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Rodney Ah You could be starting at tighthead for Ireland if Mike Ross doesn't recover from injury. Robert Perry/INPHO

Schmidt to assess tighthead options this weekend ahead of South African test

Ireland are basically one more tighthead injury away from bringing back John Hayes.

IT REALLY HAS been a rotten run of injuries for Joe Schmidt and the Ireland team lately as players get injured during games, in training and everywhere in between.

Cian Healy picked up a nasty non-contact hamstring injury at the start of the season to keep him out for six months and this week another member of the front row club, Nathan White, suffered a similar fate from a seemingly innocuous incident.

The bicep injury suffered by White leaves Schmidt scrambling a little to fill the tighthead slot in his XV for the South Africa game on 8 Novemeber, as Mike Ross has only just returned to training.

โ€œHe just caught a player running past him, and whatever way it happened caused the injury,โ€ Schmidt says of Whiteโ€™s injury.

โ€œIt wasnโ€™t even a contact injury really. It was one of those innocuous things that do happen some time.โ€

There are three tightheads in the squad now โ€“ Mike Ross, Rodney Ah You and Stephen Archer โ€“ but none of the trio are in peak condition for the challenge of the Du Plessisโ€™, the Beast, Gurthro Steenkamp and co. due to either injury or lack of playing time.

Schmidt is keeping his options open this weekend as he decides who to call into the squad.

โ€œWe have some other options and we will be watching them this weekend,โ€ Schmidt said.

โ€œObviously Rodney Ah You is playing for Connacht, Stephen Archer will have some time with Munster, Declan Fitzpatrick will play too, Tadhg Furlong is starting for Leinster at tighthead and Michael Bent is at loosehead.

โ€œThose are our other options. On Monday we will have enough guys in the camp to resource the front row.โ€

On the face of it, it might be tempting fate a little to start two tightheads who could be playing against South Africa but Schmidt stressed that at this moment in time, Ah You and Archer are too undercooked for the Springbok challenge.

โ€œItโ€™s a catch-22 [whether to rest the tightheads this weekend],โ€ Schmidt said.

โ€œBecause Nathan White is a starting prop and has dominated the playing time, Rodney needs some more game time. Tadhg Furlong needs the game time and Declan Fitzpatrick has been massively underplayed due to a succession of injuries and Stephen Archer the same.โ€

Schmidt also gave an update on Irelandโ€™s incumbent at tighthead, Mike Ross, who took part in training today. However, Schmidt was keen to point out that having not played a game since the beginning of October, Ross is a little behind.

โ€œMike has been working really hard but there is nothing like game conditioning and game awareness,โ€ Schmidt said. โ€œYou want guys to have had that because you want it to be second nature to them when they do something.โ€

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11 Comments
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    Mute Aidan Thunder
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    Oct 31st 2014, 3:15 PM

    Any chance of uncontested scrums?

    53
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    Mute ScewMadd
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    Oct 31st 2014, 3:00 PM

    โ€œRodney Ah You could be starting at tighthead for Ireland if Mike Ross doesnโ€™t recover from injury.โ€ *Screams internally*

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    Mute Philip Caolรกn Donnelly
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    Oct 31st 2014, 3:39 PM

    Long story shortโ€ฆโ€ฆ.. against one of the most physical packs in the gameโ€ฆโ€ฆ.weโ€™re f**ked in the front rowโ€ฆ.

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    Mute Michael Keenan
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    Oct 31st 2014, 4:15 PM

    Whereโ€™s the big man tony Buckley when you need him??

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    Mute Gary
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    Oct 31st 2014, 4:45 PM

    Probably farming, where he belongs.

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    Mute Liam is ainm dumb
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    Oct 31st 2014, 3:14 PM

    GO WAN DAVE

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    Mute Kieran Woods
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    Oct 31st 2014, 3:38 PM

    I think we will b ok the South African is only average at best

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    Mute Cian O Donoghue
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    Oct 31st 2014, 6:51 PM

    I think youโ€™re a bluffer. This average SA team eviscerated the All Black pack pack recently. Add to that the โ€˜averageโ€™ players of JDV & Co. ..

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    Mute Munster Haka
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    Oct 31st 2014, 9:26 PM

    Iโ€™d have McGrath tighthead over Ah You

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    Mute rugbyandbeer
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    Nov 1st 2014, 9:56 AM

    We need McGrath at LH. Furlong did a cracking job locking the scrum in the u20โ€ฒs wc 2 years ago against a LH who had a season of super rugby behind him. Still too early for him but this time next season, injury permitting,Moore and furlong will be out first choice THโ€™s

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    Mute Chris Mcdonnell
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    Nov 2nd 2014, 12:54 PM

    Strange that hagan hasnโ€™t been talked about whatever else about his game he can scrummage , I guess Joe seen enough at Leinster not to consider him.

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