Andy Farrell doesn’t believe his Ireland team need a statement performance to show what they are really about.
The Six Nations champions have underwhelmed since dismantling France last February, winning three of six games.
Those victories, against Scotland, South Africa and Argentina last weekend, were all close calls and could have gone either way.
But Farrell, after making seven changes to the team to face Fiji on Saturday, issued a blunt “no” when asked if his team needed to remind Irish rugby fans who they really are.
“It’s always about the performance,” he told mnews Sport.
“It’s always about being the best we can be, that will never change.
“You’ve no right… that the performances are going to be top, top drawer the whole time because of the quality of the opposition. We’re just chasing that.
“[We need] better discipline, more continuity in how we play, which leads to more pressure being put on the opposition constantly.
“The same intent we had in the first half [against Argentina], the same desire we had in the last five minutes to see out the game. All in all, there’s a mixture of things.”
Farrell has handed debuts to 24-year-old Cormac Izuchukwu, the blindside Ulster flanker, and 21-year-old Leinster hooker Gus McCarthy, who made his provincial debut at the end of last season and has gone on to win six Leinster caps and feature for Emerging Ireland twice.
“I suppose Izzy has been in and around the squad now for a while actually,” said Farrell of the Offaly man, who has 32 Ulster games under his belt.
“The first Emerging Ireland [tour in 2022] is when we first came across his ability, his athleticism, his point of difference, and since then – I know that’s a couple of years ago – the improvement and maturity of his game because he was young in as far as the 15-a-side game when the first Emerging tour was on.
“The difference between the first tour and the second tour was chalk and cheese. His ability, point of difference, his potential with that maturity, he deserves a shot to show what he’s got.
“Gus, what a rise in such a short space of time. Obviously coming from the 20s and being successful there, he’s been a captain for a long time now and you can see why because you can see his maturity in how he goes about the game.
“But rugby is a strange thing. You think there’s a pecking order and all of a sudden a couple of players get an injury then a kid gets an opportunity and he shows up really well when we take him on the training week with us as a development player.
“He showed up unbelievably well and he’s forced our arm to keep him in the squad, first and foremost. And he deserves a shot to see what he can do as well.”
There is also a return for Ulster winger Jacob Stockdale, who makes the team for the first time since before the World Cup.
“He deserves it, his form has been great,” added the former England international of the 28-year-old, who will win his 38th cap.
“He’s been back in the fold with us, albeit not getting an opportunity, over the last 12 months and we’ve seen that improvement within his game.
“He’s chomping at the bit and this is his chance to show us what he’s about at this level again.”
The game, however, comes too soon for prop Tadhg Furlong. The Leinster front row arrived in camp with a hamstring issue that has not cleared up.
Farrell said: “He’s tried his best. I feel for him. It’s been tough because everyone is desperate to play for Ireland and he’s worked really hard to try and get back there and we were hoping it was going to be this week.
“You’re always trying to push on to the next stage and get through that and he didn’t quite manage that.”
