Ireland’s lack of composure frustrates Farrell

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has urged his side to rediscover their ruthless edge in the remainder of their autumn campaign after carving out a 22-19 win over Argentina.

The Six Nations champions returned to winning ways on Friday but only after enduring a frustrating night against a spirited and dangerous Pumas side, who recovered from a 13-point half-time deficit to bring the game down to the wire.

Farrell cut a frustrated figure at times during the game as his side failed to convert chances and put the game beyond Argentina’s reach, leading to an uncomfortable finish.

“I wasn’t puzzled but we were flowing, you know,” he said.

“We came off the top of a line-out way over the gain-line with Jamie Osborne, Caelan [Doris] comes around the corner, we’re way over the gain-line again and then we’re through and then there’s a lack of composure on the back of it.

“That’s the frustrating thing because we did a lot of good but we just didn’t convert it. Good teams have a say in that but we need to be better in that regard.”

Farrell opted against making wholesale changes after last week’s loss to New Zealand, and while Saturday’s game against Fiji may seem like an opportunity to rotate, the Englishman insists his selection process will not be based on who has not yet featured in the autumn series.

“We need to pick a side that’s going to perform,” he said. “What you don’t just do is give everyone a game that’s been unfortunate not to play so far.

“If you’re trying to work out how lads are going to cope at international level, you need to put good people around them to be able to judge them in the right manner.

“There’s a balance there.”

While Farrell was underwhelmed with aspects of Ireland’s performance, he praised the impact of his bench as Tom Clarkson and Sam Prendergast came on for their debuts while Cian Healy was introduced for his 133rd cap, drawing him level with Irish legend Brian O’Driscoll.

“It was a big old task for Tom, especially when it’s a game of collision winning and they’re going to test you through the forwards. They’re a good scrummaging pack and I thought he did really well.

“It was a tough one for Sam to manage his way through but you give them that exposure and you see what they’re about and they both managed it really well.

“[Argentina] were causing us a little bit of trouble, whether it was legal or not, through the tight-head and Cian did well to come on for his record cap there.

“Ryan Baird went off injured but I thought Jamie Osborne was immense when he came on. He’s really stepped up, certainly for Leinster in the games we’ve seen, so all in all the bench did a really good job.”