“There are a lot of lads that have put their hands up.”- Farrell

The Irish camp is buzzing after their second victory on the trot in New Zealand which saw them exact revenge on the Maori All Blacks with a 30-24 victory in Wellington on Tuesday evening. The men in green took to the pitch with their tails up after Saturday’s win over the All Blacks in Dunedin – Ireland's first Test triumph on New Zealand soil.  

Ireland boss Andy Farrell was justifiably impressed with his charges against the Maori ABs and says a number of his fringe players made a strong case for selection in the decider on Saturday. 

“There are a lot of lads that have put their hands up,” Farrell said. 

“We’ve seen people grow massively, not just as rugby players but as people, coming out of themselves within the group which is massive for us for next year. 

“I was more pleased with the team performance (than individuals) because the obvious thing to learn from the first game was that some lads were pretty desperate to show everything they’ve got and they (now) understand that it’s always got to be team first and not just disciplined with the referee but disciplined in how we play the game. 

“Our discipline was pretty poor in that first game and got a bit desperate at times. 

“They’ve learnt a lot because it was pretty brutal out there, the conditions, it was swirling everywhere and for a young side to be able to manage their way through a game when things aren’t going right the whole time, I thought was tremendous. 

“I thought they managed the game as a whole superbly well.” 

Farrell shared his thoughts on the general mood in the squad. 

“The mood’s good,” he said. “It helps when you win a Test match obviously but the mood still would have been great anyway. 

“If the boys had lost tonight, we’d have learnt and pushed forward, it’s about growing the group as we’ve talked about non-stop on this tour. 

“These boys have been dying for a game for the last 13 days and for it to finally come around and them to improve and get a big W on the board is very pleasing for them going forward. 

“It’s up to them and their hunger. They know what it’s all about now, they know what’s expected of them so over to them.”