"We've a saying here, 'you try and make everyone's job easier'. That's the goal, you work as hard as you can to make the job of the player beside you easier."

Smiles all round as

Joe Schmidt insisted he had not picked Test rookies Dave Foley and Dominic Ryan for show and backed them to get the job done against Georgia tomorrow at the Aviva Stadium.

AUTUMN INTERNATIONAL:

Felix Jones is not in the business of counting the minutes he gets in an Ireland jersey, but he has 80 of them to make an impression when he lines out at full-back against Georgia tomorrow.

In the aftermath you may have missed it, but the remarks bear revisiting.

AUTUMN INTERNATIONAL:

Wes Hoolahan was handed a rare start as Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni ran the rule over his squad players in evening’s friendly clash with Georgia.

Giovanni Trapattoni will complete a circle of sorts when he sends his new-look team out against Georgia tomorrow evening.

Shane Long will captain the Republic of Ireland in tomorrow’s friendly clash with Georgia.