FORWARD THINKING
Schmidt not wasting time basking in glory as he looks to future
JOE Schmidt just can’t help himself. There he was Saturday night with a successful November series signed, sealed and delivered, but there were no plans to let his hair down following a campaign where so much useful information was learned about his squad’s strength in depth.
Instead of indulging in some Dublin reverie, he admitted he had already reviewed two of the three Friday night Pro14 matches and was heading to Belfast yesterday for a catch-up at Ulster, all the while promising to keep an eye on how Munster would get on in the Sunday lunchtime date in Italy.
He was making it clear that he constantly has his finger firmly on the pulse, having stated his aim to ‘get the right people together for the Six Nations as that is when we will get really well tested again.’
With Ireland nonchalantly making light work of their southern hemisphere assignments — Saturday’s destruction of Argentina gave them a full house of victories against all four Rugby Championis ship teams in the past 12 months — the desire to get their performances more consistently on the money in the Six Nations is something that will keep the winter fires burning in Schmidt over the next few months.
He speaks lovingly about that tournament, about its pressures and its atmosphere, and it is obvious from listening to him regularly in recent weeks that reuniting Ireland with silverware, last lifted in 2015, is the prime ambition.
The World Cup, of course, will take full focus when those finals swing round in 2019, and this past month has been instructive in exposing multiple fresh faces who will no doubt feature in Japan due to the strenuous demands of Test rugby.
Even old ones, such as 35-yearold skipper Rory Best and injuryblighted Rob Kearney, 31, have shone bright and Schmidt isn’t of a mind to use age as an excuse for exclusion. After all, didn’t his Leinster benefit in European Cup-winning style from having Brad Thorn, then 37, on board?
However, the more people talk about the World Cup, the more he adamant his focus is on his bread-and-butter, the Six Nations. Nothing else.
‘While you say it’s two years away from the World Cup, my riposte would be that it’s two months away from the Six Nations and I love the competition. It has a huge allure and we want to measure up.’
His reasons for optimism are many, just not in the frivolous, straightforward way where mind-racing Ireland supporters are already saying, beat France and then there are three home games before the assumed St Patrick’s Day title decider against champions England in London. If only it were that simple.
Despite a November of significant personnel turnover, 36 different players getting an opportunity, Schmidt admitted there is ‘always licence’ to bring in others if form demands recognition.
Barry Daly, Niyi Adeolokun and Craig Gilroy were some of the obscure names that rolled off the coach’s tongue at the weekend before he got into the real nittygritty, praising the reliability of their scrum, Iain Henderson’s step forward as a lineout caller, CJ Stander’s energy and the conundrum that will be nominating a centre partnership for Stade de France with Garry Ringrose due back in the mix.
It would be dangerous, though, if Ireland, with seven wins on the bounce since the March crash at Wales, are lulled into believing everything is perfect following their recent work.
They would have felt this way last winter following November 2016, only to wind up ambushed and sounding silly complaining about the late bus that delivered them to their Murrayfield beating.
It’s why their wins over South Africa, Fiji and Argentina must be nit-picked, Saturday’s most pressing concern being how their finishers off the bench let them down in contrast to how they closed out the win over the Boks.
There were 19 unanswered points scored when the cavalry arrived that first day, but this closing halfhour against the Pumas ended up 8-19 against, evidence that Plan B isn’t entirely dependable.
It was a free against on a scrum put-in that sparked one try, a lost lineout the catalyst for another, with sub Andrew Conway exposed defensively in both those instances when the ball went wide left. Subs were also responsible for three of the seven penalties conceded. Plenty still to work on then in this sector.
Before the contest had drifted into this boredom of lengthy garbage time, Ireland were immense value for the 20 unanswered points that put them out of sight as early as the 43rd minute against a stale Pumas set-up in need of radical overhaul.
Unlike at Cardiff when knocked out of the 2015 World Cup, they refused to be bullied at the breakdown, the level of physicality laying the foundation for a one-sided affair lit up by Jacob Stockdale’s pair of tries.
The futility of Argentina’s effort to get at the affable youngster was illustrated by Nicolas Sanchez sending his first four halfway kicks Stockdale’s way in the hope of a fumble that never looked likely. Ireland were far too polished when the match was there to be won. This sheen was why they succeeded with ease.
He constantly has his finger firmly on the pulse