Ireland 41-10 Japan: Tom Farrell savours long-awaited Irish debut after career ‘lifeline’

Farrell scored 10 tries in 25 games for Munster last season, enough to earn him the province’s player of the year award, and impressed in last month’s United Rugby Championship win over Leinster at Croke Park.

“I was very close to going abroad and then this opportunity arose and then a couple of injuries and a few different situations happened at Munster where I got on a bit of a roll of games,” added the Dubliner, who signed a new Munster deal last month.

“I managed to pick up a good bit of form and my game went from strength to strength last year.

“Luckily, this year again, I managed to get in for rounds two and three of the league, just before the Ireland squad was selected, and that probably worked in my favour as well.”

Farrell missed out on making his debut under Joe Schmidt six years ago, but having established himself as a midfield option for Farrell, the 32-year-old is determined to make the most of his opportunity.

“The last time I was in camp was 2019, and I probably let the opportunity pass me by a bit,” he admitted.

“I probably wasn’t ready for the intensity and demands of international rugby and probably let the opportunity slip by.

“But once I got the nod there two weeks ago, I was pretty determined to leave my mark, essentially. I wasn’t perfect today, but there’s some good things out there.”