Door open to tour and World Cup
In choosing to wait until the completion of the RaboDirect Pro12 semi-finals next weekend, he is sending a clear message to a number of Munster, Leinster and Ulster players that the door is still open to all in their efforts to make the trip.
Ireland travel in good fettle with a rare Six Nations triumph under their belts as they attempt to win a series in the southern hemisphere for the first time since Australia in 1979.
The fact that Schmidt leads Ireland on tour for the first time offers another interesting dimension as it affords him more uninterrupted time with the players on his evolving journey towards rugby perfection.
The countdown to the World Cup starts in earnest once the players assemble for this condensed three-week sojourn. Any tour to Argentina presents challenges but such is the pressure on Las Pumas’ large band of overseas players that Ireland will face a very under-strength host squad. Due to their participation in the Rugby Championship in July and August, the IRB facilitate Argentina in their non selection of the vast majority of their France-based players in the June Test window.
The fact that Ireland play only two games means that opportunities for many in the final selection to sample game-time will be limited. However, given the season Ireland have enjoyed, a number of players who missed out on Six Nations success due to injury or non selection will be champing at the bit just to impress Schmidt in training.
That puts the new coach in a very advantageous position with established players such as Tommy Bowe, Simon Zebo, Dan Touhy and possibly Stephen Ferris and Sean O’Brien all fighting for a chance to showcase their talents.
O’Brien’s miraculous return from injury against Edinburgh last weekend for his first game since December is a bonus but Schmidt will have to make a judgement call on him. The Irish medical team will also have a say on his availability.
Much will depend on whether Leinster start him against Ulster on Saturday and should they win the fact O’Brien could have another outing in the final later this month may tip the scales in his favour.
With Peter O’Mahony out of the trip due to surgery on both shoulders, the opportunity is there for O’Brien to prove his match fitness and availability.
One assumes the motivating factor for him in pushing his rehab to play before the end of the season was to make this tour and given that he has been out of action for five months, he hardly needs more rest.
With Ferris injuring his good ankle recently the likelihood is that he won’t make the cut unless he returns and has a stormer for Ulster at the RDS.
Given that a lot of the Irish players were on Lions duty last summer, a case could be made for some of them missing this trip to Argentina but Schmidt has been clever in leaving that decision to the players.
With the competition for places in the side at an all time high, very few will be willing to take that risk.
The player who could benefit most from a break and is key to Ireland’s World Cup prospects is Jonny Sexton. He has played a massive amount of games this season but of even more concern is the fact that he only had a three-week break after the Lions tour before pitching up in his new surrounds at Racing Metro.
That was a hugely demanding period from a mental and physical perspective and while he is understandably keen to travel he, along with Conor Murray, are the two players I would be most tempted to leave at home.
That would offer Schmidt more time to work with Paddy Jackson and Ian Madigan. Ian Keatley has also made great strides this season and has closed the gap on Madigan. It is vital that Ireland have quality in reserve at half-back in the event of Sexton getting injured at the World Cup.
Just think how close New Zealand went to losing it last time out when injury struck Dan Carter and Aaron Cruden.
Sexton and Murray are nailed on as Ireland’s World Cup half-backs and the fact they will have been playing together largely since the last tournament in New Zealand means Ireland will have one of the most stable and consistent units at next year’s tournament. Schmidt needs a back-up plan, however, and for that reason I would also include Connacht’s impressive scrum-half Kieran Marmion in the squad.
The biggest focus on the trip will be on the player selected at outside centre now that Brian O’Driscoll’s international career has finally reached the end. With Jared Payne not Irish-eligible until the November Series, Robbie Henshaw looks the most likely candidate to get first crack of the whip.
He has been a constant presence in the Irish squad all season without starting a game. I suspect Schmidt was availing of every opportunity to bring him up to speed with his demands and the requirements attaching to the role. The fact he was able to operate in the shadow of O’Driscoll, who was willing to take him under his wing and act as a mentor, means that Henshaw has a head-start in attempting to hold onto the No 13 jersey before Payne and other potential candidates in Luke Fitzgerald and possibly even Bowe stake a claim.
Before that comes to pass, however, the destiny of this season’s RaboDirect trophy must be decided. If last weekend’s action is anything to go by Glasgow Warriors will fancy their chances of becoming the first Scottish region to win silverware in the professional era as they have hit top form at the perfect time.
Munster and Leinster were so far off the pace in their respective outings against Ulster and Edinburgh that there will be some serious soul-searching in training this week.
