Copyright the42
League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Tom Farrell has been brilliant for Munster.Dan Sheridan/INPHO Farrell's circuitous route to Ireland debut shows his grit The creative outside centre has faced plenty of setbacks on his route to the top. 2.06pm, 6 Nov 2025 Share options TOM FARRELL NEARLY joined the Western Force in Australia in 2024. He was being released by Connacht after more than eight years of service, with the western province deciding to go with other options in midfield. Farrell and his wife, Chloé, thought a move abroad would be a fun adventure and given that he was being let go by Connacht, the outside centre wasn’t exactly thinking that he needed to hang around in case Andy Farrell’s Ireland decided they needed him. But things changed at a late stage. Munster were losing Antoine Frisch to French rugby and they needed an outside centre. Farrell fit the bill in terms of his skillset, but also in terms of their budget. An offer from Munster wasn’t something that Farrell had expected and it was one he couldn’t refuse. And as has always been the case in his rugby career, the Dublin man bounced back strongly from his big disappointment in Connacht. Now he’s set for his Ireland debut at number 13 against Japan on Saturday. Farrell first came through the ranks in Coolmine RFC and Castleknock College. He was a talented teenager but he was set to miss out on Leinster’s academy intake in 2013. That wasn’t a huge surprise to him given he hadn’t featured for the Ireland U20s in that year’s Six Nations. But Mike Ruddock, who coached him at Lansdowne, picked Farrell for the Junior World Championship that summer and he was impressive in four starts in France. Farrell stood out alongside the likes of Josh van der Flier and Dan Leavy. Farrell playing for Leinster A in 2013.Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO And so, Leinster changed their minds and brought Farrell into their academy. He later said his time in the academy passed him by, and he never got a chance in the senior team. He did continue to shine for Lansdowne and Leinster A, but Farrell was told during the 2015/16 campaign that the province wouldn’t be giving him a senior professional deal at the end of his three years in the academy. Advertisement Determined to bounce back as quickly as possible, Farrell asked for an early release with a few months of the season because he knew London Irish needed a centre in on injury cover. Leinster were happy to grant it. Farrell moved to England in early 2016 on a trial basis, but it wasn’t smooth sailing there either. London Irish didn’t push to keep him on a permanent deal after he trained with them for several months. Some people would have been tempted to give up there, but Farrell believed he was good enough to make it in Irish rugby, even if he had to take a roundabout route. So it was that he signed for Championship side Bedford Blues ahead of the 2016/17 season. He launched himself into life in the English second tier impressively, scoring two tries in his eight starts for Bedford before Connacht came calling just six months later. Pat Lam’s men had an injury crisis and they had been keeping an eye on Farrell. Bedford weren’t going to stand in his way. Farrell played his last game for the Blues on New Year’s Eve 2016 and made his Connacht debut against Zebre at the Sportsground exactly two weeks later. Finally, Farrell made himself wanted. He initially signed on a short-term deal but eight strong appearances for Connacht earned him a one-year contract for the 2017/18 campaign. He started that season in electric form, prompting Connacht to quickly give him another two-year extension, and Farrell became a key figure for the province. Farrell was an AIL winner with Lansdowne.Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO Joe Schmidt was watching. He called Farrell into the Irish training squad for the first time in 2018 and there were a few other visits to national camp, but the creative centre never got a chance to play. Farrell realised later that he was still raw when he first went into the highly detailed, highly intense Irish camp, while injuries subsequently slowed him down. Indeed, having initially benefitted from injuries in getting his chance with Connacht, Farrell had a miserable run of them, making only a combined 10 appearances across the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons. He did return to a prominent role thereafter but his starting changes began to diminish in the 2023/24 campaign, his final season with Connacht. Younger centres like Hugh Gavin and Cathal Forde had come onto the scene, Byron Ralston could play at 13, and Connacht were signing Piers O’Conor in the summer of 2024. So they decided to let Farrell go. The opportunity in Munster popped up late but Farrell has grabbed it with both hands. His offloading game and footwork were key to the Munster attack last season, while Farrell’s intelligence and deceptive mobility have caught many an opponent off guard. He won every award going at Munster for his efforts last season but Ireland overlooked him for their July tour of Georgia and Portugal. That was despite Garry Ringrose being on Lions duty and Robbie Henshaw having the summer off after an injury. Jamie Osborne started the first Test against Georgia at outside centre, while Connacht man Gavin was picked there against Portugal. While the main Ireland squad includes many men over the age of 30, it seemed that Andy Farrell and co. felt like the ship had sailed on Munster man Farrell being a Test player. Farrell on his Connacht debut in 2017.James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO As ever, he just kept on playing well. Farrell picked up this season exactly where he left off in the previous one. He was among the best Munster players in their big win over Leinster at Croke Park. That was a few days after Farrell had missed out on the original Ireland squad for the November Tests. But the picture changed only a couple of days later. Henshaw and Bundee Aki carried injury niggles into Ireland camp, so head coach Farrell decided to call on the Munster man. Farrell travelled to Chicago for their two-week camp ahead of the All Blacks game and did well in training there, helping to convince the Irish coaches that he can make an impact in the green jersey. He gets his shot against Japan this weekend and will bring something different to the number 13 shirt with his creative offloading and linebreaking ability. Farrell only turned 32 last month, so it’s not like he’s some limping veteran player. He has always backed himself to make it and he’ll do that again in the Aviva on Saturday. Murray Kinsella Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Farrell's circuitous route to Ireland debut shows his grit”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Farrell's circuitous route to Ireland debut shows his grit”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion road less travelled Tom Farrell Freeautumn internationals France vs South Africa: Springbok skipper Kolisi's 100th cap, Le Garrec as Dupont replacement FreeDP World Tour 'There's something about me and Tommy': Shane Lowry off to a flier in Abu Dhabi FreeTeam news Farrell starts on Ireland debut while Doris returns as skipper 'They are struggling at the clubs but they will play well for Ireland. That's our hope' FreeAll Blacks XV New Zealand make Scotland changes after Barrett brothers' injuries FreeAwareness How Beauden Barrett helped Tadhg Beirne to get his red card overturned Freeworld cup qualifiers New York City defender Kevin O'Toole gets shock call-up to 25-man Ireland squad Joe Heyes: Choosing England over Ireland was easy Stars Of The Show Tipperary win seven hurling All-Stars with four for Cork contribution Coolmore Stud owner gifts 14 acres to Tipperary GAA for centre of excellence FreeTake a Break All Blacks captain Scott Barrett confirms rugby 'sabbatical' - but he won't be following Ioane to Ireland more from us Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account
