JOE SCHMIDT WILL unveil his Ireland squad for the 2017 Six Nations tomorrow. The majority of the names in the group will be easy to predict. But a mix of injury and the need to continue building depth in a squad that was successful in November means there is still room to blood fresh talent (at least to the Carton House environment) while chasing a third title in four years.
Here are a few men we’d like to see promoted.
Sean O’Brien
It’s no secret any more that Ireland boasts two terrific and powerful forwards under the same name. Connacht’s O’Brien should be the man to benefit from his team-mate Ultan Dillane’s absence.
The Galwegian is ferocious in contact and shows a technical intelligence to consistently make an impact when coming into games as a replacement. It may yet be too early for him to start in an international second row, but his line-out abilities and power from blindside flanker make him well worth an inclusion in a matchday squad.
Niall Scannell
Opportunities at the top level of rugby so often come about because of injuries and the absence of the hamstrung Sean Cronin for Ireland in this tournament will open the door for another hooker to step in to work under Rory Best.
The captain is an immovable starter in the first XV and his engine ensures he is rarely replaced before the hour mark in games. Schmidt will have obvious already-capped options to call upon in Richardt Strauss, Rob Herring and James Tracy. However, the form of that trio is lagging behind Munster’s hooker, who at 24 will continue competing for the jersey long beyond the World Cup.
Jack Conan
Okay, so we’re cheating a bit here (but what would a breakdown be without a little cheating, eh?) as Conan already has one cap to his name thanks to a World Cup warm-up.
18 months on, he has come through a torrid run of injuries and his performances for Leinster have been a return to his very best.
The Dubliner’s power is not a weapon for the future, it’s a viable threat right now. His first class aggressive attitude is in the mould of CJ Stander and his presence would represent even more muscular depth in a position which continually delivers injury news.
Rory Scannell
Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw should rightly be considered the first-choice centre partnership going to Murrayfield. Yet with Jared Payne out and his Ulster team-mates struggling for form, the versatile Corkman is another player hitting a rich vein of form at present.
Combine the thinning of centre resources with Jonathan Sexton’s struggles to put a run of injury-free games together and the addition of a playmaking centre who brings another kicking option with that cultured left boot only seems sensible.
Adam Byrne
We already know Schmidt likes the in-form Leinster wing – having made him the province’s youngest ever player back in 2012 – and once he shook off a horrendous run of injury luck it’s been easy to see why.
On top of the power, pace and excellent footwork Byrne brings out on the right flank, he consistently shows a diligence and hunger for the less glamorous areas of the game. The Kildare man was clearly one of the better Leinster players on duty during the Friday night draw in Castres and would be an able deputy for Andrew Trimble next month.
