FRINGE CUT IS NEEDED
Not too many hands have been put up for Joe after close shave
IT’S going to be a gloomy few days at Carton House for some of Joe Schmidt’s shadow selection after Saturday’s error-strewn close shave with minnow outfit Fiji.
The earnest hope was for quite a few unfamiliar starting faces to take a positive step forward in their fledgling Test career development, but that generally didn’t happen and a few days on tackle bag duty before being released back to their provinces for weekend PRO14 duty — while Ireland’s front-liners take on Argentina — will underline to them how far away they are from becoming a dependable part of the international furniture.
Having only capped 17 new players in his first 27 games, Schmidt has generously cast his net wide since the 2015 World Cup, auditioning 32 uncapped players in 22 matches in a ravenous effort to build the depth his squad didn’t have at those aborted finals in time for 2019’s campaign in Japan.
However, for every Bundee Aki or Jacob Stockdale who excitingly arrive on the scene ready-made to potentially thrive long-term at this unforgiving level, there are multidows,’ ple others who simply don’t catch the eye and might only ever fleetingly be seen again in the next few years, if at all.
Three of Saturday’s starters illustrate this international wilderness. Rob Herring waited three and a half years to win his second cap this month, Jack Conan went 22 months to bridge his gap while Stuart McCloskey fidgeted for 21 months to get his second look-in. Even injury-hit Dave Kearney, a Schmidt favourite in the early years, was hanging 21 months for Saturday’s recall.
Those who fluffed their lines in a Fijian contest where the starting pack, half-back and midfield collectively lost impetus in the second half and needed bench reinforcements to avoid defeat could now be waiting a full year until they are auditioned again — the importance of Ireland’s Six Nations and the June series in Australia are not really the place for experimentation.
That is the harsh reality of life at the sharp end of this results-dominated sport. ‘That’s a frustration for us, the nature of Test rugby, you play in these very brief win- said Schmidt about the difficulties in giving his squad a fresh lick of paint.
It was fascinating how an overhauled Ireland featuring 10 players with just 14 starts between them (four were making only a first start), went, in the blink of six disastrous minutes either side of the interval, from appearing to be on route to a cosy victory to gifting 14 game-levelling points to the plucky Fijians who were decent opposition.
Ireland’s inability to form a possession-protecting ruck around the front-of-lineout winning Ultan Dillane on the opposition 22 and then an intercepted Kearney pass on halfway were the catastrophic trygifting errors that brought an edginess to second-half proceedings which was only alleviated by Ian Keatley’s two late penalties after the likes of fellow sub Cian Healy generated the crucial end-game energy necessary to see this battle through.
But even when they were dominating in the first half, Ireland didn’t appear to be enjoying the moment. Emotionless players were noticeably shy in happily celebrating the three tries scored in the opening 34 minutes.
That was a pity as each had something to savour, the step and pass from Joey Carbery to create the first, McCloskey’s timing in creating the second and then Conan’s sharpness to gobble up loose ball and run the third in from halfway.
It wasn’t that Ireland didn’t do anything else good either. Only one lineout was stolen, while Andrew Conway demonstrated he is a newcomer in the Stockdale mould, someone with talent to be around for a while.
However, with the fastidious refereeing depowering their maul and scrum with constant hurry-up and play-ball instructions, some normally threatening facets didn’t deliver.
What blighted their attack more, though, was lack of breakdown cohesion, four of the seven penalties conceded coming in the opposition 22 for sealing off or not releasing, one of these infringements making a mockery of Ireland’s rash decision to kick to the corner instead of at the posts just minutes after Fiji tied it at 17-all.
It meant the visitors were level for 22 minutes — not five — ensuring Ireland went close to suffering their worst Dublin result against a minnow since Samoa’s ambush 21 years ago.
Taking your points is a Test level imperative, Ireland going three, six, nine ahead last week against the Boks with kicks and then adding another after their first try for a 17-3 advantage they assiduously protected, unlike on Saturday where neglect of this fundamental nearly left them embarrassed.
They should not be pilloried for this, though. In separating wheat from chaff in his squad, this closerun situation, rather than a onesided affair where the scoreboard drifted out to a 30-point differential, was the best method for Schmidt to really learn about his next layer.
This evidence will help in nailing down with authority the identity of Nos24 to 31 in his World Cup squad as they are the players who must take up the slack in pool games against other minnows. Better to know all about yourself now, warts and all, rather than get caught when the results really matter.
Better to know all about your players now than later