So Ireland have finished off their Autumn Nations Series with 3 wins from 4, beating Argentina, Fiji and Australia while they fell short in their World Cup rematch against the All Blacks.
It mightn't have been the smoothest ride through those four matches but winning while not playing perfectly is traditionally a sign of a good team and it's something Ireland have struggled with in this era.
There was a lot of talk about whether Farrell would use this series as a chance to blood in new players and he somewhat did that in the form of Sam Prendergast earning two starts and Gus McCarthy settling into International rugby like a duck to water with his two very stellar performances against Fiji and off the bench against Australia.
Throughout the Autumn Nations Series we've had Brett Igoe provide analysis and player ratings for each of the 4 matches so we decided to take an average of those ratings and have a look at who were Ireland's best performing over November.
Ireland's Top 5 Players In November Based On Player Ratings
1. Josh van der Flier - 7.5
30 November 2024; Josh van der Flier of Ireland celebrates his side's third try, scored by teammate Gus McCarthy, not pictured, during the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and Australia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
There's probably little surprise for who's in top spot and Josh van der Flier has been immense this November. The former World Player of the Year started in all four ANS matches and scored three tries, including crucial scores against New Zealand where Ireland came out of the blocks firing in the second half and van der Flier's try got them back into the game and he got Ireland's first score against Australia.
Van der Flier has been consistently brilliant for so long that it can be easy to forget the impact he has on the team and Ireland rely on him heavily to perform, especially when there's a lot of things not going to plan.
2. Caelan Doris - 6.75
30 November 2024; Caelan Doris of Ireland is tackled by Australia players Brandon Paenga-Amosa, left, and James Slipper during the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and Australia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
In his first ANS as Ireland captain Caelan Doris showed why Andy Farrell selected the Leinster man to lead this side. An absolute monster with ball in hand, Doris was at the centre of many of the positives in the Irish attack, with his carrying and lines selection being impeccable, even when the attack was stalling at times.
He also contributed well to the lineout, being used very well off the tail of it for pre-worked moves. He's carried himself well and looks to be a good leader going forward for Ireland.
3. Tadhg Beirne - 6.75
15 November 2024; Tadhg Beirne of Ireland during the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
To complete the full backrow we have Tadhg Beirne in third place. The Munster man was deployed at 6 for all but one of the November matches and he was his usual self, getting around the park, making hard yards and popping up with some crucial turnovers.
4. Andrew Porter - 6.5
8 November 2024; Andrew Porter of Ireland during the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
The talk may have been about Cian Healy breaking the All-Time cap record for Ireland but his minutes were limited due to the stellar displays from Porter. It's rare you see props go 70+ minutes but Porter has shown he's not just any other prop.
5. Joe McCarthy - 6.5
30 November 2024; Joe McCarthy of Ireland during the Autumn Nations Series match between Ireland and Australia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
It's a forward dominated list as there was less rotation in the pack but Joe McCarthy rounded out his first year as a International Test regular in style with four fine performances. A lover of the collision, McCarthy is becoming a more important part of the Ireland set up.
Honourable Mentions
The backs have been very unfortunate not to make this list as Farrell chose to rotate the backline more than the forwards. Had they played in all 4 matches the likes of Mack Hansen, Jamie Osbourne, Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki all falling foul of rotation.
