ALL BLACK MONDAY
Tony Ward, Rúaidhrí O’Connor, Cian Tracey and Vincent Hogan
JOE SCHMIDT says it is “highly unlikely” that Conor Murray will be pitched straight back into battle against the world’s best team, but his opposite number Steve Hansen landed in Dublin yesterday fully expecting to face the Lions No 9.
The game of smoke and mirrors may be cleared up today when Ireland issue a squad update ahead of the clash of the world’s top two at the Aviva on Saturday (7.0), yet there is every chance Ireland could choose to keep the All Blacks guessing for another few days.
Having travelled to Dubai last week, Murray was at the stadium to watch his team-mates struggle to a win over Argentina and was due to talk to Schmidt yesterday about his chances of being available this Saturday.
He has not played since June due to a neck/shoulder injury, but has been training fully in recent weeks and said last month he hoped to return for the end of the month.
The coach says it is up to the player to declare himself fit. In his pre-game interview with broadcasters, Schmidt was upbeat on the Munster man’s chances and outlined that he has taken contact. But on Saturday he rated his chances of playing as slim.
“I’m going to chat to Conor and see how he is,” Schmidt said.
“It is really going to be Conor’s call. “It’s not the injury. It’s really how ready Conor is and how fully-fit he is. It is tough to throw him into a game of this magnitude, so it’s highly unlikely he will be involved.” Hansen’s not buying it.
“Big players will get up and if they think they’re right to play then let them play,” he said.
“They’re competitors. Conor Murray’s a real competitor. If he says he’s right to play, let him play.
“I’m not saying that to stir any trouble. But he’s a real competitor. He’ll want to play. If he’s got a chance I think he’ll play. If it was one of our guys in the same boat I’d say he’d be putting his hand up.”
Murray’s fitness is the leading subplot of an intriguing week.
Neither side will be happy with how they played last weekend as Ireland stuttered past Argentina and the All Blacks escaped Twickenham with a one-point win.
Hansen is not backing away from the hype.
“Well, it’s No 1 v 2 so whoever wins will be the best team in the world,” he said. “Regardless of rankings that’s what people will take out of it. It will be a goodie.
“They’ve built a game that suits them, they’ve got a lot of depth. They lost (Seán) O’Brien yesterday and (Dan Leavy) comes on and plays just as good. So they’ll be a strong side.
“There’s enough experience in the group to know that this is the type of game where they don’t get any bigger.
Beaten
“We talked about last week being a big game, and 80,000 people in the stadium and England only being beaten once in the last 16 or 17 games at home, and Ireland haven’t been beaten too often at home either and they’re the No 2 side in the world.
“So you don’t get to play 1 v 2 that often, we’re in two different hemispheres, so when they do come about they become pretty big games.”
Hansen side-stepped any talk of Schmidt’s future when he was asked if he had any advice for his opposite number ahead of his impending decision on his future.
“If I did have any advice for him I wouldn’t be telling him through the media,” he said.
“If he needs my advice on that he’ll ask me and well have a cold beer or a cup of coffee and we’ll talk about it.
“He is a smart man, Joe. He’ll do what is right for his family and make a decision based around all of those things, as I am sure all of us would.”
Hansen has called centre Ngani Laumape into his squad as cover for Sonny Bill Williams after the centre suffered a shoulder injury against England, ruling him out of Saturday’s game but not the rest of the tour.