SUCH A PITY ‘A GAMES’ HAVE GONE TO THE DOGS
IT’S A pity the era where there used be a fully-fledged A team championship in tandem with the Six Nations is long gone. A decade ago, when matches at this level were far more frequent than only one-off annual game against the Saxons, players on the fringes of the Test squad had a whole spring to build momentum to catch the eye higher up the ladder. Concerns over costs, as well as the evolving provincial scene, means there’s now no more than 80 minutes possible in a season, far too little to help Joe Schmidt fulfil his ambition of building depth in his senior squad. The PRO12 matches which the vast majority of this Ireland shadow squad will be occupied by in the weeks ahead just don’t have the potential for learning in the same way international games would at this time of year. A glance at the Wolfhounds team from 2013 highlights the transient nature at A level. There are just four repeat starters today who featured in the 14-10 loss in Galway — David Kilcoyne, Tommy O’Donnell, Darren Cave and Robbie Henshaw — but at least there is a seam of combinations running through the selection to expect a decent level of cohesion. Hooker Rob Herring will be helped by having Ulster colleagues Iain Henderson and Dan Tuohy to throw to, while the Leinster Isaac Boss-Ian Madigan half-back axis should give the attack a good deal of sensible direction. Ireland will need it. ‘Any time you deal with an English team it’s about their pack and the power they get up front,’ said Wolfhounds coach Anthony Foley. ‘Their set-piece, driving maul. It is something that we have to confront and make sure it’s a level playing field for us.’