CONWAY HIS CASE Munster star takes his chance to impress with hat-trick as USA are swept aside
AUTUMN INTERNATIONALS 2018
But everyone knows that the most relevant action of this weekend will take place at the Schmidt kitchen table this morning.
Ireland boss Joe Schmidt has revealed that his post-world Cup future will be thrashed out over brunch and his decision is awaited with rapt attention by his legion of supporters. They won’t have too much longer to wait.
Schmidt has promised that he’ll call IRFU performance director David Nucifora this evening or on Monday morning.
So we should know soon enough if the 53-year-old is going to stay to continue his work after the finals in Japan, or if he’ll be going home to New Zealand.
The prospect of such an important family summit could take away his appetite. Despite a big score racked up by the hosts last night in securing an 18th win in the last 19 games, the first half performance may have a similar effect.
Ireland opened up in the second half to destroy the USA.
But with only one starting survivor from last week’s historic first home victory over the All Blacks – that man was Garry Ringrose – this contest was about the guys on the fringes to varying degrees of the team and the squad getting a opportunity.
Some took it more than others.
Certainly Andrew Conway did, having scored a hat-trick – as Jordan Larmour did in the opening game this month against Italy.
For others – such as Darren Sweetnam, replaced by Ross Byrne after just 28 minutes – it was a chance lost.
There won’t be many more before Japan, with the Six Nations up next.
Naturally, as an occasion, this game wholly lacked the pure excitement and tension of the world’s top two ranked sides colliding, as was the case seven days earlier.
The Mexican Wave even got an airing early in second half.
The US had won their nine official Tests of this year, but they’re still a lowly 13th in the pecking order.
So this was very much the afters following a magnificent main course.
Yet with the World Cup only 10 months away Schmidt wanted to see as much intensity from this group as he did a week earlier.
Initially that looked on the cards.
Skipper Rhys Ruddock led the way with a rare weave and bob through the cover to put Conway away.
But having watched his frontline men bravely keep New Zealand at bay, it will have stuck in the craw of Schmidt and his defence coach Andy Farrell that the visitors were allowed to score two tries in the