IRELAND ANNOUNCED THEIR Starting line-up to face New Zealand in Chicago’s Soldier Field on Saturday. View the 23 full here or head below for some talking points arising from it.
Fullback
Players continually use the word ‘ruthless’ to describe Joe Schmidt in relation to his squad selection.
But he is very often extremely loyal too.
The Kiwi has placed an enormous amount of faith Rob Kearney by giving him back the number 15 jersey despite a difficult run of form – influenced in no small part by a difficult run with injury.
Despite Jared Payne impressing in South Africa and Tiernan O’Halloran scuppered before he could take his threat to a level above Connacht, Kearney is retained as a trusted lieutenant who has been through it all with Schmidt.
Air Jordi
From the start of the week it was clear that Schmidt would bring a surprise to the back row when he left both Sean O’Brien and Peter O’Mahony at home.
With the Tullow and Cork man absent, there were only four back rows left in the squad, plus Ultan Dillane and Donnacha Ryan as blindside options.
Jordi Murphy gets the nod at openside flanker ahead of the more natural fit for the position, Josh van der Flier. Together with CJ Stander and Jamie Heaslip, it’s a statement that Ireland will bring an extremely aggressive physical approach in the hope of catching New Zealand a little cold after their week-long break in Chicago.
Second row nous
Schmidt has resisted the urge to pit Dillane in at lock to wreak havoc with his explosive carrying ability. Instead, Ireland will go after a makeshift Kiwi engine room with our two most-seasoned exponents of second row play.
There is nothing inexperienced or soft about Jerome Kaino, but he is very much a blindside flanker. In tandem with Patrick Tuipulotu (10 caps) and the uncapped Scott Barrett to come off the bench, the row will certainly be an area targeted by forwards coach Simon Easterby this week. In Devin Toner and Ryan, they have the tough grizzled edge and line-out intelligence to do just that.
Ringrose’s big day
Schmidt puts a lot of thought into finding the right man to fill the number 23 jersey. He has to be ready to switch on at the drop of a hat, he must be multi-skilled and have a body of experience in playing more than one position.
Garry Ringrose has made his home in the centre, but he does fit that bill. The 21-year-old Leinster man came onto the scene last season by playing on the right wing. So Schmidt is clearly confident that he can do that job, or his primary role as a centre if any back goes down injured.
Baptism of fire for Carbery?
Joey Carbery is a slightly different situation. Even with just nine Leinster appearances under his belt, Carbery has shown glimpses of his incredibly ability to spark a game into life. He has experience of fullback too, but mostly in a Clontarf jersey and those minutes probably won’t be taken into account by Schmidt.
Yet with Jonathan Sexton ahead of him, the head coach will hope that he doesn’t need to call upon the young New Zealand-born Athy talent too early.
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
