Schmidt forced to reshuffle for decider
What a difference six months can make. When Eddie Jones signed a two-year contract extension with the Rugby Football Union in January, taking him beyond next year’s World Cup and up to 2021, the England head coach was still very much flavour of the month.
Having overseen wins in 22 of his 23 Tests since taking the role in November 2015, Jones said extending his deal was “not a difficult decision”. It was all going so smoothly.
At the same time, Joe Schmidt, Ireland’s head coach, was facing something of a mutinous atmosphere in Dublin. After narrow victories against Fiji and Argentina last autumn, there were questions over Ireland’s ability to unlock teams, questions which became shriller when Ireland failed to muster a single line break in their opening Six Nations win against France.
The bigger concerns, though, came from those close to Schmidt’s team, with allegations of an authoritarian, overly didactic approach, of “browbeating” his players, of a control freakery which was spilling over to relations with the media.
Now, the picture looks different. England are in a rut, the wheels on their chariot in danger of falling off after five defeats on the spin. Irescotland land, meanwhile, are fresh from a Six Nations Grand Slam and today could seal a first three-test series victory in the southern hemisphere.
A riveting series with Australia stands at 1-1, Ireland having battled back from an 18-9 defeat in Brisbane, when they were without talisman Johnny Sexton, to level things up in Melbourne last weekend. Their superb 26-21 victory was their first in Australia since 1979.
Schmidt’s position looks as assured as it has ever been, with David Nucifora, the Irish Rugby Football Union’s performance director, vowing this week his organisation would do “whatever we can” to keep the Kiwi beyond Japan 2019.
Schmidt is in no rush to make a decision. He says he will wait until the end of the year and knows he has a golden opportunity to achieve something special in Sydney today.
It will not be straightforward. Injuries to Garry Ringrose, Dan Leavy, Andrew Conway and Iain Henderson have forced Schmidt’s hand.
Leinster’s Jack Conan comes in at No8, necessitating something of a back-row reshuffle, with captain Peter O’mahony moving to open side and CJ Stander to blind side.
That trio will have to contend not only with the formidable pairing of David Pocock and Michael Hooper, but a new challenge in Lukhan Tui, a 21-year-old man-mountain who plays for the Queensland Reds. Tui has been handed a start at No6 and Nick Phipps comes in for the injured Will Genia at scrum-half.
Up front, Jack Mcgrath and Sean Cronin both return for Ireland. Behind the pack, Jacob Stockdale and Bundee Aki are drafted in. Robbie Henshaw shifts to outside centre and Aki is back in the No12 shirt.
Schmidt says he is “balancing the opportunity” of securing a historic series victory with giving his players “opportunities” ahead of next year’s World Cup. You can be sure the canny Kiwi is placing more emphasis on the former. Momentum is everything.
Australia v Ireland, Sydney, 11am BST, Sky Sports Australia
Replacements Ireland Referee