Paddy Jackson is a ‘leader’ and will step up to the mark, says Andrew Trimble
Jackson, who made his Test debut back in 2013 under Declan Kidney, has had to bide his time under Joe Schmidt with the New Zealander preferring the versatility of Ian Madigan on the bench though the Leinster man has enjoyed far less time at 10 with his province.
The 24-year old Ulster star has been in tremendous form for his province this season and it is inconceivable he will not be afforded some chunk of time over the course of the home meetings with Italy and Scotland in the weeks to come.
“From a provincial point of view Paddy is probably our most important player,” said Trimble.
“When he plays we generally play well. He’s a guy who has just matured so much in the last few years. When he came in at the start he was wet behind the ears.
“He was a youngster and he’s just become a leader.
“I know the temptation in a press conference like this is that if you’re asked about someone then generally it’s to talk him up, but I genuinely feel with Paddy he’s very, very important to us and we’re very lucky to have him.
“He cracks the whip, he’s a leader. He makes sure standards are maintained and you don’t have to look further than Johnny (Sexton) to see someone who Jacky’s on his way to becoming, in my opinion anyway.”
Jackson is a former Ireland U20 captain and his abilities and potential were such that he was promoted to the starting 10 position for Ulster’s Heineken Cup semi-final against Edinburgh four seasons ago.
A first Ireland cap followed six months later. Only 12 Test appearances have followed, eight of them as a replacement, and he has had to weather with some rough seas – an underwhelming display against Leinster in the 2012 Heineken decider among them – and the criticisms that has come with some poor form at times.
His inability to make elbow room for himself on the Ireland bench in recent times must be just as challenging and yet Trimble has been as impressed with his resilience in recent years every bit as much with some of his generalship.
“In being thrown in there a couple of times when things aren’t going well and taking a hard time, he has shown massive maturity and resilience.
“He’s bounced back really well and become the person I was just describing. He is just genuinely our most important player when we’re playing for Ulster.”
Jackson was one of 35 players called up for duty over the next fortnight. All bar one of them trained at the team HQ yesterday: Tommy O’Donnell sat out the session due to the shoulder stinger injury sustained on Munster duty over the weekend.
O’Donnell is apparently on course to make the paddock today. If he does he will go through his paces alongside provincial teammate Jack O’Donoghue whose form across the back row with Munster in recent times has been rewarded with a call-up.
O’Donoghue will do well to bag any game time, but the absence of key players through injury and the introduction into the squad last time out of Stuart McCloskey, Josh van der Flier and Ultan Dillane prompted Schmidt to talk of “transition” after the defeat to England.
Team manager Mick Kearney didn’t go along with that when it was put to him yesterday and Trimble was even more dismissive of the claim that maybe this is a team coping with a state of flux. He was also wary of the effects of such a line of thinking.
“It’s very easy to talk about the guys who aren’t here, but the guys who are here — we’ve talked about the guys making their debuts as well — Josh stepped up, Stu, Ultan,” said Trimble. “These guys really stepped up and produced big performances.
“And I suppose that’s a reflection the transition is over. These guys are stepping up and they’re moving on and they’re fully fledged internationals performing really well on the big stage. That’s just three examples, there is a number of other guys putting their hand up.”
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