JOEY MUST COME OF AGE
Carbery cannot let chance to shine in Australia pass
YOU’VE got to hand it to Joe Schmidt, he may have a reputation for playing his cards close to his chest but when the Ireland coach decides to gamble, he goes all in.
As evidenced by the Kiwi’s fascinating selection for Ireland’s highly anticipated first Test showdown with Australia in Brisbane tomorrow morning.
Once the decision was taken to forego the opportunity to rest his main men this summer, the expectation was that Schmidt would run out his frontliners to get an early advantage in a series Ireland have not claimed since 1979.
Schmidt stated last week that this tour was also about putting plans in place for next year’s World Cup and he has immediately backed that up by revamping the side that landed Grand Slam glory three months ago.
The most eye-catching selection is Joey Carbery at out-half but Schmidt has also handed the likes of hooker Rob Herring, prop John Ryan and flanker Jordi Murphy the opportunity to stake their claims to be an integral part of Ireland’s assault on Japan 2019.
It shows just how far Schmidt has brought this team and the freedom it affords him. They are the best side in Europe, ranked second in the world and chasing a 13th win on the bounce, with this selection emphasising the fact they are now in a position to look at options while retaining genuine designs on victory against one of the game’s traditional superpowers.
It also highlights a clever alteration of mindset from previous summer tours. History shows that southern hemisphere hosts get stronger as these series progress while visitors generally flag at the end of a gruelling season.
Schmidt has now given Ireland the opportunity of growing into the series, injecting experience and winning vigour into his side by bringing back frontliners like Johnny Sexton, Cian Healy, Sean Cronin, Garry Ringrose and Dan Leavy for Tests two and three.
Schmidt is prudently surrounding his understudy candidates with hard-nosed experience and this selection has given him a bench that can propel Ireland to victory over the final quarter in Brisbane.
It is masterful management and a policy that ensures everyone will remain motivated over an exacting expedition where the dangers of players going ‘off tour’ need to be sealed off early on.
This is now the biggest match of Carbery’s fledgling career.
Schmidt clearly believes in him and although it would be unfair to judge the youngster’s credentials as starting 10 on one match, a strong showing will provide reassurance for player and coach.
Conversely, if Carbery struggles it will increase the pressure to look at Ross Byrne, who has the advantage of regular outings at out-half for Leinster last season.
Carbery’s move to Munster means there will be time for further assessment but this is his chance to show what all the fuss has been about and having the nous of Conor Murray inside and Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw outside will aid his cause considerably.
John Ryan is another with plenty to play for. Tadhg Furlong and Andrew Porter are the established one-two at tighthead but the Corkman can put his hand up for the third spot after a season where he lost out to Stephen Archer at Munster.
Murphy is in a holding role for the rested Leavy, with the injured Sean O’Brien and Josh van der Flier to come back into the mix, but the Ulster-bound backrow is rewarded for an excellent season and his versatility aids his World Cup squad credentials.
He will have his hands full trying to contain the breakdown excellence of Michael Hooper, and David Pocock and this is an area where Michael Cheika will back his team to dominate.
The Australia coach will also look at an Irish front-row missing Healy, Furlong and injured captain Rory Best and sniff an opportunity to flex muscles in a department where the Wallabies have traditionally failed to impress.
For all their recent crises and inconsistencies, this Australian selection is as settled as Cheika could provide.
They are strong at prop and in the backrow, with an established half-back pairing of Will Genia and Bernard Foley as well as potentially lethal running threats in outside backs Kurtley Beale, Israel Folau and Marika Koroibete. Ireland will need Herring, Ryan and Carbery to step up in a big way and Andy Farrell to have their rush defence consistently shutting down the Wallaby backline at source if they are to kick off the series on a winning note.
They will also need CJ Stander to pull a big performance out of the top drawer after a disappointing season by the South African’s standards, with Jack Conan poised to use this tour to change the pecking order at No8.
However, Ireland’s loaded bench is a significant weapon in Schmidt’s armoury, as is the confidence that goes with trust in proven systems and the aforementioned winning streak. Whatever the result, this match will provide invaluable information before Ireland mix it up again for the second Test in Melbourne.
That is a win-win situation for Schmidt but, although he may be playing the long game with this selection, his hand is strong enough tomorrow to force the Aussies to fold and keep Ireland’s hot streak going.
It is masterful management and ensures players stay motivated