Andy Farrell impressed with impact of debutants in Pumas win

Of the many things Andy Farrell will have learned about his side in Friday's 22-19 win against Argentina, one thing that will have pleased the Ireland head coach will be the impact his two debutants had off the bench.

On an evening where Cian Healy played his 133rd game of Test rugby, Thomas Clarkson and Sam Prendergast dipped their toes into the international game, the 46th and 47th players to make their debuts since Farrell took over in 2020.

Clarkson actually came off the bench twice during the game, initially replacing Josh van der Flier for around five minutes while Finlay Bealham was in the sin-bin during the first half, before he returned to the game after 53 minutes, logging more than half an hour of game time in his first appearance.

The Leinster prop looked up to the standard, and could well be in line for a second cap this Saturday against Fiji if Tadhg Furlong’s hamstring injury doesn’t clear. Clarkson held his own at scrum time, contributing in a big way to the one scrum penalty his side won, while he was excellent on defence, bringing a lot of line speed, which led to an important turnover just inside Ireland’s half.

Prendergast had less time on the pitch, replacing Jack Crowley for the final 18 minutes of the game, and while Ireland didn't score while he was on the field, he showed enough composure and flashes of talent for Farrell to be pleased with what he saw.

"I thought he was excellent," the Ireland coach said of Prendergast.

"I thought he was really composed, playing your first cap in that type of position, that type of situation, I thought he was really composed. He played at a nice tempo at the line and started to make things happen. That just shows what type of character he's got.

"It was a tough one for