Schmidt keeps his silence on Lions tour
JOE SCHMIDT has avoided predicting how many Ireland players will feature in next month’s Lions squad selection for New Zealand after they unceremoniously ruined England’s history-making efforts on Saturday. Ireland signed off on a frustrating Six Nations by clinching the runners-up spot behind the beaten English who were denied back-to-back Grand Slams and a record 19th successive Test win. Eddie Jones still expects 15 England players to gain Warren Gatland’s seal of approval on April 19 in London, but Schmidt has refused to pick his ideal number of Irish representatives on the back of a 2017 campaign that featured three wins from five. Ireland only got nine picks in 2013 when Gatland chose his
37 for the Australian tour.
‘You’d like to see as many as possible,’ said Schmidt in the wake of the championship-closing 13-9 win in Dublin that confirmed Ireland’s world No4 ranking.
That ranking ensures they can’t be drawn against New Zealand, England or Australia at the May pool draw for the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
‘You’re proud of your players, you worked really hard with them and you see how hard they work.
‘You’d love to see as many as possible but I wouldn’t express a number because it’s not a decision I get to make.’
With his leading players all hopefully away with the Lions in New Zealand, Schmidt is looking to build some depth on Ireland’s June tour featuring games in Japan (two) and America.
However, he will first busy himself with reflections on a Six Nations where he insists a team which has won just nine and drawn one of its last 18 matches played consistently well in four successive rounds, claiming the first half in Scotland was Ireland’s only real black mark.
‘Look, we were consistent four weeks in a row,’ he stressed, despite the roundfour loss at Wales meaning the Six Nations title wasn’t on the line against England.
‘We were pretty good against Wales. I know there were some errors, but the players said the first 20 minutes it was drier out here (against England) than it was in Wales.
‘There was a lot of water on the pitch which we didn’t anticipate in the Millennium.
‘We were consistent, it’s just those fine margins. We won 139 against England.
‘We were down 15-9 when we drove over the line with 12 minutes to go against Wales. They are incredibly fine margins.
‘There is a degree of frustration and a fair element of pride… those frustrations will continue in the overall review of the championship and at the same time, it’s incredibly positive to finish on a (high) note because that was a monumental challenge,’ added Schmidt. IRELAND assistant Simon Easterby has been touted to succeed Laurie Fisher as David Humphreys’ head coach at Gloucester.
Humphreys has been talking to Johan Ackerman about the English club’s vacancy, but the
Rugby Paper have reported that he could turn to Easterby if the South African decides Kingsholm isn’t the place for him.
Easterby has been Joe Schmidt’s forwards coach since replacing John Plumtree in 2014, but his family are based in the UK and that could be a factor if Humphreys turns his attentions to his former Test team colleague.