Hat-trick hero McFadden lays down marker for Ireland boss Schmidt

It was a memorable evening in Toronto for Ireland’s hat-trick hero Fergus McFadden.

But the young Leinster star hopes this performance can help him move up the pecking order for the November internationals.

Awarded man of the match for his scoring prowess in the 40-14 victory over Canada, he was quick to praise his team-mates for the manner in which they gelled after an inspiring win over the US.

Now he’s hoping this performance will make it difficult for Joe Schmidt to ignore his claims for a more regular contribution to the first XV.

“I feel like I’ve come on a lot,” McFadden said. “Under Joe this season I really broke into the Leinster team when everyone was fit on the big days. I’ve learned a lot under Joe so hopefully I can put myself in the shop window for the November internationals.”

McFadden’s brave gathering of a high Ian Madigan chip over the Canadian defence paved the way for Andrew Trimble’s 10th-minute try but it also set the tone for what was to come from him as soon as Ireland blew the game open before the hour mark.

“Yeah, we probably got off to a slowish start,” he admitted. “When Canada come out of the blocks, they’re very physical. It probably took us until the 55th, 60th minute to break them down and get a few scores. From a team point of view, I think we improved massively from last week. Personally, to score three tries for your country made it a memorable day for me.

“Last week was the first day out together. It probably took a couple of weeks to gel properly. This week, a few more passes went to hand. We probably didn’t throw as many 50-50s. Our rucking was definitely better.”

McFadden added that this was an important victory for morale in the camp before they headed back to Ireland.

“We wanted to get two wins and wanted it to be a tour to remember. I think after the first game, we were a small bit frustrated. But after that performance, I feel like it’s a tour to remember. We were missing nine or 10 Irish starters and it shows the strength in depth so it’s great.”

He attributed the performance to a renewed “calmness” on the pitch.

“I think last week when we were close against the States, it was a small bit frantic whereas this week, we regrouped after they got that try and kept playing, which is important… I think our breakdown work was much better… We’re all delighted to finish on a great note.”