'New captain, future stars and Ireland's problem position'

Doris captained Ireland to a memorable win over South Africa in the summer

The obvious talking point from Andy Farrell's last Ireland squad this side of his debut as British and Irish Lions head coach is the confirmation that Caelan Doris will captain the world's number one side in next month's autumn series.

Peter O'Mahony was chosen as skipper in the aftermath of Johnny Sexton's retirement following last year's World Cup, but while the Munster flanker is deemed fit enough for inclusion in Farrell's latest panel, Doris is entrusted to lead Ireland in a series headlined by the latest instalment in their rivalry with New Zealand.

Beyond Doris, Farrell has opted against implementing radical changes with just two uncapped players named in the 35-man squad, while there are some familiar faces returning after missing the summer series against South Africa.

Here are the main talking points from the squad announcement:

Doris can put hand up for Lions captaincy

Confirmation of Doris' captaincy is the latest development in the 26-year-old's stunning rise to the highest echelons of rugby.

It does not come as the greatest surprise given that, in Farrell, Doris has always had an important fan. Indeed, one of Farrell's first moves as Ireland head coach was to install Doris in the back row for the 2020 Six Nations. He has rarely been out of the team since.

Doris has, however, repaid Farrell's faith with a string of assured performances in the Irish back row.

Indeed, when a calf niggle ruled O'Mahony of the Six Nations match against Italy in February, Doris passed his first assignment as captain when he led Ireland to a 36-0 win over the Azzurri.

With O'Mahony missing again, Doris then skippered Ireland to a stunning win over world champions South Africa in Durban before taking over the Leinster captaincy for the 2024-25 season, succeeding co-captains James Ryan and Garry Ringrose.

Now, with four games to develop his leadership style and work on communicating with referees after being warned by Luke Pearce in South Africa, Doris has the chance to thrust himself firmly into the reckoning to be Farrell's Lions captain for next summer's tour to Australia.

New blood

Izuchukwu (left) was part of the Ireland squad in South Africa but did not make either matchday

Cormac Izuchukwu and Sam Prendergast, the two uncapped players in Farrell's squad, could offer a glimpse into Ireland's future.

In the press release that accompanied the squad announcement, Farrell spoke of "a number of" players having taken their chance to impress during the recent Emerging Ireland tour in South Africa.

Izuchukwu and Prendergast certainly fall into that category. Prendergast's exertions were hard to miss after he started three games at fly-half in the space of seven days in Bloemfontein.

While only 20 and with just a handful of starts for Leinster, Prendergast's skillset is still raw but it seems likely that the first steps in what could be a long and fruitful Test career will be taken over the next few weeks.

Izuchukwu will also hope to cap a whirlwind 2024 with his debut. His first involvement with the senior squad failed to yield minutes in either Pretoria or Durban but a second stint with Emerging Ireland has helped keep him in Farrell's plans.

The 24-year-old, who can play in the second and back rows, was still being released to All-Ireland League side Ballynahinch for game time earlier this year.

But having established himself as a fixture in Richie Murphy's Ulster side, he will look to do the same in the international set-up.

Frawley or Crowley at 10?

Irish rugby fans would have winced at the sight of Ciaran Frawley limping off the field in Leinster's win over Connacht last weekend.

But their fears were alleviated on Monday when Jacques Nienaber confirmed the ankle problem was not as bad as first feared, allowing him to join Jack Crowley and Prendergast as Farrell's fly-halves.

Deciding the occupant of the number 10 jersey for the All Blacks' visit to Dublin on 8 November will be uppermost in Farrell's thoughts.

For years, Sexton had a vice-like grip on the position, but while Crowley was appointed as the former captain's early successor for this year's Six Nations, Frawley's exploits in recent months have given Farrell plenty to ponder.

Nailing two drop-goals - one a dead-eyed buzzer-beater - to beat South Africa offered a thrilling glimpse of what Frawley can do when given the keys, while he has been given a recent run at 10 for Leinster by Leo Cullen, who has often used him as a full-back.

The problem position

Kelleher (left) is recovering from an ankle injury while Sheehan (right) will not return until 2025

Heading into Wednesday's squad announcement, hooker was unquestionably Farrell's problem position.

Dan Sheehan, who has virtually ever-present in Ireland front row in recent years, will play no part in the autumn games as he continues to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Ronan Kelleher was named in the squad but will almost certainly miss at least some of the autumn campaign after Leinster said on 14 October he would be "unavailable for four to six weeks after undergoing a procedure on an ankle injury".

Ulster's Rob Herring has also been included but the 34-year-old has not played this season due to an ongoing calf issue.

The current picture means Connacht's Dave Heffernan could be in line to earn his first cap since a late cameo off the bench against New Zealand in July 2022.

At 33, Heffernan has over a decade of experience with Connacht but he has never started a game for Ireland. That may change when the All Blacks roll into a sold-out Aviva Stadium for an eagerly anticipated rematch of last year's World Cup quarter-final.