SCHMIDT MUST ALLOW STARS OF THE FUTURE TO SHINE NOW
Countdown to the Rugby World Cup in Japan has begun and...
COACHES do not like talk of change. They cavil at mention of the word transition, because if it promises opportunity for new players, it means the end, or the risk of it, for older ones.
That is why when Joe Schmidt announces a preliminary Ireland squad ahead of the November internationals in the coming weeks, change will not be publicly offered as a factor in his decision.
Three dozen players or more will be listed in a preliminary squad so vast that it makes the intentions of the coach impossible to read. However, no matter how cautious Schmidt or his staff may be, change is likely to be in their heads in this autumn of all recent ones.
From last Wednesday, it was precisely two years to the opening game of the next World Cup.
On September 20, 2019, the tournament in Japan will begin. It is now two years since Ireland’s last World Cup tilt ended in familiar disappointment against Argentina under the closed roof of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Now, they are precisely poised between what has passed and what is to come — and the looming November matches give Schmidt the ideal opportunity to start shaping his team for the future.
The issue of captaincy will give him the first opportunity to reveal his thinking. Rory Best resuming the leadership of Ulster is an indication that his time fulfilling that role with Ireland is coming to an end.
His time in charge has been highly successful, encompassing victories over every major nation including, for the first time, New Zealand.
However, now is the ideal time to change the captaincy of Ireland, for two reasons. Best will be a month turned 37 when the next World Cup starts, and to argue he will be fit and effective to compete in fierce Test matches by then depends on wishful thinking more than logic.
The second reason is Peter O’Mahony. Not only did he establish his status as a leader for a worldwide audience on the Lions tour, but he is free of injury and played terrifically in the second part of last season.
Best will not be lightly discarded by Schmidt, who has reason to trust him as a player and a leader, but the claims of Niall Scannell and Sean Cronin at hooker deserve extended investigation in the coming Tests. Scannell’s emergence has been impressive, not only for his prowess in meeting the technical demands of the role but also in his willingness to assume responsibility. As a past captain of the national Under 20 team, he understands and has been exposed to a notable position of responsibility.
The resources for the No2 position will be strengthened, too, by the eligibility of Connacht’s outstanding Tom McCartney come November. Reservations about the rule governing a player’s ease in declaring for a country notwithstanding, under the current rules McCartney will be an option for Ireland in a matter of weeks, and Schmidt will not ignore him, and nor should he.
With Best out injured with a hamstring problem and not available until the start of November at the earliest, change in this position is a matter of necessity in the shortterm, but developments here in the next two months will have longterm repercussions. That applies to the back row, too, where the long tenure of Jamie Heaslip in the No8 shirt is reaching an important juncture. He has not played a competitive match since March 10 when Ireland lost to Wales in Cardiff in their penultimate Six Nations game. The back injury he suffered then has never been explained in meaningful detail, but he has not played since. His return for Leinster is said to be coming soon, with Leo Cullen announcing at the end of August that he was back playing. He did not travel to South Africa with the province, however, and if he is hopeful of featuring in the opening rounds of the European Cup, a return against Edinburgh on Friday or Munster eight days later is required. Even at that, Schmidt has no reason to rush him into November service. Heaslip will be 36 come the World Cup, and if the coach wishes to utilise him he can do so sparingly. This is not because of his age but the competition: Jack Conan has been outstanding and is good enough to keep Heaslip sidelined for province and country.
CJ Stander is highly prized, too, and could be accommodated at No8 with O’Mahony in the blindside flanker position and Sean O’Brien at openside. This is not to mention Dan Leavy or Josh van der Flier as contenders for loose forward roles. Ireland’s back-row crop is thriving, and young talent desperate for their chance should be facilitated.
There are areas of his team Schmidt will feel – but not confirm out loud – are looking potent even two years out: the half backs will be Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton provided the latter stays fit. The props, Jack McGrath and Tadhg Furlong, are world class.
Second row would benefit from more depth, especially with Donnacha Ryan in Paris. Devin Toner and Iain Henderson are out on their own as first-choice locks.
Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose are the long-term midfield, but the back three is a site of flux, and not only because there is an extensive cast of hopefuls.
A fresh injury for Rob Kearney comes with a two-month predicted absence, and the battering his body has taken through his career means he will have to be as carefully managed as Sexton if he is to make Japan.
Andrew Conway (inset above left) did well in the No15 shirt in the summer tests, and Simon Zebo also has the ability to play in that role.
No coach welcomes injuries, but Joe Schmidt has the opportunity and the players to make virtues of necessity this November. Rory Best, Jamie Heaslip and Rob Kearney have distinguished service records, but the head coach is paid to worry about the future, not savour the past.
Planning for the World Cup, a tournament where Ireland appear, thanks to the clemency of the draw, to have their best chance yet of making the last four, should start now.
Schmidt is paid to worry about the future not savour the past