Ireland 41-10 Japan: ‘In short, no’ – Slow Irish coach frustrates Andy Farrell

There were positives for Farrell, of course. He said the Irish defense – which the All Blacks beat last week – was his most pleasing aspect of the first half, as they put in more effort than expected without the ball.

Thanks to a strong display from the substitutes, the second half was more fluid, while another addition came from the Irish coach’s namesake as Tom Farrell produced a strong display in his long-awaited debut.

Farrell, 32, has emerged at outside position on the back of strong form for Munster, six-and-a-half years after being named for the first time in Ireland’s 2019 Six Nations squad.

Andy Farrell said: “We’ve just finished the presentation behind closed doors with the players and he talked about his journey and it’s a great journey, isn’t it?”

“Six years ago, when he came to the club, he was a shadow of himself today.

“The progress that we saw, and this time when he came and ran onto the floor and backed himself up and showed everyone that he belonged, it was clear to everyone. He certainly used his time differently because of the experience he gained as a player over those six years.”

Unlike the All Blacks game, Ireland finished the game strong and ensured smiles throughout.

While Farrell was clearly not enamored by much of what he saw, he at least has a strong second-half performance to build on as attention turns to Australia and South Africa.

But when the Wallabies come to town, they will demand the performance they did not deliver against Japan.