BY NOW, JOE Schmidt and his coaching staff will have dissected the match tape of Ireland’s win over Scotland down to the most minute details.
The search for evidence to either confirm or disprove their first impressions from watching the game live in Dublin on Saturday is complete, but the initial sense that Ian Madigan was an integral contributor is unlikely to have changed.
Schmidt cited some of Madigan’s tackling as a likely work-on speaking immediately post-match, though the Kiwi head coach had praise for his out-half’s kicking game and the assists for Simon Zebo and Luke Fitzgerald’s tries.
Madigan himself was content with his display in terms of running Ireland’s game plan and allowing those around him to flourish.
“People love saying the words ‘game management’ and it was important for me to go out and do that,” said Madigan post-match.
I’ve been working really hard with Joe and one of my main roles as an out-half is to bring other players into the game. I did my best to do that and in fairness to the guys around me, they made it easier for me.”
The Leinster man had particular words of praise for the back three of Zebo, Fitzgerald and Tommy Bowe, as well as impressive replacement wing Dave Kearney.
“I thought the back three were really good,” said Madigan. “They were really strong in the air and that’s something we’ve been working really hard on for the past few years, but especially in the pre-season.
“Tommy and Zebo made some really big plays in the air. It’s probably one of the strong points of our game. I thought we had good width, although disappointed we knocked the ball on a few times when we were building momentum.
“In fairness to the wingers and Zebo, I thought they called the ball on themselves a lot, which is a really positive thing.”
Madigan’s cross-field kick to Fitzgerald for Ireland’s fourth try was one of the standout highlights from the 28-22 win in the Aviva Stadium, the out-half having signalled after the game that it’s a skill he has been working hard on in pre-season.
Equally as impressive were the pair of well-judged inside passes Madigan popped to Kearney and Zebo for the fullback’s second-half try. The out-half ran to the line, drew defenders and then timed the release of the ball ideally, a fine example of his playmaking ability.
It’s something that we’ve been working on in training,” said Madigan when asked about the two inside passes. “In fairness to Simon he runs that line really well. I thought Dave made a great impact when he came on straight away.
“Scotland are a team that wedge quite hard, so they defend from the inside out. To step back into someone who’s wedging hard, you can often find a soft shoulder for someone running off your inside shoulder.
“It was something that I didn’t think would open up early on in the game but as it went on I could feel there was a small bit more space opening up on the inside. It was nice the way it unfolded in the end.”
This performance almost certainly leaves Madigan in a better position in Schmidt’s estimation than before the game, although his place in the 31-man World Cup squad has looked safe for some time.
That doesn’t mean the hard-working 26-year-old will rest up. Madigan knows nothing can be taken for granted as Ireland continue with the thirst for improvement that has driven them since Schmidt took charge in 2013.
“Guys will really grow after that game,” said Madigan. “I think the first game or two of the season, the trust you have for other players to throw that extra pass isn’t quite there.
You carry the ball maybe when there could be someone calling for it in a better position than you. That’s just down to confidence and getting your eye in. There’s no doubt that players will really grow from that game today.
“It’s really competitive across the board. I think you’ve got a minimum of two players, three in certain positions, competing for individual spots. It’s great and it means that we’ve got a great edge in training, literally every single rep counts.
“A lot of guys have put their hands up over the past two weeks, there’s another massive week’s preparation and then another game. Guys will have more chances.”
