Crucial decisions ahead for Joe Schmidt

Joe Schmidt faces many difficult decisions over the next few weeks when it comes to deciding on the best available teams to defend the RBS Six Nations Championship.

However, today’s announcement of the squad to go into camp for the tournament which starts next month will hardly tax him unduly. He will choose in excess of 30 players, with few if any of those involved in the highly successful autumn series and still available likely to be omitted. A number, however, are ruled out by injury.

As against that, several others who were ruled out in November have now worked their way back to fitness and, accordingly, providing Schmidt with the kind of selection headaches any coach is happy to deal with.

The following areas are sure to concentrate the coach’s mind as the days go by.

Prop forward: Leinster coach Matt O’Connor set tongues wagging last week when he omitted tight head Mike Ross from his squad to take on Castres in the European Champions Cup. Instead, he opted for the younger Marty Moore and Tadhg Furlong. Both did exceptionally well, Moore confirming the favourable impression he created last season before the first half of the current campaign was blighted by injury. Unfortunately, Castres provided such feeble opposition Schmidt may remain unconvinced and opt instead for the tried and trusted Ross.

On the loose head side, the return of Cian Healy is great news for Ireland but Matt O’Connor refuses to rush him back until he is satisfied the Lions prop has fully recovered from a serious hamstring tear. And with Jack McGrath sidelined for three of the four weeks before the Italian game by suspension, this is one of the few positions that will exercise Schmidt’s mind. Munster’s James Cronin will likely be included in today’s squad.

Hooker: Staying in the engine room of the pack, the battle for the number 2 jersey in Rome will be intense. Sean Cronin is the man in form. Indeed, he is one of the most forceful open field runners in the game. But Ulster’s Rory Best has been the epitome of consistency and has made the position virtually his own for the past five years. Keep an eye out too for Rickardt Strauss, who has frequently kept Cronin out of the starting Leinster XV because of his more accurate lineout throwing.

Wing three-quarter. All things being equal, the number 14 jersey should be Tommy Bowe’s, but the left wing is another matter altogether. Simon Zebo has demonstrated the X Factor in the green jersey that has made him many people’s idea of the perfect choice but that would be to overlook the claims of Andrew Trimble, last year’s Irish player of the season; Dave Kearney, Craig Gilroy, Fergus McFadden and Andrew Conway, all of whom have strong claims.

Wing-forward:. The back row is another area where, all going well, Ireland should be well off. Any country would be happy to have players like Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien, Jack Conan, Robbie Diack, Tommy O’Donnell and Dominic Ryan. Once again, though, getting the mix just right could make for a tricky call for Schmidt.

Second row: And so to an area where the back-up talent isn’t quite so apparent. Captain Paul O’Connell was so outstanding during the autumn his recent drop in form for Munster can only be regarded as temporary. Devin Toner’s lineout excellence and much more aggressive general play also make him a certainty. After that, the alternatives aren’t very apparent. Munster’s Dave Foley and Leinster’s Mike McCarthy will likely be called up today.