Andrew Goodman believes Ireland’s three fly-half rivals will all have great Test careers
GOOD MAN:Assistant coach Andrew Goodman during an Ireland Rugby squad training session at The Campus in Quinto da Lago, Portugal. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Attack coach Andrew Goodman has predicted great Test careers ahead for all three of Ireland’s fly-half rivals as the battle to start at number 10 against England this Saturday comes down to the wire.
Test rookie Sam Prendergast appears to be the favourite to make his Guinness Six Nations debut as his country’s chief playmaker when England visit the Aviva Stadium for an eagerly-anticipated first-round championship clash.
Interim head coach Simon Easterby is set to reveal his hand on Thursday afternoon following his squad’s return to Dublin from their week-long warm weather training camp in Portugal with Jack Crowley the chief rival to regain the jersey he possessed for 13 months following the retirement of veteran captain Johnny Sexton.
Ciaran Frawley, Ireland’s hero of last summer after he kicked the winning drop goal to level the series with world champions South Africa on tour last summer, is also in the squad with Prendergast having usurped both he and Crowley in the race for the fly-half berth during the Autumn Nations Series last November.
Speaking from Ireland’s training base at The Campus in Quinta do Lago on Tuesday, Goodman, who left his role at Leinster to succeed Mike Cattt as Ireland attack coach in November, said: "The three of them are all great lads, first and foremost, and they all work well together.
“They're competing hard on the field but the pleasing thing is you go back to the hotel and they're sitting around the computers together going through clips and they're driving the team well. It's great to see and I'm sure they'll all have great Test careers ahead."
Goodman allayed concerns Prendergast, 21, was carrying a serious knock after he appeared with a bandaged thigh at training on Tuesday and backed him to pass fit for a potential fourth cap this weekend.
"He trained fully today, just a little dead leg I believe. I'm sure he'll be all right.
"It's been a great couple of months for Sam, just the game experience he's managed to gather up both with Ireland, first with Emerging Ireland, then Ireland, then some big Champions Cup games away to La Rochelle, home to Bath. It's been a great period for him to get real game experience.
“I know he valued the time at Leinster when he was training alongside the senior squad as an academy member but to get out there and feel it for Ireland’s himself, there's been huge growth in his game."
Goodman is confident Ireland’s attack will be more fluent than two months ago when head coach Andy Farrell, now on sabbatical with the British & Irish Lions, described the play during the Autumn Nations Series as “clunky”.
"We were aware that some of the timing was off and some of the skill execution that we pride ourselves on was off, so we've sharpened and focused around our skill set.
"We're making sure we get lots of good decisions on the ball and lots of touches on the ball so when we come into the pressure moments, we can execute those."
The attack coach said intensity levels in camp had risen as match week got underway with only tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong, with a calf injury, ruled out ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations opener while all 36 of the squad, including Furlong’s replacement, the uncapped Jack Aungier, participating in Tuesday’s training session.
“There's some great competition out there, the boys are pushing each other hard so with a pretty fully-fit squad apart from Tadhg unfortunately leaving us earlier in the week, there's guys pushing each other and fighting hard for positions but doing it in the right way, pushing each other and competing."
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