Sexton loss will not alter Scots’ game plan for Irish showdown
Laidlaw says home side focusing on own preparation and not on visitors’ woes
GREIG LAIDLAW has insisted that Ireland’s loss of fly-half Jonny Sexton for Saturday’s Six Nations Championship match at Murrayfield should not be seen as a big blow to the visitors. The Scotland captain accepted that Sexton and scrum-half Conor Murray have an understanding that has been key to Ireland’s success in some games, but he warned that the Irish have considerable resources in reserve.
Paddy Jackson, the Ulster stand-off, has been running plays in training while his Leinster team-mate has been sidelined, and is now expected to start the game at BT Murrayfield. Ian Keatley has been added to Joe Schmidt’s squad, and could be preferred for experience to another Munster player, the uncapped Rory Scannell. Schmidt has again chosen not to select Ian Madigan, who is now playing for Bordeaux.
“He’s been struggling with injury, so Ireland will probably have known that he wouldn’t make Saturday a lot longer than we have,” Laidlaw said at lunchtime yesterday after hearing the news that Sexton has been ruled out with a calf strain. “I’m sure they’ve been training to cover that up. They have quality in behind, whether it be Paddy Jackson or the young fella coming in from Munster [Scannell]. Their strength in depth is one of their keys to Ireland’s recent success.
“It makes a little bit of difference, if I’m being honest. Sexton’s a key driver alongside Murray, and albeit they don’t play provincially together, they do have a strong combination when they link up with Ireland.
Obviously they have a good understanding and you can see Jonny is really a linchpin in that team: he drives their attack, so whoever comes in has got a big job to do.
“Sexton is a quality player, of course, but we can’t focus on one player. We just need to fixate on ourselves and get that part right first and foremost.”
Having acknowledged that Ireland would have been better off if their firstchoice No.10 had been available, Laidlaw added that the enforced change of personnel would not have a significant impact on Scotland’s own preparations.
“It won’t affect us. We’ve done some in-depth analysis, and we have a game plan we believe can give us the best possible chance of winning. Clearly we’ll need to know Ireland’s personnel inside and out. Now that they’re making a change at 10 we’ll adjust.”
Sexton limped off during the first half of Leinster’s 24-24 Champions Cup draw at Castres on January 20, and it was initially hoped that a short rest would enable him to be passed fit for the Murrayfield match. Last week at the Six Nations launch in London, head coach Joe Schmidt continued to sound confident that his playmaker would be available.
Now, however, Jackson will get his chance, and Ireland forwards coach Simon Easterby is confident the 25-year-old will not let the team down. “Paddy has proven himself over a number of months, but also going back to the summer,” he said. “He can control the side and dictate the play.
“Johnny is clearly one of the best 10s in the world, but we have to adapt. That’s one of the marks of this team: sometimes we lose key players, sometimes players in key positions. We’re fully supportive and committed to adapting to circumstances and making sure that doesn’t come up as an excuse.
“We felt it right not to push him through the week and risk potential further damage. He’s obviously had a lot of lower-limb injuries, a hamstring injury which we’ve managed with Leinster in the pre-Christmas period. As a result of his calf strain and the fact we don’t want to compromise his calf any further, we feel it best to leave him out this week and make sure he’s right for upcoming games.”