AS THE HEAD coach and out-half stood chatting for several minutes, gesturing to different areas of the pitch and presumably running through various plays, it was impossible not to read into it.
Was this Simon Easterby and Sam Prendergast discussing Ireland’s plans for the England game next weekend? For those who have felt 21-year-old Prendergast is the favourite to wear the number 10 shirt, this sight only strengthened that sense.
Jack Crowley had yet to appear on the pitch at the Campus in Quinta do Lago, arriving shortly after to work on his kicking before Ireland launched into their ‘performance day’ training session, which is a high-intensity session that mimics and even exceeds some of the demands of a Test match.
Ireland had woken to Irish weather this morning, with rain falling steadily over this peaceful part of the Algarve but it cleared in time for training and the sun was peeking out from the clouds by the time Aled Walters, Ireland’s head of athletic performance, called the players in to kick things off in earnest.
The out-half decision is one that fascinates the Irish rugby public and it’s clear Prendergast and Crowley will both have parts to play in this Six Nations. Having started Ireland’s last two Tests and been in good form with Leinster, Prendergast is favoured to start against the English but Crowley should also have a crucial role.
Out-half is not the only area where it will be intriguing to see who Ireland pick, with interim head coach Easterby due to name his matchday 23 on Thursday back in Dublin.
Jack Conan has missed Ireland’s last two campaigns but it was hard to miss him at The Campus today as he joked and laughed with team-mates before what was their final training session of this week. They will all head for a big squad dinner tonight in a local steakhouse and enjoy a day off tomorrow.
Conan has been in excellent form for Leinster and with Ireland forwards coach Paul O’Connell notably praising Conan’s lineout work yesterday, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him returning to the matchday 23 if not the starting back row at blindside flanker.
Tadhg Beirne has been picked at number six in recent Tests but is perhaps even more effective when teaming up with one of James Ryan or Joe McCarthy in the starting second row.
There are other options at blindside in the highly experienced Peter O’Mahony, the explosive Cormac Izuchukwu, and the pacy Ryan Baird, but Conan will surely fit in somewhere against England.
Just running through the options in the back five of the scrum – Iain Henderson and Cian Prendergast included – underlines one of the chief impressions from observing Ireland today. All 36 of the players in Portugal were out on the pitch, fit to train. Easterby will be able to pick an excellent, in-form matchday 23.
Tadhg Furlong is back after missing the November Tests which should have a telling impact on Ireland’s ability to win physical contests on both sides of the ball, as well as through his skill level on the ball. He was missed in the autumn.
We wait to see if Ireland copy Leinster’s experiment of having Andrew Porter come off the bench in the first half in order to finish games out at loosehead prop, but he is in fine fettle ahead of this Six Nations.
Bundee Aki attempted a few long-range drop goals while warming up on the pristine pitch today, with little success, and there is the ever-challenging midfield call to be confirmed between him, Robbie Henshaw, and Garry Ringrose.
Jamie Osborne is another strong option in midfield but all of his Ireland starts so far have been at fullback, creating genuine competition for longstanding incumbent Hugo Keenan. The latter understandably looks motivated to show his class all over again.
Osborne can’t be held back for long, though, and his is another player who is deserving of a place somewhere in Ireland’s frontline matchday squad. Yet the likes of Ciarán Frawley or one of the other centres have good claims for the number 23 shirt unless Ireland go for a 6/2 bench split.
Calvin Nash strode onto the pitch as confidently as he looked for Munster against Northampton last weekend when his athleticism, skill, and determination were on display in a two-try performance. Nash didn’t feature in the autumn but has surely forced the Irish coaches to consider whether he deserves a shot on the right wing ahead of Mack Hansen, who has been a crucial figure for Ireland in recent seasons.
James Lowe will play for Leinster today and again, Ireland will be watching closely as they hope he comes through unscathed and in good form. Even if it’s his only appearance for Leinster since November, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Lowe back in the number 11 shirt for Ireland next weekend.
Osborne – a powerful left-footed kicker like Lowe – and Jimmy O’Brien are the other options there, while Hansen played on the left wing when he first joined Connacht.
During this morning’s warm-up, Ireland’s scrum-halves joined the hookers to practice their lineout throwing. This team have become well-known for managing tough situations like in-game injuries and it’s clear that Josh van der Flier isn’t the only one who could step in as an emergency thrower.
They’re planning for all possibilities but the ideal scenario with their hookers is that Dan Sheehan plays well for Leinster this evening before joining Ireland in Portugal.
Despite being out of action since July with an ACL injury, it’s possible that Sheehan could go straight back in for Ireland against England. Rónan Kelleher has been the starter in his absence, while Gus McCarthy has made impressive moves and the experienced Rob Herring is also in Portugal.
Whatever way some of the tight selection calls go, Ireland appear to be in good nick a week out from the England opener. Some fine players are going to miss out on the matchday 23.
This is a great article that rings so true: “The human brain, the players’ instinct, remains the most sophisticated means of dealing with all of this in real time and is the part of the process that should be trusted above all others.” From a spectator perspective, what makes sports interesting to watch is the instincts and spontaneousness of the players’ interactions with teammates and reactions to opposing players /teams. Games played according to predefined dogma are unexciting and limit the expression of talents.
As a Southampton fan this could have been written for me!