Who Should Farrell Pick to face the Pumas?

Farrell’s Ireland squad has suffered a few key injuries off the back of their win over the All Blacks, the Ireland head coach will now look to a group of unused players to face the Pumas.

Now that the dust has settled after Ireland’s spectacular win over the All Blacks, focus shifts to Mario Ledesma’s Argentina side who come to the Aviva with the hope of causing the Irish a huge upset.

Argentina are no strangers to upsetting rugby’s premier nations. Since knocking Ireland out of the 2015 world cup at the quarter-final stages, they have gone on to beat France, South Africa, Australia, Wales and the All Blacks in the years following.

However since losing in their past two visits to the Aviva Stadium, Los Pumas will be gearing up to throw everything they have at this Irish side. So who should Farrell put on the pitch to keep the Pumas at bay?

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1 – Dave Kilcoyne

Kilcoyne’s international career has been sightly underwhelming due to the amount injuries he’s endured over the years. However the Munster man has had some impressive performances in the green shirt when available, and his dynamic skills in attack could be big addition to Ireland against a very snappy side like Argentina.

2 – Dan Sheehan

Sheehan made his Ireland debut off the bench against Japan a few weeks ago, now it’s time to put him in a starting shirt and see how he handles it. In keeping with Farrell’s teachings, the Leinster Hooker appears to be an attack orientated player. With Rob Herring playing poorly off the bench last weekend, perhaps Sheehan has earned his shot as Ireland’s second choice hooker.

3 – Cian Healy

Healy made the switch from loosehead to tighthead with Leinster earlier this year, receiving his first cap at the position when he came off the bench in Leinster’s URC win over Dragons. Argentina have a very strong pack and Healy’s influence both around the field at scrum time would give Ireland a needed edge against the South Americans. Putting him in at tighthead could be a clever way for him to carry out the same amount of output in a slightly less physically taxing position.

4 – Ryan Baird

Baird is yet to play in this Autumn Nations series due to the dominance of Beirne, Ryan and Henderson, yet the Leinster lock deserves time on the international stage and I feel like this weekend is the time to reward him.

5 – James Ryan (C)

With Sexton injured, Ryan will now take on the mantle as Ireland captain. With that in mind, Ryan can’t play anywhere other than in the five jersey. Ryan is undoubtedly tired from the first two fixtures so having Dillane as cover on the bench may work well.

6 – Tadhg Beirne

Beirne showed what an impact he can make in Ireland’s win over New Zealand and I feel he has a little bit more juice in him before the conclusion of this international window. Putting him at six give Ireland another line out option and he will likely get more time on the ball than he would as a lock. Beirne has phenomenal ball carrying and passing skills so why not?

7 – Peter O’Mahony

Ireland will need a leader and O’Mahony seems to be thriving when under the pressure of the Aviva Stadium brings. Argentina have some big second/back-rows in Pablo Matera and Marcos Kremer so Ireland will need a bully to keep them in their place.

8 – Gavin Coombes

Coombes is on the brink of becoming a phenomenally talented international level back-row, but he needs the time to develop and adjust to the international game. Coombes was unavailable for the first two tests but is available for selection just in time for Argentina’s visit to Dublin.

9 – Craig Casey

Casey has made a few appearances for Ireland so far and he has soaked up every bit of the knowledge that come with it. Casey can provide a similar tempo and style to Irelands game that Gibson-Park already does, so it’s time to give the Munster 9 a chance to prove how good he can be.

10 – Joey Carbery

It could be argued that Carbery won Ireland that game last weekend. Sexton won’t be around forever so we need to give Carbery the international minutes, so he’s no stranger to the starting spot once the main man moves on.

11 – Keith Earls

Farrell seems to use his number 11’s as a third centre, and I think that’s a role Earls can carry out quite well. He also adds a level of experience and rugby IQ when defending the wider channels that the Pumas will undoubtedly attack.

12 – Robbie Henshaw

Henshaw is fresh off an injury hiatus and a run out in a green jersey would be priceless to the British and Irish Lion ahead of the Six Nations. He will also help lock down the midfield defensively and add a level of physicality that I don’t think the Argentine centres will be able to match.

13 – James Hume

Bit of an unusual selection, but Hume has been such an asset to Ulster for years now yet hasn’t been quite trusted with an international job. At this stage of a world cup cycle, Farrell can’t leave any stones unturned and Hume might give the Irish backline a jolt in the right direction.

14 – Jordan Larmour

Like many on this team, Larmour hasn’t featured for Ireland yet in this test series. Knowing the attacking benefits he can bring, I feel like Larmour would be more than productive against the Argentine defence. Keeping in mind the question marks surrounding his defence, defending the wider channels against a side who love to run the ball would be a much needed test for Larmour.

15 – Simon Zebo

It’s time to give Zebo another go at the international game. Unlike Johnny Sexton, Zebo was robbed of the opportunity to represent Ireland during his time at Racing 92, but now that he’s back at Munster, Zebo is surely eager to put his skills to the test against a rapid Argentina. If selected, it will be the first time he has played the Pumas in Dublin since his top class performance in 2012.

Replacements:

16 – Rob Herring

Herring deserves international minutes but I don’t see him starting anytime soon. I only see him replacing Sheehan in the games final minutes.

17 – Finlay Bealham

Bealham deserves a starting spot but I also think Healy does as well. Bealham is diverse enough to play on both sides of the scrum.

18 – Tom O’Toole

O’Toole only has one Ireland cap to his name so adding another can only be beneficial.

19 – Ultan Dillane

Like Baird, Dillane is yet to feature in this series and has only played in one test match this calendar year. The Connacht lock was once dubbed a successor to the great Paul O’Connell but his international career has slowed in recent years. This weekend’s clash could be what Dillane needs to reboot his confidence and find his form.

20 – Ian Henderson

Henderson had a sub-par game against the All Blacks but he is capable of far more. Perhaps a run out against the Pumas could be hugely beneficial to his confidence.

21 – Luke McGrath

McGrath is Stuart Lancaster and Leo Cullens go to nine at Leinster, yet his international career has been hit and miss for whatever reason. A chance to showcase his ability to carry out Farrell’s game plan against Argentina could resurrect his international career. McGrath also put in a phenomenal shift against the Pumas in 2018, scoring a try.

22 – Harry Byrne

Byrne is just as likely to start as Carbery is, although he hasn’t done much to earn his stripes as an Ireland player. Putting him in the hot seat at any stage of the game could tell Farrell everything he needs to know.

23 – Gary Ringrose

Ringrose outlined in an interview last weekend that he has never played against Argentina but would love to do so. Having a cool head on the bench could be what Ireland need to see out the game.