JOE GOES GREEN
Ireland coach puts faith in new faces for Argentina Test
JOE SCHMIDT is hoping his makeshift three-quarter line won’t leave Ireland vulnerable to another Argentine ambush tomorrow in Dublin.
Schmidt’s team was dumped out of the 2015 World Cup when the Pumas dominated the early collisions and scored damaging tries out wide.
Twenty-five months on, Robbie Henshaw’s hamstring injury will now see Ireland attempt to win their November series finale with a centre partnership and two wingers who have just five caps between them, inexperience added to by Schmidt’s bold decision to give 21-year-old lock James Ryan his first Test start in the pack at the expense of benched Devin Toner.
With regular midfielder Henshaw pulling up lame on Tuesday, it means Chris Farrell, who debuted last Saturday against Fiji, will link up with fellow one-capper Bundee Aki at centre while uncapped Adam Byrne will debut on one wing with Jacob Stockdale, the most experienced of the quartet with three starts, chosen on the other.
‘If the Argentinians get wide ball on the front foot because they have won collisions then I think that makes us vulnerable,’ said Schmidt. ‘It’s always about being competitive in those
collisions, defensively and offensively,’ said Schmidt, crossing fingers that Ireland’s lack of threequarter smarts won’t leave them prey to their South American rivals. ‘Robbie being unavailable wasn’t what we had foreseen. He would have added more experience to that three-quarter-line but part of the attraction for us is that, a little like last week [against Fiji], guys will have to independently survive and make good decisions, not have somebody directing them around the pitch. ‘We would rather we had someone right there to assist them, but sometimes that doesn’t happen… Rob Kearney gives really good voice from full-back and he will shoulder a lot of responsibility of getting the young guys organised and give a lot of advice. ‘You will find between Johnny [Sexton at out-half] and Rob most of the leadership will come from there because we are trying not to demand too much of Bundee yet. As much as he has slotted in really well, we just want him to do his job well.’ Argentina have made three changes following last Saturday’s late win over Italy in Florence, Tomás Lezana in at No8 with Matías Moroni and Ramiro Moyano promoted to their back line.