Following confirmation of Ireland’s 23-man squad to face Argentina on Friday night, here is our take on the winners and losers from Andy Farrell’s selection.

Winners

Sam Prendergast

The Ireland number 10 jersey is always up for debate, with a number of contenders fighting to start, but Farrell has opted to give Sam Prendergast the reins yet again.

This feels like a real show of faith in the youngster, for more than one reason. It could have been an easy time to miss him out given his wrist concern coming into the game and with Farrell potentially looking to expand his depth chart amid another injury to Jack Crowley, but Prendergast is the man given the nod. It’s a sign that Ireland are more than likely leaning towards him as not only their fly-half for the upcoming campaign, but also for the World Cup and even further down the track as their long-term option. If they were going to move in a different direction, this was the game to do it, but they’ve stuck by Prendergast.

You feel he still needs that one big statement performance in the Green jersey to quieten some of the noise that surrounds him, but if he does that this weekend, then he will surely nail down his spot.

Robbie Henshaw

It was always going to be interesting to see who Farrell went with at 13 in the absence of Garry Ringrose, and it’s Leinster’s Robbie Henshaw that gets the nod. It’s not too much of a surprise call given his experience and quality, but like Prendergast above, Farrell could have also been excused for selecting someone like Jamie Osborne this weekend; but instead has opted for Henshaw.

This is potentially an eye to how Ireland might shape up in attack. Henshaw adds proper punch and strike within the system and, in tandem with Stuart McCloskey, gives them a genuine carrier through the midfield at every opportunity. If they can find a balance with each other, and with the rest of the backline around them, that could work wonders.

Craig Casey

So often playing second fiddle to Jamison Gibson-Park in this Ireland side, but he has been given the nod to start this weekend. Casey faces a hard task to crack the starting side on a regular basis, given the sheer brilliance of the man donning the 21 jersey this weekend, but he does offer something slightly different with his more up-tempo style. He also comes into this off the back of some nice performances for Munster.

There is also no getting away from the fact this is a big chance for him to impress. Ireland have so often run Gibson-Park for the full 80 minutes, with Casey given just a handful of minutes off the bench, but if he can make a proper mark on the game this weekend then that could soon change. He needs to take it with both hands, you feel.

Mack Hansen

Return of the Mack! Finally, after nearly a year away from the Test picture, Mack Hansen is back in the Green jersey this weekend. The winger has for so long been one of Farrell’s go-to men in the run-on group, made even more evident during his stint on the sidelines, and you feel he will likely hit the ground running on his return.

He adds a very unique threat within their attack, acting as a proper poacher with his finishing ability but also floating in off his wing and becoming a crucial playmaking option almost like a third centre at times, and with the backline around on Friday, that could be a sight to behold.

Ireland’s chief jester is back in the big time, and his selection will leave everyone with a smile on their face.

Back-row unit

For a good while, you could name Ireland’s back-row in your sleep; but now Farrell has given a chance to those not usually in the run-on group as Sean Jansen, Nick Timoney and Ryan Baird get the nod to start. This feels a really shrewd move from the head coach, especially given their current injury situation in the back-row with Caelan Doris and Jack Conan out.

This will be a proper acid test for all of them, both individually and as a unit, as they come up against arguably three of the best back-rowers and arguably the best unit in the world of Pablo Matera, Marcos Kremer and Juan Martin Gonzalez. If they get through it, that will only help them become key figures for Ireland, but if they don’t, it gives Farrell reason to bring in his usual figures.

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Around that, the selection of Josh van der Flier on the bench and the possibility of moving Tadhg Beirne back give Ireland an extra bit of insurance this weekend, meaning Farrell can really see what these three are about before making a change. If needed, that is.

Losers

Injured men

There is no escaping Ireland’s injury concerns heading into the Nations Championship, with the aforementioned Doris and Conan joining Jack Boyle, Harry Byrne, Jack Crowley, Iain Henderson, Paddy McCarthy, Calvin Nash, Bryn Ward and Jimmy O’Brien on the unavailable list.

If fit, they would have all been right in contention to feature this weekend, especially with Farrell showing he is willing to mix things up a touch, but alas, they all miss out.

Rotated bench men

Gibson-Park, Van der Flier and James Ryan will all take on slightly unfamiliar roles this weekend as they feature on the bench. On the one hand, this could be Farrell just giving others a chance in the run-on group while knowing he has three of his key generals raring to go from the bench, but then again, is it the head coach showing he is thinking of using them in this role more often?

Ireland are heading towards a full-scale revamp of the side post-2027 World Cup, and it seems Farrell is starting to think about his options in the here and now so they can be ready when the time comes.

Either way you look at it, they will need to come on and really make an impact in the closing moments to show why they deserve to be in the run-on group again.

Ciaran Frawley

Was this the time to give him a start at fly-half? It’s been tough going for Ciaran Frawley at Test level since his drop-goal heroics against the Springboks in 2024, making just nine appearances for the national side and only one of those coming in the starting XV, but he seems to have a new lease of life since his switch to Connacht.

His overall game just seems to be refreshed and revived since his move out west, and crucially has got a proper string of games together in one position rather than just being dotted around the backline. That’s reflected in his stats, bagging 38 points, including four tries, in four appearances thus far. There is, of course, a difference between club and Test level; but a confident and in-form Frawley is a delight to watch and this could have been a great time to see just what he can do for Ireland at fly-half.

He will likely get some decent minutes off the bench, but will they come at fly-half?