venue, the win means that Scott Bemand’s team claim a 2-0 series over South Africa in the women’s team’s first ever tour of the country. The 24 year-old from Ballinasloe, who is Ireland’s all-time leading try-scorer with 29 tries in her 40 caps, crossed once in the first half and twice after half-time to lift Ireland to a hard-fought win having fallen behind with 20 minutes left.
PHIL O’CALLAGHAN, 83
The death occurred last week of former Irish Rugby international Phil O’Callaghan age 83. The Cork man won 21 caps for his country between 1967 and 1976, while also representing Munster on 34 occasions, featuring in the first Munster team to beat Australia in January 1967. It was in the same year that he won his first cap for Ireland, also against Australia at Lansdowne Road. Born and raised in Cork, O’Callaghan was not an early arrival to rugby. He played hurling, football and soccer in his teenage years, before joining Dolphin at the age of 16, debuting in the second row. After his playing days were over O’Callaghan went on to coach Cork clubs Dolphin and Sundays Well.
CARBERY BOOST
Joey Carbery’s chances of earning an Ireland recall received a huge boost last week when the Leinster out-half was included in the Ireland XV squad for a game against Fiji ‘A’ in Cork later this month. The 31-year-old is among several notable selections in what is functionally a second-string Ireland side, as Andy Farrell looks to widen his pool of players for the Rugby World Cup. Carbery has not played for Ireland’s senior team since 2022, coincidentally winning the last of his 38 caps against Fiji. He is part of a 28-man squad named by head coach Mark Sexton for the meeting with Fiji A on Nov. 20.
MUNSTER BIG
QUINN QUITS
Another member of Munster Rugby’s senior leadership team has decided to leave his role with the province, with chief operating officer Philip Quinn opting to depart after being overlooked for the chief executive role. Quinn has worked for Munster for almost 20 years, serving as acting chief executive in 2018 and 2019, before moving into his current position in 2020. Chief executive Ian Flanagan announced his decision to step down earlier this month, with the IRFU and Munster identifying New Zealander Avan Lee as his replacement on an initial one-year interim deal. Lee has made it clear that he intends to make the arrangement permanent.
