Ireland head coach Andy Farrell is set to take a young Irish side on a short tour of South Africa in September.

The last-minute arrangements are being made as Farrell reportedly feels it necessary to get more international experience into a number of Ireland’s fringe players.

Following their successful tour of New Zealand, Ireland are among the favorites heading into next season’s World Cup.

Traditionally Ireland have struggled at World Cups, quite often this has been due to a lack of depth as key players pick up injuries throughout the tournament.

Farrell will reportedly take a squad of 30 players to the republic to play fixtures against non-URC sides likely to be the Cheetahs, Griquas and Pumas.

Players such as Craig Casey, Gavin Coombes, Ciaran Frawley and Jimmy O’Brien are set to feature, having had limited exposure during the New Zealand tour.

The tour itself could have negative ramifications for the Irish provinces at the beginning of the season due to the senior internationals usually being drip fed back into the set-ups throughout the early part of the season.

This could therefore see the four provinces digging deeper into their squad depth as they field less experienced sides.

All four sides are set to have derby fixtures against each other in the first four weeks in addition to tough fixtures against sides from other countries who likely be fully locked and loaded.

Having copped criticism over the years for not taking the tournament seriously as they focus on the Champions Cup. Irish sides fielding severally weakened sides to open the tournament could cause further criticism about the integrity of the competition.

Of the four provinces, Leinster certainly have the biggest strength in depth. This tour would, however, test that fact as they are likely to once again be bulk contributors alongside Munster, who currently have several second-string internationals vying for game time.

Written by Philip Bendon