Nations Championship Preview: Ireland vs Fiji

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

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Matt Cooper (0:10)

And so let's look forward to the weekend's rugby. Tomorrow evening, Fiji visit the Aviva Stadium to play Ireland, the second of our November Nations League games. We're joined by Matt Williams. And Matt, this is a really interesting team that Andy Farrell has put out because in November's past, both under Farrell and under Joe Smith before him, there would have been a tendency to reward lots of fringe players with an opportunity and often disjointed performances as a result.

I know there's a lot of changes from last week, but this looks like a pretty stacked Irish team going out, doesn't it?

Matt Williams (0:49)

Matt, I thought exactly the same thing when I read the team announcement there. It's a very strong Irish side, peppered with some really interesting young or younger or inexperienced players, not necessarily younger but more inexperienced players. I think that tells us a lot that we're very close to the next World Cup. There's only eight or nine games until the World Cup starts. And I think the other thing that's looming over this whole campaign is that the enormity of South Africa is only a week away.

And so, it's not a time where you can just...

We'll put a young team in or any fringe players in and give 15 or 20 players an opportunity. This is getting ready for South Africa. And after South Africa, there's seven games until the World Cup. And I think this is a team that's got all of those... all of that implication in mind.

Matt Cooper (1:43)

Which would also suggest that only if you're injured at present and had been a fixture on the squad previously, such as a Cailan Doris or a Jack Colen or a Jack Crowley and maybe a few more, if you're not in the squad at the moment, unless there's a serious rash of injuries in particular positions, you're not going to the World Cup.

Matt Williams (2:05)

I think that's a...

If you're going to the World Cup, Matt, you're going as a backup. I think that's a very fair summation of what's going on. And I think you've only got to look at, you know, Porter, Andrew Porter, one of our best players or world class players. But Porter's played hardly any rugby in the last 12 months at international level because of injury. Jamison Gibson-Park, you could say the same thing. Prendergast, as a 10, is just a young, developing player. And I think the interesting one is our centers, where we've got Bundy Aki there coming back in. Osborne is the future, but what happens if there's some injuries to a very aging three-quarters line? I think there's all these questions on every front through that team. And then a bench with some players who have an opportunity to force their way into the World Cup. And I think the bench, probably more than anything else, tells us of young players offering an opportunity if there is an injury. So there's so many opportunities and interesting selections across the whole team, Matt.

You're right. I think this is saying who Andy Farrell has in mind to go down to Australia next year.

Matt Cooper (3:20)

But the other thing about Andy Farrell, Matt, is that he's celebrated as a man manager and the players love him. But there is a degree of rootlessness about him. That if you don't take the chance you're given, you might not get another one. And who I'm thinking of here is Keyon Prendergast, who started the Six Nations campaign, got dropped, started in the Nations Championship, got dropped in terrific form for Connacht, but he's not on the bench tomorrow. James McNabney has been given the opportunity to get ahead of him. And when you think of all the back row players who will be returning as well, are there going to be many chances left for him as an example?

Matt Williams (3:58)

I really think that Farrell has sent out so many messages, not necessarily to his world class players, like Tag Verland, you know, Byrne and Josh van der Vleer, and those types of players. But he's sending a message out to the Finlay Beelums, and as you say, the Cure and Prendergast, the guys who might have thought, look, I'm in this squad, I'm not starting, but I'm on the bench here, I'm feeling pretty comfortable. He's just sent out a huge message. No one is safe.

You have to be playing really well for your province. You have to turn up and do what you can. You know, play at your best when I give you the opportunity. You are not here. I don't think Cure, that's Cure and Prendergast, and Finlay Billham are out of the selection loop. But I think he sent a really strong message by not selecting them, that you're unnoticed. You've got to turn up and you've got to play. Look, every coach, what they want, Matt, within their squad is really strong internal competition. You've obviously got the external competition when you play a team. But the internal competition of players fighting to make the squad is a huge thing for a coach.