Six Nations Championship: Losing to France Ireland “have to stand up”, says head coach Andy Farrell

Thanks to an unusual start to the season on Thursday, Ireland will have nine days to prepare for the visit of the Azzurri.

While the number of injuries has been high in the tournament, Farrell felt his side emerged from the opener relatively unscathed despite “bruised pride and bumps and bruises”, but a fierce debate over selection can still be expected.

Farrell managed to roll the dice somewhat against France, dropping James Lowe in favor of Jacob Stockdale and giving Cian Prendergast the chance to start in the back row.

Given the nature of the result and the fact that those on the bench lifted the performance, with the result already recognized, there will be calls for greater change, but Farrell says he will look at the “deeper reality” of the game before making decisions.

“That’s obviously at the forefront of our minds, the choice and how to get the best response to that,” he added.

“Sometimes people give it another chance but we have to look at the in-depth reality of how things are and act accordingly.”