SAWGRASS VICTORY FOR RORY

Don’t turn your backs on team, pleads Schmidt

JOE SCHMIDT is pleading with Ireland fans to ‘keep the faith’ with his beleaguered squad and hopes they can rehabilitate at their provinces before returning in the summer for a fresh assault on the World Cup in Japan.

Schmidt’s men got home yesterday morning after Saturday’s humbling 25-7 defeat in Cardiff. The majority of the squad will enjoy some downtime this week before the focus switches back to the European Champions Cup, with Munster, Leinster and Ulster all involved in the quarterfinal stage.

‘I think for us, it will be about heading off to the provinces, dusting themselves off, getting some confidence through their provincial performances which are usually of a very high standard and then we will get back together,’ said Schmidt.

Ireland will return for pre-season camp in June and will have four World Cup warm-up games

ahead of them in August, beginning with the visit of Italy to Dublin on August 10. Schmidt will spend the next three months sifting through the wreckage of a damaging Six Nations campaign, where Ireland suffered heavy defeats against England and Wales. Despite their worrying form in recent months, Schmidt feels his squad will be ready for Japan later this year. ‘It is pretty hard to contextualise everything in terms of one game,’ he said. ‘I know what it was like going to Twickenham last year and how energised the whole group felt then when we got that early try and then on the back of that we built that first-half lead. ‘It was impossible for a good England team to get back into the game. ‘We are a good Ireland team and we will be good, I would just ask the people to keep the faith with the team because we will remain competitive at the top level. ‘I know it is a long way off for us to get the opportunity to demonstrate that but we will try to build a rhythm and clarify exactly who we will need in the group and progress from there.’ Schmidt will be keeping tabs on the provinces in the coming months with the likes of Joey Carbery, Dan Leavy, Will Addison and Robbie Henshaw set to return to action. Ireland’s head coach will need to finalise a 31-man squad for the World Cup before August 30. Schmidt used 36 players throughout the championship but the alarming form of some of his frontliners will be a concern. The Kiwi will be hoping to see an improvement in performance from the likes of Conor Murray, Johnny Sexton and Sean O’Brien in the coming months. Asked whether this Six Nations has influenced his thinking with regards to World Cup selection, Schmidt added: ‘No, it is too early to tell. We will certainly be watching the last two months of the season and the other thing is, you don’t know who is going to be fit and able. ‘So we are very open-minded still but we feel at the same time, we have made an investment on what we are trying to do, going forward,’ he concluded.