Schmidt’s three leading men to step into the jersey

KIERAN MARMION

Age: 26 Club: Connacht Caps: 22 (5 starts) Summary: At the head of the Murray understudy queue, up until now, Marmion has performed well when called upon. Not as physical or controlling as the Munster star but very good at the basics and brings tremendous

LUKE McGRATH

Age: 25 Club: Leinster Caps: 6 (1 start) Summary: Has come through superbly at Leinster, has an excellent pass but tends not to boss games like Murray, preferring to let his out-half call the shots. Aggressive and has worked hard on his kicking and likes to break, helped by tremendous speed.

JOHN COONEY

Age: 28 Club: Ulster Caps: 2 (no starts) Summary: Has been behind Marmion and McGrath in the pecking order up to now but looks the nearest to Murray in terms of style and presence – the coming man. Has had an excellent start to the new Pro14 season with Ulster.