Who will be Brian O’Driscoll’s long-term replacement?
It looks like Robbie Henshaw will be getting the nod in the first major test post-BOD and it will be important for Ireland’s World Cup development to get a regular 13 nailed down soon – be it Henshaw or someone else.
The Connacht back has shown regular flashes of the skills needed to succeed at 13 this season – notably some tigerish tackling like this ragdoll toss on Jimmy Gopperth.
O’Driscoll’s array of passing could unlock any defence so it will be interesting to see how Henshaw gets on with the ball in hand against a tough Springbok rearguard this weekend. We will know a lot about Ireland’s health at outside centre at the end of the autumn series – for better or worse.
Who will take over from Cian Healy and Sean O’Brien with the ball in hand?
It is no secret that Ireland rely on Cian Healy and Sean O’Brien quite a bit to get over the gain line and there isn’t a tougher game than South African to be missing the duo for.
Jamie Heaslip was the top ball carrier for Leinster in both of their Champions Cup games last month but Peter O’Mahony, Chris Henry, Paul O’Connell and Rhys Ruddock (if involved) will need to add a few extra rumbles to their usual quota to give Ireland a strong platform.
Ireland coped well without O’Brien in the 6 Nations last year but South Africa’s back row with players like Duane Vermeulen, Marcell Coetzee and Schalk Burger are able to make massive yardage so Ireland’s lesser known ball carriers will need to demand more touches or Sexton and the outside backs will be operating on the back foot
Can Jack McGrath replace Cian Healy?
Given how close Cian Healy and Jack McGrath are in age, their current dynamic is likely to be in place for the majority of their careers barring injury. This month is a massive opportunity for McGrath to show that he is a great player in his own right instead of just Healy’s backup.
McGrath has spoken about how haunting it was to give away that penalty against the All Blacks right at the end and having to redeem himself against Jannie Du Plessis this weekend will be tough for the Leinster prop
His provincial season has been curtailed a bit by injuries but when he has played McGrath has acquitted himself well around the pitch and has usually been solid at the scrum.
One knock on him is that his carrying is a level below Healy’s – which is a little unfair given few props can match him in that regard – but Joe Schmidt will know a lot about his strength in depth at loosehead at the end of the month.
Is Ian Madigan an international quality out-half?
Matt O’Connor has picked Madigan at 12 for almost the whole season and has said before that he sees him as more of a centre than a 10. First choice out-half Johnny Sexton limped off with a thigh injury last weekend for Racing and while he is apparently fit for this Saturday, the chances are high that Madigan might feature at some stage for Ireland.
His goalkicking has been strong for Leinster but questions remain about the strength of his game management. Given the high possibility of adverse conditions this Saturday, playing the corners could be critical and it will be interesting to see if he can do that if given the chance.
Can Joe Schmidt orchestrate another success?
Joe Schmidt has yet to disappoint Irish rugby fans. Even in instances when he hasn’t delivered the ultimate prize (Heineken Cup in his final season with Leinster, southern hemisphere scalp last year) he has done enough to sate the fans hunger (Pro12 title, being within a hair of beating the All Blacks. That said, anything less than two wins would be a disappointment for Ireland – even with the injuries.
South Africa is likely a step too far given the absentees but a win over Michael Cheika’s Australia is a realistic target. After all, Australia are missing a host of overseas talent and they have just been hit by a massive scandal that is sure to impact their on field performance.
After winning the 6 Nations last year, the next step is beating one of the southern hemisphere nations and Ireland won’t have a better pre-World Cup chance than Australia on 22 November.
What do you think is the biggest issue ahead of the autumn test?
