Five Burning Questions Andy Farrell Must Answer As Ireland Aim For South Africa History | Balls.ie

Ireland will kick off their two-test tour to South Africa this weekend, with Andy Farrell’s side set to face the World Cup winners in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon.

While every summer tour to the southern hemisphere is a big occasion, it’s fair to say that this series is particularly enticing.

Ireland and South Africa have been widely regarded as the two best teams in the world over the last couple of years, developing a fierce rivalry along the way. Their World Cup pool meeting last year was one of the best games in recent memory.

The Springboks have not beaten Ireland since 2016, meaning they will be keen to make their mark in the two games this month. This is the fourth time the Irish have played a series in the country, winning just one of their nine tests on South Africa soil.

As for Ireland, they have some big decisions to make ahead of the fixtures in Pretoria and Durban. With that in mind, here are five burning questions Andy Farrell must solve answer if Ireland are to make history by winning this test series.

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Five Questions Farrell Must Answer Ahead Of Ireland Vs South Africa

1. Who partners Bundee Aki in the midfield?

Bundee Aki is a certainty to start in the midfield against South Africa, but questions remain around who will partner him in the side.

Robbie Henshaw has been in fantastic form in 2024, while Garry Ringrose is only recently returned to fitness after his injury issues. Henshaw’s physicality may give him the edge against a imposing Springboks side.

Ringrose started in the World Cup meeting between the pair back in September, although Henshaw himself was just returning to fitness at this point.

It will be interesting to see what way Farrell goes here, although we would just about tip Henshaw to get the nod.

2. Will James Ryan be brought back into the pack?

James Ryan has been a key player under Andy Farrell, but he is certainly no guarantee to come back into the team for this tour. Having missed most of the Six Nations due to a hand injury, the partnership between Joe McCarthy and Tadhg Beirne flourished.

All three could yet be accommodated in the side, with Beirne also an option in the back row. However, considering Ryan’s relative lack of playing time in recent months, it would be somewhat of a gamble to bring him into the starting XV in Pretoria.

The Leinster man would also be a huge addition to the bench, which is sure to play a decisive role in this game.

3. Do you go with youth or experience at scrum half?

Jamison Gibson-Park is a massive loss to Ireland for this tour, with the Leinster man among the best 9s in world rugby over the last year or so. The squad still has a couple of able replacements, with Craig Casey and Conor Murray vying for the starting role this weekend.

Casey has usually been preferred to Murray at provincial level, with his early pace at the breakdown followed by a more measured approach from his teammate later in the game a good balance.

Andy Farrell has often selected Murray as his backup scrum-half when Gibson-Park is available, meaning it would not be a surprise to see him start on Saturday. In saying that, he could well follow the example set by Munster this season.

It will be interesting to see what route he opts to go down.

4. Should Ryan Baird be drafted into the back row?

Peter O’Mahony staying on as captain for this tour suggests that Andy Farrell sees him as a nailed on starter in South Africa, but some questions still remain as to who will partner him in the back row.

Caelan Doris will continue in his role at no. 8, but the identity of the third player remains uncertain. Tadhg Beirne could start there is James Ryan comes back into the team, while Josh van der Flier is also in contention and usually starts for Ireland when available.

Then you have Ryan Baird.

The Leinster man has arguably been the form player this season out of all the options available, although he is far less experienced than his peers at test level.

Could he come in and see Peter O’Mahony move to open side flanker? It would be a big call against a team of South Africa’s calibre, but it would not be a huge surprise.

Even if he does not start, you can expect Baird to have a big impact off the bench.

5. Is a 6/2 bench split the way to go?

Speaking of the bench, it will be interesting to see what split Andy Farrell goes with for this fixture.

He has switched back and forth between a 5/3 and 6/2 split in recent times. He went with the former when the two sides met at the World Cup back in September, although the makeup of this squad is quite different to the one available on that occasion.

The presence of Ciaran Frawley certainly gives him more room to manoeuvre in this regard, with the Leinster man capable of coming in at out-half, centre, or fullback.

Considering this, as well as the effects playing at altitude could have on his pack, a 6/2 split would make a lot of sense for this game. That would likely mean that Garry Ringrose or Robbie Henshaw would drop out of the matchday squad, a harsh decision considering the talents of those two players.

Still, Farrell will have to be bold if Ireland are to have ambitions of winning this test series.

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