FRESHENING UP
Ireland changes will add energy as they hunt clean sweep
LIVING in the moment is a cute philosophy, but it only works with one eye on the future. And so while Andy Farrell continues to correctly ignore the wisdom of the four-year cycle, a devalued wisdom that hasn’t served Ireland for 25 years, he is not so committed to the now that he has forgotten about what comes next.
The selection of Caelan Doris as captain for tomorrow’s Six Nations meeting with Italy in the Aviva Stadium is, Farrell said yesterday, made partly with a view to what comes next.
Picking Peter O’Mahony to succeed Johnny Sexton as captain of the national team was seen as a Farrell pragmatism at its best.
But there are only a handful of tomorrows in the career of a man in his mid-30s.
And the susceptibility of veterans to the risks that abound in the Test game made a Plan B especially important.
We now learn that Doris (below) is part of that plan to develop a new tier of leaders.
‘One hundred per cent,’ said Farrell yesterday. ‘The leadership group and the rest of the squad continue to grow in that regard. Seeing them get behind Caelan this week so Caelan is comfortable just being himself has been a joy to watch really.’
Few players are more closely associated with the Farrell regime than Doris. He won his first cap in Farrell’s first game in charge of the national team, against Scotland in the opening game of the 2020 Six Nations.
His afternoon lasted four minutes, as the distraught Doris was taken off with a concussion.
Since then, his career has rocketed, as he developed into one of the best No8s in the world.
He will not play there this weekend, though, with a move to No7 to accommodate the inclusion of Jack Conan.
However, it is the absence of O’Mahony from the back row that facilitates his step up to captain.
When he chose O’Mahony as his new captain, Farrell would have understood that the choice came with risks. form No6 picked to start.
It wouldn’t have been part of the plan to rest O’Mahony so soon given he has only managed three matches for Munster so far this season, and for a total of 168 minutes.
But Baird has been exceptional for Leinster, second only to Joe McCarthy as their form player. He offers the same high-quality line-out option that O’Mahony does, and a better athletic impact across the game.
And the head coach suggested that he is moving towards a more settled position. Whereas he covers both the No6 spot and the second row for province and country, the former is becoming his speciality.
‘I suppose he’s been stuck, and he still is a hybrid player, certainly is for us and I’m sure he is for Leinster as well, but it looks like it’s leaning more towards the six point of view,’ said Farrell.
‘He’s getting more comfortable within that. He was disappointed in the World Cup. I’ve no doubt he was one of the players that went back after the World Cup and said, “Right, this is going to be a different year for me”.
‘He has started the season that way. He did well coming off the bench, (but) it’s a different kettle of fish starting a game, isn’t it? I think he came off the bench against Italy last year, so to start in a back row that’s a strong one, it’s going to be exciting for him and the team.’
Baird is one of three changes that results from injuries, which rather takes the dynamic look off Farrell’s selection on first viewing.
There’s no surprise there, either, given that he is not a coach much interested in change for its own sake. James Ryan, Craig Casey and Conan are the three switches made for tactical reasons. The recall of Ryan gives Tadhg Beirne a break. No player in the squad has played as much this season, and that after a World Cup where the only minutes he missed were when he was replaced early in the saunter against Scotland.
Farrell was adamant that his team was not informed by any underestimation of Italy, but it seems clear that at least a couple of selection calls were made that could have gone the other way had this been a more imposing game.
Tadhg Furlong is not risked with a calf injury — an issue that has troubled him extensively in the past — while Bundee Aki’s ‘rumbling knee’ is not risked, said the coach, so that he will be fit for later challenges.
This may all be fodder for Gonzalo Quesada and the Italian dressing room, but one suspects they have more serious matters to detain them. Like surviving.
A Sunday afternoon kick-off is not conducive to a classic Six Nations atmosphere, but for this one it won’t be necessary.
‘I think the fight has always been there,’ said Farrell of Italy’s threat.
‘I think what Kieran (Crowley, Quesada’s predecessor) brought to the set-up over the last few years is still banked, as far as the nice, attractive, attacking rugby with numbers at the line.
‘It caused a lot of trouble last week (for England), as it’s done over the last couple of years. But I think with the way they played the game last week, there’s a little bit more pragmatism and less errors, which means that they’re going to be hard to beat, there’s no doubt about that.’
It was dutifully respectful, but a full house will expect, as Caelan Doris takes a step into Ireland’s future.
IRELAND v ITALY, Aviva Stadium, kick-off 3pm, tomorrow