REAL BUSINESS STARTS AGAINST PUMAS
Schmidt will fine-tune plans before visit of All Blacks and big challenges that lie ahead
THE American adventure is over and the serious stuff begins for Joe Schmidt and his Ireland squad in the coming weeks.
Argentina will arrive in Dublin buoyed by an impressive Rugby Championship campaign and reinvigorated by the new coaching ticket of Mario Ledesma and Gonzalo Quesada.
That meeting with the Pumas will prove the perfect preparation before the All Blacks roll into town next week.
Here, Sportsmail looks at Schmidt’s selection dilemmas across the next fortnight.
BACK THREE
Rob Kearney remains a doubt with a shoulder injury so Jordan Larmour’s three-try showing in Chicago was most welcome. Kearney has been one of Schmidt’s most trusted lieutenants throughout his eight-year coaching career in Ireland, going all the way back to his time at Leinster.
Simon Zebo, Andrew Conway and the retired Jared Payne have had brief cameos at full-back, but Kearney has been virtually everpresent in the No 15 shirt.
The forthcoming games against the Pumas and the All Blacks are the perfect high-octane environments to test Larmour’s mettle at full-back.
Conway caught the eye in Chicago but Keith Earls, who was sharp on his return from a hamstring injury against Glasgow two weeks ago, could do with a blowout against Argentina.
Jacob Stockdale, who also missed the early part of the season with a hamstring injury, proved very sharp against the Azzurri. A back three of Larmour, Earls and Stockdale is a potent combination.
Will Addison made his debut at Soldier Field, when he replaced Stockdale on the hour mark, and slotted in at full-back with Larmour shifting to the wing.
Schmidt is a big fan of Ulster’s new utility back, but he may have to wait for the US Eagles game at the end of the month to showcase his talents.
MIDFIELD
Bundee Aki (right) and Garry Ringrose renewed their midfield partnership in Chicago and they looked sharp. Ringrose caught the eye with some scything line breaks and solid defence while Aki made an astonishing 22 carries and laid on a try for his fellow centre in the second half.
Robbie Henshaw remained at Carton House last week and appears primed for the Pumas. The all-Leinster 10-12-13 axis of Johnny Sexton, Henshaw and Ringrose looks the most likely next Saturday but, long term, Schmidt has the difficult task of figuring out which combination works best at Test level. Ireland’s head coach could take the left-field option and shift Henshaw to full-back to retain the Grand Slam-winning pairing of Ringrose and Aki. Test rugby is all about getting your best players out on the field and that could prove a solution to Schmidt’s midfield
conundrum.
HALF-BACKS
Joey Carbery and Luke McGrath had a mixed outing as a halfback pairing at the weekend, but the more exposure the better for the talented young duo.
Sexton is arguably the first name on the teamsheet these days with Kieran Marmion set to start at scrum-half in the coming weeks, although John Cooney’s form cannot be ignored.
Conor Murray has yet to play a game this season after his neck injury, but he is flying in training and gave Schmidt ‘food for thought’ last week.
Schmidt rates his involvement this month as ‘unlikely’, but Murray’s movements will be closely monitored this November.
The 29-year-old was the destroyer-in-chief when Ireland beat the All Blacks in 2016 at Soldier Field and he was equally destructive during that unforgettable Lions victory against Steve Hansen’s men in Wellington last year.
Still, Schmidt needs to take a close look at Murray’s deputies this month. Next year’s Six Nations championship is no time for experimentation.
FRONT ROW
Jack McGrath, Niall Scannell and Andrew Porter gave a good account of themselves as a frontrow unit in the US while Sean Cronin and Dave Kilcoyne produced eye-catching cameos off the bench.
Greg Feek and Simon Easterby will be very pleased with that quintet’s work in Chicago, but Cian Healy, captain Rory Best and Tadhg Furlong will start en bloc against Argentina and New Zealand.
SECOND ROW
There will be plenty of late-night discussions among Schmidt and his backroom team about the
make-up of the engine room. That cupboard was already well-stocked but Tadhg Beirne has been banging on the door for the past 12 months.
The Munster lock finally got his chance against Italy and didn’t disappoint.
James Ryan and Iain Henderson look the best equipped to take on Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick, but Devin Toner is a banker at lineout time while Beirne’s poaching ability is a real point of difference.
Schmidt brought Quinn Roux to these shores when he was Leinster coach in 2012 and remains a firm admirer of the South African-born Connacht player.
BACK ROW
It says everything about Ireland’s back-row depth that Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan might not even make the next two matchday squads against Argentina and the Kiwis.
A bruiser, a jackaler and a runner, Ruddock, Van der Flier and Conan showed their worth but Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien and CJ Stander look like the leading men this autumn.
Dan Leavy got through 80 minutes of solid work in Leinster’s win at the Southern Kings on Saturday to add further riches to an area that is already brimming with talent.