Irish Rugby

Image source, Getty Images

Ireland's Caelan Doris has been nominated for World Rugby's men's 15s Player of the Year award.

Doris played a key role in Ireland's successful Six Nations and captained Andy Farrell's side to a thrilling win over South Africa in Durban.

The 26-year-old back row, who was named Ireland skipper for the autumn internationals, will go up against South Africa trio Eben Etzebeth, Cheslin Kolbe and Pieter-Steph du Toit for the award.

Three Irish players - Keith Wood (2001), Johnny Sexton (2018) and Josh van der Flier (2022) - have previously won the award.

Doris' Leinster team-mate Jamie Osborne has been nominated for the men's breakthrough player of the year, while Erin King - who scored two tries in Ireland's WXV1 win over world champions New Zealand - is up for women's breakthrough player of the year.

Ireland's Terry Kennedy will compete with France's Antoine Dupont and Aaron Grandidier Nkanang for sevens player of the year while James Lowe's first try against England in the Six Nations is up for try of the year.

The World Rugby Awards take place in Monaco on 24 November.

Image source, Getty Images

Ireland prop Andrew Porter feels the side showed signs of progress in their 22-19 win over Argentina on Friday.

Coming off the back of a ten-point loss at home to the All Blacks to start their autumn campaign, Andy Farrell's side scored three first-half tries and had another chalked off by the TMO against the Pumas, but failed to register a single point in the second half.

"It felt like we were gelling better as a team, our attack was flowing a bit better," said loose-head prop Porter.

"We'll take huge confidence from that.

"That's a big thing at this level, that cohesion, the flow that you get into. Especially in the first half it felt like our attack was going a bit better, so we'll take that."

Ireland came into the autumn having not played since their drawn series with South Africa in July, while both of their opponents so far had six Tests in the Rugby Championship across the summer.

Before taking on Fiji back at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Andy Farrell said his panel looked a "little bit shy of that type of intensity" required by Test rugby.

"It's tough," added Porter.

"Obviously we're not together all that long in camp. It's all well and good being able to train together but it's different going out into a game.

"It's not really an excuse at this level."

Image source, Getty Images

Ireland centre Robbie Henshaw felt Sam Prendergast looked like a seasoned international when making his debut off the bench in Friday's 22-19 win over Argentina.

The 21-year-old fly-half replaced Jack Crowley for the final quarter of Ireland's nervy win in Dublin, becoming the first from Ireland's Under-20s squad that reached an underage World Cup final last year to represent the senior side.

"He looks like he's been playing international for a few seasons, he's so composed and calm," said his Leinster team-mate Henshaw.

"It's probably just his presence on the pitch, he doesn't seem to get to fazed by any occasion, he deals with pressure very well and he's building on his game. He's getting better and better.

"He's had some great sessions over the last few weeks so he's definitely a huge talent. Good players always look like they have time on the ball and he definitely has that."

Prendergast, who could start against Fiji on Saturday in what is expected to be a rotated side, impressed head coach Andy Farrell too.

"I thought he was excellent," he said.

"He was so composed playing his first cap in that type of position and that type of situation.

"He had a nice tempo at the line and showed what kind of character he’s got."

Image source, Getty Images

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has praised Cian Healy ahead of the prop's record-equalling 133rd cap against Argentina on Friday.

Five-time Six Nations winner Healy will tie former Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll's record when he is introduced from the bench against the Pumas at Aviva Stadium.

"The utmost respect doesn't do it justice," Farrell said when asked about his thoughts on the Leinster forward, who made his Test debut in 2009.

"It's been a pleasure to be able to coach him. I was thinking back, when I coached Cian for the first time was 2013 on the [British and Irish] Lions tour.

"I was amazed by his athleticism. He would have been right in his pomp then in 2013 and he got a terrible ankle injury and the tour was taken away from him. That tour was made for him."

In addition to his longevity in the Test arena, Healy boasts a hugely decorated club CV having won four Champions Cups and seven league titles with Leinster, for whom he also holds the cap record.

"He's been a world-leading loosehead throughout his career. The transition he's made in the last number of years in how he's not just accepted but relished the responsibility of being a mentor to somebody like Andrew Porter.

"He [Porter]'s probably the Cian of 2013, isn’t he? He is a world-class loosehead and Cian's a part of the reason for that. He's selfless in that regard. But just watching how he's been with [uncapped prop] Jack Boyle has been priceless. He's a legend in our squad and continues to be so."

Image source, Getty Images

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell says Felipe Contepomi has done a "magnificent" job with Argentina ahead of Friday's Test match in Dublin.

Former Leinster fly-half Contepomi left his coaching role with the Irish province to join Michael Cheika's Pumas backroom team.

But having replaced the Australian following last year's World Cup, the 47-year-old has overseen some impressive results, including Rugby Championship wins over New Zealand and double world champions South Africa.

"They're more of a complete team, that's for sure. They're not backs and forwards anymore, they're a team that plays an exciting brand of rugby," said Farrell.

"It's amazing to see how much more comfortable on the ball the forwards are and the interlink between the backs and the forwards is seamless.

"At the same time they still have the DNA, the fighting spirit and the dangerous, exciting outside backs as well."

Farrell added: "Felipe's done a magnificent job. You can see the cohesion they have in how they want to play.

"The hardest thing at top-level sport is consistency and rightly so, they're earning the right to be, in our mind, in the same type of bracket as the game we were talking about last week.

"Their performances and results over the last year certainly warrant that.

Image source, Getty Images

Argentina have made three changes from their 50-18 win over Italy last weekend for Friday's meeting with Ireland in Dublin.

Vice-captain Pablo Matera returns to the back row after suspension as he takes over from Santiago Grondona, who drops to the replacements.

Guido Petti replaces Franco Molina at lock while there is one backs change as Matias Moroni comes in for Matias Orlando.

Fit-again fly-half Santiago Carreras is named on the bench after missing the game in Udine because of a calf injury.

Molina is named in the replacements as Orlando drops out of the matchday squad.

The Pumas ran in seven tries against the Azzurri with fly-half Tomas Albornoz scoring 20 points.

Argentina, who reached the semi-finals at last year's World Cup, also secured some big results in this season's Rugby Championship, beating New Zealand in Wellington and world champions South Africa at home. They also scored 67 points in a home win over Australia.

Ireland have won 13 of the 19 Test encounters between the countries - including all 10 at home - but the Pumas have won three of their four World Cup encounters including the most recent 2015 quarter-final when they earned a 43-20 win over an injury-hit Irish side in Cardiff.

Robbie Henshaw, Conor Murray, Cian Healy and Iain Henderson, all of whom featured that day, are still in the Ireland squad while Matias Alemanno and Connacht's Santiago Cordero remain part of Argentina's plans although they have not been named in the squad for Friday's match.

Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi is back in Dublin where he spent six years as a player with Leinster between 2003 and 2009 in addition to a later four-season coaching stint with the Irish province.

Argentina: Juan Cruz Mallia; Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Matias Moroni, Bautista Delguy; Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Bertranou; Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya (capt), Joel Sclavi; Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo

Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Franco Molina, Santiago Grondona, Gonzalo Garcia, Santiago Carreras, Justo Piccardo.

Jonathan Bradley
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Inpho

Ireland winger Mack Hansen says the squad will ignore "outside noise" in the build-up to their Test against Argentina in Dublin on Friday.

Andy Farrell's side saw their home winning streak ended at 19 by the All Blacks last week and subsequently lost their place at the top of the world rankings.

While questions have been asked of a team that have been beaten in three of their past five matches, Hansen pointed to how Andy Farrell's side responded to their last setback.

Thanks to a pair of late Ciaran Frawley drop-goals, Ireland came back to beat South Africa and draw their two-Test series in July, one week after being decidedly outplayed in the first meeting.

"People are always very eager to jump on you when you’re down. It’s like in South Africa, nobody gave them a hope after the first Test," said Hansen, who missed that series through injury.

“And what happens? They come back and win it. That’s the best thing about this group. The outside noise is outside noise and nobody knows what goes on in here, how hard we work and how resilient we are.

"People can chat away. The people who know us know, unfortunately, it was one of those weeks [against New Zealand], but we’re ready to bounce back.”

Ireland were error-strewn against the All Blacks, with Hansen saying the squad will be "looking to right a lot of wrongs" against Felipe Contepomi's Argentina side who arrived in Dublin after a big win over Italy.

“There weren’t really hard chats, just honest chats,” added the Connacht wing of Ireland's Monday debrief.

"We came to the conclusion that it wasn’t good enough and also that it just wasn’t us.

"So this week we’re looking to right a lot of wrongs and no better place to do it then back in the Aviva in front of a home crowd."

Image source, Inpho

Ulster prop Tom O'Toole will miss Ireland's Test against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night.

The 26-year-old replaced Finlay Bealham after 58 minutes in the 23-13 loss to the All Blacks last week, but lasted only two minutes before a head injury forced him off.

With Tadhg Furlong, who missed out against New Zealand with a hamstring injury, still a doubt to face the Pumas, Leinster's Tom Clarkson could be in line for an Ireland debut.

The 24-year-old has played 47 times for his province and was initially included in the squad for the November as a 'training panellist'.

Andy Farrell's side have fallen to third in the world rankings after their latest defeat, a third in their past five games dating back to the Six Nations.

“I think it's only natural that there’s a bit of hurt, but there’s no anger,” said Aled Walters, the side's head of athletic performance.

“It’s a group that doesn’t seem to be used to losing all that much, it’s probably an environment that’s been immediately down in the changing room but as I understand, Faz [Farrell] is pretty good at getting things back on track fairly quickly, and the coaches and leaders the same. They were pretty good today.

"It's how quickly you can summarise and understand what went wrong. We came in yesterday and got started, a lot of that was understanding what didn't work.

"It's pretty clear what we need to get right in order to function and be at our best."