SUNDAY’S MEETING WITH Georgia may be seen as extraneous in the context of Ireland’s November work-out but the fixture represents an opportunity for those on the periphery to impress and offers Eoin Reddan the chance to do something he never even contemplated doing.
On the occasion of his 57th international cap, the Leinster scrum-half will lead Ireland out onto the Aviva Stadium pitch for the first time.
“It’s been pretty surreal since Joe [Schmidt] told me,” he said this afternoon at the pre-game press conference. “Joe let me know earlier in the week, casually enough, but it was a shock for me.
“I’m obviously happy to do it and it’s a great honour but it’s something that maybe you never dream of doing, in my case anyway. I’ve always wanted to play for Ireland but I never thought I’d get to do what I will be doing tomorrow.”
Schmidt has used the game to shuffle his deck and assess his options with the World Cup looming. The side Reddan will lead out shows 13 changes to the one that defeated South Africa last week and the 33-year-old is aware of the added responsibility on his shoulders, particularly with two players making their debut.
“There’s been more duties in the week and a bit more to think about but I have to focus on my own game as well. There is a little more mental preparation involved to make sure I’m in the position to play like I normally.”
“It’s exciting and a challenge.”
It will be the fourth meeting between the two sides and the first since the 2007 World Cup when Georgia defied many people’s expectations and gave Ireland a run for their money.
Coming off the high of the superlative victory over the Springboks, many people’s expectations have spiraled but Reddan is all too aware of the challenge the visitors will provide.
“They’re a fairly settled team and we haven’t had too long together. We know they’re very strong in certain areas and a lot of people are expecting something a lot different to what I think will pan out.
“The more you know about them, the more respect you have for them.”
The Lelos arrive in Dublin with no shortage of confidence. Although they were beaten by Tonga last week, they have experienced an up-turn in results under coach Milton Haig.
Victory over Samoa last year highlighted the progress they’ve made and having qualified for next year’s World Cup, they’ll be determined to continue on their upward curve tomorrow.
Former Connacht head coach Michael Bradley is now part of their backroom staff and with several players plying their trade in the Top14, Reddan knows they will be no pushover.
“I think patience will be key, not just from us but everybody off the pitch as well. We can’t afford to take our eye off the ball for a minute, we need to be physical from the start and be relentless.
“They’re very good defensively, they come off the line hard and they’ve got big men so it’s not going to be easy. We just need to be very mindful of the physical battle that’s coming and that’s probably the biggest challenge for us tomorrow.”
When all is said and done and the final whistle blown, it may not be a match that will live long in the memory – particularly after the events of last week – but it will be a day Reddan will look back on and never forget.
