GO TWEAK AND JOE WILL FIND
Smart rotation can help Schmidt find a path to World glory
IRELAND’S final November Test against Argent i na t hi s Saturday brings World Cup 2019 into sharp focus for Joe Schmidt and his players. The Ireland coach has achieved some notable landmarks since taking on the job in 2013 — backto-back Six Nations titles, a first win over the All Blacks, a first win in South Africa — but the loss to the Pumas in the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup, the last time these countries met, is the result that will consume him more than any other.
Ireland were blown away that day in Cardiff, 43-20, caught short by the absence of five frontline players due to injury and suspension, and it was a defeat that has had a huge bearing on Schmidt’s approach to the job since.
Line-speed specialist Andy Farrell was recruited as a direct reaction to the hesitant defending that allowed Argentina to run riot in the opening 20 minutes at the Millennium Stadium.
And there has also been a notable effort to deepen the playing pool and strengthen resources — in the two years and 22 Tests since that loss to Argentina, Schmidt has handed out debuts to a whopping 31 players.
The clear intention here is to ensure that, were Ireland to be denied a clutch of frontliners again at the next World Cup, they have viable options to step up.
However, it is one thing capping players, another thing entirely to prepare them adequately for the big stage. That requires Test exposure and, with l ess than 20 matches between now and Japan 2019, the opportunities are limited.
The reaction to l ast weekend’s d r a mati c and entertaining 2320 win over Fiji has been instruct i ve. Schmidt made 13 changes to the side that saw off South Africa so impressively the week before and the general consensus has been that the ‘second string’ failed to deliver against a second-tier nation. However, that analysis ignores the realities of Schmidt’s progressive selection.
Picking so many understudies together against a far bigger and more experienced Fijian side was a considerable challenge and, rather than be written off for failing to secure a more comfortable victory, selected ‘fringe’ players now need to be given a chance alongside the frontline regulars.
That should influence selection against Argentina this Saturday.
Jack Conan has five caps for Ireland, a World Cup warm-up against Scotland in 2015, Tests against the US and Japan (2) on this year’s summer tour and last Saturday.
The Leinster No8 was a standout player against Fiji and looks a more rounded player than CJ Stander, who remains over-committed to the carry and could not make any inroads when he came on. With Jamie Heaslip’s future increasingly uncertain, Stander was seen as the go-to No8 but Conan has earned the chance to play in front of Conor Murray and behind Ireland’s first-choice front five.
In the second row, Devin Toner has been a solid servant for his national team under Schmidt but this weekend would be the ideal time to look at James Ryan in a significant, high profile game.
Ryan is a serious talent, the most promising second row to come onto the Ireland professional scene since Paul O’Connell in the early 2000s, and if he can hold his own against a meaty Puma pack it would represent a powerful World Cup statement.
But this policy of pragmatic assessment should also extend into the Six Nations. Europe’s flagship tournament is a cash cow for the IRFU and the union has traditionally railed against any notion of the Six Nations being used for ‘experimental’ selections. However, there is a bigger picture — Ireland making it to the last four of the World Cup for the first time — and we are not talking about wholesale change here but judicious rotation where players bubbling under can gain invaluable experience on a big stage surrounded by proven performers. New Zealand operate this policy all the time, with constant subtle t weaking in t he Rugby Championship, summer and November t ours so t hat when it comes to the World Cup, the All Blacks know exactly what their first XV is and have battle-hardened players ready to step up if required.
The most relevant example for Ireland is Clive Woodward’s England — the only northern hemisphere side to have won the World Cup — who had the majority of their first-choice side established two years out from the 2003 tournament and then tweaked it consistently to arrive in Australia with a squad that was deep enough and experienced enough to claim the trophy.
Last weekend was a highly beneficial exercise for Ireland but there is no point in those second string players retreating back into the international shadows.
Those that have the potential to feature in the 2019 World Cup need to be armed with sufficient experience to ensure they can produce if called upon in crisis.
That process starts this weekend — the lessons of Argentina 2015 demand as much.
There’s no point in these players now retreating
also played down the idea that some of his Ireland teammates will be gunning for revenge against Argentina, with the 2015 World Cup quarter-final defeat to the Pumas sure to dominate the build-up. ‘I think only the supporters will really think that way,’ he continued. ‘I think for the team, we haven’t played them for the last two years and I think that we’ve moved on. We need to concentrate on them especially [this week], but it’s also pushing on from South Africa, where we had a good game, our plan worked well, we controlled the game. ‘Probably from a supporter’s view, they want to [get revenge], but the players’ group just look at the next game. ‘You can’t really look back to that because we’ve had a lot of changes, and we know we can do a better job.’