GOING OUT ON A HIGH!
November’s clean sweep clears way for Schmidt to depart in style in 2019
WITH Joe Schmidt this morning expected to confirm he will be leaving his role as Ireland head coach after next year’s World Cup, it heightens the appreciation for how far he has brought this team and what a difficult act he will be to follow.
There are positive aspects to this decision — it avoids the tempting-fate trap of a pre-World Cup contract extension, where Ireland have been badly burnt in the past, and it allows a clear focus on the next 11 months comprising a tilt at back-to-back Grand Slams and the priority of meaningful success at the World Cup for the first time.
That would be some way for Ireland’s finest coach to bow out but, if that is what he is going to do, Saturday’s successful conclusion to another superb international window re-emphasised how hard it will be to emulate the Kiwi’s incredibly high standards.
The talent is there, with more to come, as are the systems to bring the best out of it but five years in, Schmidt has this job completely sussed — a clear vision of what he wants to achieve and how he intends to get there.
Whoever replaces him, even if it’s someone like Andy Farrell from within the system, getting to that level of assured control will take time.
Saturday night’s 57-14 dismissal of a game US side was another progressive step towards Japan 2019.
It was a far from perfect performance, particularly in the first half when the Americans energetically physical approach regularly discomfited their hosts, but Ireland’s understudies found their focus (as Schmidt’s sides tend to do) and produced some scintillating rugby on their way to an eight-try victory that probably did not do justice to the opposition.
In terms of forcing their way into the match-day squad that so impressively accounted for the All Blacks the week before, Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Conway made the biggest impacts.
It would be hard to break-up the second row pairing of James Ryan and Devin Toner that performed so well against New Zealand but Beirne is in irrepressible form and deserves to be eyeing Iain Henderson’s spot in the top three — particularly as the yellow-carded Ulster man had a mixed outing against the US. Having admitted to taking a pay cut by joining Munster from the Scarlets, to chase his international dream, Beirne’s commitment was already compelling but he has backed it up in a big way this month.
If Beirne stood out in the close exchanges, Conway was sensational out wide — even allowing for the level of opposition. Apart from his three tries, every time the Munster winger touched the ball he seemed to throw the US defence into disarray and it was a statement of intent display that could have implications for the Six Nations and beyond. Schmidt is a noted fan of Conway’s ‘always on’ attitude, while it would be hard to dislodge Keith Earls from the right wing, if he keeps this up for Munster in the run-up to the Six Nations, space may have to be found.
The conspiracy theories were flying on Saturday night. With winger Darren Sweetnam’s substitution after just 26 minutes initially reported as tactical, the rumour was that it was done to take Joey Carbery out of the firing line (he was being targeted by giant US centre Paul Lasike) and get the bigger Ross Byrne in at 10. Schmidt said the move was made because Sweetnam was ‘tightening up’, but the net result was another hugely-convincing outing for the Leinster man, the highlight being the exquisitely executed cross kick for Stuart McCloskey’s try. Carbery’s talents are impossible to contain and he looked accomplished at 15, his passing and footballing instincts bringing others into play around him. Carbery remains a key member of the squad but Byrne, having done well off the bench also in the month’s opening outing against Italy, is proving highly convincing as the best starting stand-in for Johnny Sexton should that unfortunate need arise.
On the surface, Saturday was not a night obviously suited to the strengths of Niall Scannell. The Munster hooker is cut from the old-school mould, a grappler and scrapper at close quarters, rather than doing Dane Coles impressions out on the wing. But in a game that was inevitably loose from the off, Scannell acquitted himself admirably, getting around the park well while still doing his core tasks. Like Ireland captain Rory Best, Scannell is an excellent technical scrummager and his nous here had a big part in the US scrum imploding. With the 36year-old Best’s age a live topic this month after a tough day against Argentina (he was much better versus New Zealand), Scannell is well placed to step up if needed.
All told, November was a highlysuccessful month both in terms of the psychological surety that comes with four wins and beating the world’s top team, and in terms of strengthening squad options. As Schmidt noted on Saturday: ‘The majority of guys really put their hands up and said “we want to keep the pressure on those guys who played last week” and I think they have.
‘I’m delighted. It will be nice to reflect on four really good efforts, four well-earned victories. We’ve been able to get quite excited about who we’re playing in front of and no more so than when we play here. Three sold-out stadiums and three incredibly encouraging crowds but we were blown away by last week. That’s as special as I’ve heard it.’
Special is the only way to describe that New Zealand victory which would have made November a success whatever else happened.
It sets things up beautifully for 2019 — enough to deal with the potential pain of losing Schmidt afterwards.
Ross Byrne is proving convincing as the best starting stand-in for Sexton should that unfortunate need arise