Farrell to name Ireland squad on Wednesday ahead of November Nations home fixtures
Andy Farrell will name his Ireland squad on Wednesday for next month’s Nations Championship home leg, with less than a year to go until the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The selection is likely to stir debate about how his team are shaping up ahead of three Aviva Stadium home matches and the finals weekend at Twickenham.
Ireland opened their Nations Championship campaign with wins over Australia and Japan before a 40-21 loss to New Zealand in Auckland. After November, the Six Nations will be Farrell's only extended period of competitive action with his squad before they travel to Australia for the showpiece tournament. Last weekend Leinster, Munster, Connacht and Ulster all began their European campaigns with victories.
Farrell will be without captain Caelan Doris as he recovers from knee and foot issues, and Jack Conan left Stade Marcel-Michelin with his arm in a sling after Munster's Champions Cup win over Clermont. Sean Jansen, who scored a try on his Test debut against Japan and came off the bench in the All Blacks defeat, could benefit from those absences. Fly-half Jack Crowley remains unavailable because of a vascular injury, while first-choice scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park is expected to be included despite not yet featuring for Leinster this season because of a groin strain.
Props Jack Boyle and Paddy McCarthy are still missing, but Andrew Porter is available for the first time since last year's defeat by the Springboks in Dublin after missing the 2026 Six Nations with a calf problem and being ruled out of the July Tests with a similar issue following a late March return for Leinster. Ryan Baird is also available again after a fractured tibia forced him to miss the Six Nations; he had impressed at blind-side flanker during the 2025 autumn Tests and returned for Leinster late last season but missed the July games. Mack Hansen has returned after an injury-ravaged 2025-26 season that comprised two Test appearances and a single run-out for Connacht.
With Crowley sidelined, Sam Prendergast and Ciaran Frawley are set to contest the number 10 shirt in November. Prendergast has 17 caps, was dropped by Farrell after a poor start to this year's Six Nations and has attracted attention with back-to-back man of the match awards in URC and Champions Cup wins over Cardiff and Clermont. Frawley, 28, moved from Leinster to Connacht for regular game time, has scored four tries and starred in Connacht's 45-36 Champions Cup win over Saracens; his first Test start at 10 came in Ireland's win over Japan in July. Charlie O'Shea has impressed for Munster but Farrell may consider it too soon to introduce the 20-year-old to Test rugby, while Joey Carbery could earn a recall despite making only one brief appearance off the bench since rejoining Leinster.
Sean Jansen is poised to play a significant role in the back row, and uncapped Munster number eight Brian Gleeson could be included after impressing in last week's win over Racing 92; Gleeson missed out on a possible Test debut 12 months ago when forced to withdraw from the squad with an elbow injury. Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Stuart McCloskey and Bundle Aki will likely be among the centre options, with Jamie Osborne having recently featured at 12 for Leinster. Former England prop Kieran Brookes, 36, who was an Ireland underage international before earning 16 caps for England, has pushed for inclusion after showcasing solidity in the scrum since joining Munster in the summer.
Having lost to the All Blacks in July, beating world champions South Africa less than a year out from the next tournament in Australia would be a major statement. Ireland have won four of their past six meetings with the Springboks but suffered a 24-13 reverse in Dublin last year and endured 22- and 19-point defeats to France and New Zealand earlier this year; last year's loss to South Africa included five cards and saw Ireland finish with 12 men, a chaotic first half to which Farrell later praised his side's response. South Africa have played six Tests since Ireland's last match against New Zealand, beating Argentina before securing a 3-1 Test series win over the All Blacks and falling to a 42-38 loss to Australia in Perth on 27 September.
The Ireland squad will be announced at 15:00 BST on Wednesday. Ireland's November home fixtures are: Ireland v Argentina, 6 November, Aviva Stadium, 20:10; Ireland v Fiji, 14 November, Aviva Stadium, 20:10; Ireland v South Africa, 21 November, Aviva Stadium, 16:40; and the Nations Championship finals weekend fixture (opponent TBD), 27-29 November, Allianz Stadium Twickenham.