Bench impact
Schmidt’s harvesting of power away from starting XV helps Ireland pick up momentum
Tony Ward on why replacements hold key to Ireland’s hopes
IWON’T reveal his name but well do I recall an Irish replacement chewing on a lump of cake when he was called into action some years ago. Those were the days before the modern phrase of ‘impact sub’ had been invented and detailed diet plans were in place. Today, the players named on the bench aren’t eating anything they shouldn’t be – but they are chomping at the bit to make an impact.
On Saturday, Joe Schmidt’s player management was exemplary, with the men on the bench knowing how valuable they are to the entire process.
In this regard, the decision to bring on Paddy Jackson for Johnny Sexton with ten minutes to go and France still within striking distance at 16-6 will have done the Ulster man’s confidence no end of good.
Words can be cheap but here was a statement from the head coach to the watching world, under intense pressure, that Jackson has the main man’s trust.
It was a call every bit as significant as the win itself because Sexton, who was truly outstanding, and Jackson, who has been equally so, know they are in a genuine battle for the No 10 shirt, even though the Leinster man rightly continues to lead the way for now.
REINFORCES
It also reinforces the message to every other player involved that when you make this Irish 23 you have a real part to play in what is very much a squad game as opposed to the 15-a-side days of old.
The injury to Rob Kearney again underlines the options at Schmidt’s disposal and the importance of having players ready, willing and able to step into the vacated roles.
Kearney has two weeks now to recover but if he is ruled out for Wales then Simon Zebo will probably shift to full-back (although I would prefer he remain wide on the left).
Jared Payne, who returned to action for Ulster at Zebre at the weekend, is way short on game-time since November so it would be a risk to start him at full-back in Cardiff.
Schmidt could rush Payne back in the same way he did with Sexton, given the comparable level of trust between coach and player and how well they both know what the coach demands from them.
I have long held Payne’s best position to be full-back although I fully get the rationale behind his consistent inclusion in the centre.
That said, through Payne’s absence, Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose have taken their midfield combination to a new level. To break that up now would be madness and will not be on the agenda for Cardiff.
Both Henshaw and Ringrose were again among the top performers against France.
If Kearney is ruled out, it will be between Zebo, Tiernan O’Halloran and Payne to face the Welsh. If game-time at No 15 and current form are the main criteria, O’Halloran should be in pole position, although I suspect Zebo will be switched, with Andrew Trimble coming in on the wing, and Payne possibly on the bench.
Beyond that the only other issue is whether Cian Healy or Jack McGrath should start at loosehead. I have no problem either way, with Healy back in the frame on merit but again it shows how Schmidt has created an environment where players in the same position are pushing each other to reach new heights.
The propping larder, particularly on the left side of the scrum, has never been so well stocked, with Dave Kilcoyne and Denis Buckley pushing hard, plus Andrew Porter on the way.
Saturday’s performance and result was such that, if Stadio Olimpico enabled us to remount the horse, the victory over France saw us rejoin the leading pack as the Six Nations Grand National moves into the final straight.
It wasn’t a match to live long in the memory, but given the conditions, the context and the recent history of the fixture, I came away hugely encouraged by this performance.
Even when we were 6-0 down and under pressure from a well organised defence hot on line-speed, unlike in Edinburgh we never panicked.
For that a Lion’s share of the credit (pun intended) goes to the half-backs. When it really mattered, under the most intense pressure, Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton delivered a collective performance for the ages.
It wasn’t quite a Nadia Comaneci ‘perfect 10’ return, but as a unit at the heart of this result it wasn’t far short. Yes our halves were that good.
Of course they are only as effective as the ball provided by those in front, and Furlong and the entire back-row were on top of their considerable game.
And despite the soundings that French rugby under Guy Noves is on its way back to where it once was, you can treat that unfounded assertion with the contempt it deserves.
The French international team is undermined by the money men running the French club game. The more Champions Cups the Toulons of this world buy, the wider the gap between Les Bleus and the rest – although they will still on occasion beat the English or the All Blacks.
But back to our own corner, and where to from here? Saturday’s win was a huge statement of intent. The value of the momentum it brings going into the ‘semi-final’ in Wales cannot be understated.
Yes there is the danger of a Welsh backlash after successive defeats, but on the evidence to date, rugby in the Principality is not in a good place.
What we have succeeded in doing over the last two games is restoring destiny to our own hands. We have too in place a really powerful squad, with Schmidt picking from as close as it gets to a full hand.
Like my erstwhile Ireland colleague, we are moving into a position where we can have our cake and eat it.