'External noise': Ireland camp fully behind captain Best, Joe Schmidt insists
Joe Schmidt insists that Rory Best's status as Ireland captain is not a topic of discussion in Ireland camp.
The Ulster hooker's form has come under the microscope this year and, at the age of 37, there has been a natural if all-too-easy tendency in places for his age and upcoming retirement to be brought into the mix when discussing his situation.
Best was poor in Twickenham last Saturday when Ireland shipped over 50 points to a rampant England side. So were far too many of his colleagues,but his position as Ireland captain and his centrality to Ireland's lineout has added to the heat.
“To be honest, if there is external noise of that nature then there is no internal noise of that nature,” said Schmidt. “Probably for Rory it is that internal noise that is most relevant to him because that is where the decisions are going to be made and at this stage there are no decisions that have been made in that direction.
So, there are guys who are going to get an opportunity this weekend and if they perform better than any player who played last weekend then there is always a contest and you have got to keep that contest live.
“We have seen that in other teams. We saw an All Black team that was beaten 47-26 come out and win 36-0 (both against Australia lately) with a number of changes where established players were left out and new, fresh players came in and put them under pressure. So players will be conscious of that.”
Changes are likely to be many for this Saturday's third World Cup warm-up, against Wales in Cardiff. That is the last game before Ireland name their tournament squad of 31. Preparations will come to a close on Saturday week when Wales come to Dublin.
Form isn't the only concern right now. Injuries are, as always, an issue.
Reports were that Jonathan Sexton had suffered a second injury of the summer when having a leg trapped under a ruck in training but Schmidt said the out-half “doesn't have a leg injury 'per se'. The coach spoke of a “stiffness and soreness” instead.
“If we wanted to pick him this weekend we could pick him. If you had seen him out there (in training) and how hard he was running, it’s a progression for him. When people don’t have full medical information and report things there is always a risk.
You get a little feeling of discomfort and we just didn't want to do that. Because he got a bit behind with his thumb and was then chasing his tail, we would anticipate Johnny would definitely play if not this weekend then next weekend.
Cian Healy was another source of cheer. The loosehead prop came off with an ankle injury in Twickenham but Schmidt described the Leinster man as “bullish” today. Like Sexton and Murray, he seems a certainty for a weekend off this time before returning to the XV in the Aviva early next month.
“I would be gobsmacked of he is not available for that,” said the coach.
Then there is the Keith Earls situation.
The Munster back is suffering from a bout of tendonitis in the knee, or just above it. Getting rid of the inflammation is the priority with him now
“He’s a player who we know plays really well fresh. It is about playing the long game with Keith and making sure that he is one hundred per cent ready to go. I know that he will be ready for the weekend after this one. I doubt whether he will be involved this weekend.”
Schmidt's appearance at a press conference so early in match week is highly unusual but his presence today was clearly in response to the nature of last Saturday's troubling performance which, he reiterated here, was “unacceptable”.
The Kiwi did make note of the “very rigorous” pre-season which continued through to late last week in Portugal but he made no bones about the fact that his team were inaccurate and did not adjust to the situation facing them when it was obvious they were in real trouble.
“Nothing mitigates losing the way we did,” he admitted.
