VIDEO: Defeat leaves Schmidt much to ponder ahead of World Cup

Irish coach Joe Schmidt insisted during the week that places in the World Cup squad were still up for grabs. After yet another defeat to the Barbarians at Thomond Park last night, he will go home for another re-think after a performance he described as “a bit inaccurate.”

Even though last night’s selection was far from any of those he had chosen for the RBS Six Nations clashes, there were some interesting choices.

For instance, in a totally Leinster/Ulster mix — Munster players were ruled out for obvious reasons and Connacht’s front-runners for another — he wanted to see some of the guys who were unlucky not to have been chosen during a fruitful winter.