FINAL MISSION
Classy Ireland eager to spoil party in Cardiff
IRELAND will travel to Cardiff looking to derail a Welsh Grand Slam bid after Joe Schmidt’s men demolished France at Lansdowne Road yesterday.
The hosts delivered their best performance of the championship with a four-try hammering of Les Bleus.
With a six-day turnaround to Saturday’s clash at the Principality Stadium, Schmidt is hoping to have Dan Leavy and Rob Kearney available.
Kearney was a late withdrawal due to a calf injury with Jordan Larmour slotting in at fullback. Leavy, who has been out of action since December, could come into the selection mix after Josh van der Flier suffered a leg injury during the first half of yesterday’s 26-14 victory.
‘There’s a couple of guys who have been in and around the squad,’ said Schmidt.
‘Obviously Dan Leavy was up in Belfast, Rob Kearney should be right to train on Tuesday. Sean O’Brien, Sean Cronin, Rob Herring, there’s a number of guys who we’ll get back this evening
and go through and have a look at how they all shape up. ‘There’s obviously a few guys in the backs as well but the midfield combination worked well today with Bundee [Aki] and Garry Ringrose, those guys have played together a fair bit. ‘The back three, certainly the wingers, have been one of the more consistent fixtures so far in the Six Nations. Andrew Conway came in late but whether we have a look at freshening that up... ‘Front-row wise, Andrew Porter was with us in the warm-up. Tadhg Beirne, we’ll see how he is on Tuesday, there’s those sorts of options that we’ll just have a look at.’ After unconvincing displays against England, Scotland and Italy, Ireland finally hit top gear with a ruthless display in Dublin. Rory Best, Johnny Sexton and replacement Jack Conan crossed for tries during a dominant first-half. Schmidt cleared the bench after Keith Earls scored his side’s fourth try, leading to a final-quarter malaise, but the damage had been done. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen, in the last six years, a team control 40 minutes like we did that first-half,’ added Schmidt. ‘I think the French got knocked back early and it was hard for them to then get back on the front-foot, but part of the hardship was that we kept that pressure on. ‘To keep that pressure on for the full 40 minutes spoke volumes for the intensity and about the energy that we brought to our game. ‘And also the cohesion. I know we missed some opportunities, but Rory’s try was fantastic early in the game and for Johnny to score off a nice, crisp back play, that gives confidence.’ As evidenced by CJ Stander, who returned after suffering a fractured eye socket and cheekbone in the defeat by England and is now gearing up for the visit to Wales. ‘They are a tough team, that’s why they are on top at the moment and going for a Grand Slam, because they can deal with that pressure,’ he said.