Rhys Ruddock looks to send reminder to Joe Schmidt ahead of Cape Town Test
For him, this is about far more than just one interpro game.
With CJ Stander likely to be wearing No.8 for the visitors at the Aviva on Saturday evening, it is a Guinness PRO12 outing that will be played out against the backdrop of a recently ended Six Nations in which the Munster man was favoured with the number six jumper by Joe Schmidt.
There is also the impending tour of South Africa to consider when Ruddock and Stander will once again likely vie for the role of starting blindside with Ireland, hopefully with the regular occupier of the garment, Peter O’Mahony, who continues his rehabilitation from long-term injury.
Ruddock accepts that these provincial tête-a- tête will probably hold considerable water with Schmidt when the Ireland coach sits down to name his side for the first Test in Cape Town in June, though he coats that reality with the usual spiel about the importance of the collective.
Yet Saturday must be a date long since ringed in red in his diary.
Ruddock earned his first Ireland cap in 2010 but has added just nine more since, despite consistently impressing.
Never was that more clear than when he earned a man-of-the-match gong against the Springboks in 2014 after replacing the stricken Chris Henry on the morning of the game.
It remains one of only three starts for his country.
And there he was again eight weeks ago, on the bench for the championship opener against Wales and watching Stander start in his stead.
No-one can argue with Schmidt’s decision, given the Munster man’s subsequent performances, but you could imagine it rankling all the same.
“When I’ve had my chance I’ve done well, but I also missed the season last year with an injury so I’ve got no qualms about it,” was Ruddock’s own, diplomatic take on that.
“I’m delighted to get the opportunities I’ve had this year.
“Obviously I would like more involvement, but it’s probably the most I’ve had in any one season (with Ireland) so I’m going in the right direction.
"Performances on occasions like this on the weekend obviously are a big part to the involvement you’re going to get.”
Stander caught the eye with the regularity of his carries for Ireland this last few months, as well as his consistent ability to encroach a metre or two beyond the gain line almost every time, and Ruddock was fully complimentary of that ability to present himself with such regularity.
Yet there are other attributes needed to be a blindside, or openside or No.8 for that matter.
The breakdown is an obvious part of the job description, but so too defending, supporting the ball carrier or the jackal and ensuring the opposition back row is kept somewhat honest.
That said, neutralising Stander would be a good night’s work in itself.
“He’s obviously a very good ball carrier and someone we need to be very well aware of,” said Ruddock.
“Over the past number of years we have become very aware of his abilities as well as some of the other back rows who are very dynamic and they look to get their hands on the ball.”
It will be an intriguing area of operations.
Leinster’s largesse in the back row is well-known, the emergence of talents such as Josh van der Flier and Dan Leavy in recent times only adding to the sense of stocks overflowing, but Ruddock has been impressed with his rivals in the Munster department.
“Peter O’Mahony has been a big loss, but over time they’ve managed to fill the void. They’ve got a lot of quality.
"Jordan Coughlan, who’s left Leinster, he’s done well. Jack O’Donoghue’s had involvement with the Irish squad. He’s really stepped up to the plate since Pete’s injury.
“Obviously CJ and Robin Copeland (as well), they have a lot of back rowers. They missed Pete for a period of time, but the experience that other guys like Jack and Jordan have gained allows them to compete and probably not miss Pete as much.”
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