TALK ABOUT AN audition.
Getting his hands on Ireland’s number 10 jersey may have felt like a long time coming for Jack Carty, but it’s also important to remember he is just five caps — and 94 minutes — into a nascent international career.
Either way, a first Test start against Wales on Saturday is a hard-earned and well-deserved opportunity for Carty, who will mark the occasion of his 27th birthday by steering the Ireland ship at the Millennium Stadium.
Of his five cameos off the bench in green, the Connacht out-half has had a limited window to demonstrate his capacity to pull the strings and dictate the tempo, not least because two of those caps have come when Ireland have been staring down the barrel.
Most recently, Carty replaced Ross Byrne for the final 27 minutes at Twickenham last week, but by that stage, the game had long passed Ireland by and it was nigh-on impossible for the Athlone native to make any sort of positive impression.
He did, however, catch the eye in Cardiff when making an eight-minute cameo in the final game of the Six Nations last March, on top of his contributions, on debut, against Italy and then in the home win over France.
In a direct battle with Leinster’s Byrne for a seat on the plane, Carty is offered a big chance to show his worth this weekend and by executing the basics well, and injecting a spark of creativity, he will significantly enhance his hopes of earning a place in the final 31.
Although Ireland’s last trip to the Principality was a forgettable afternoon, Carty showed glimpses of what he can offer in that pivot position, with the Connacht 10 prominent in Jordan Larmour’s late try to ensure Ireland avoided being nilled by the Grand Slam champions elect.
After patiently biding his time, Carty knows this opportunity, as delayed as it might be, is one he needs to seize.
The presence of provincial team-mates Kieran Marmion inside him and Bundee Aki on the other side will no doubt help the Connacht playmaker settle into his role, but Carty will not be short of confidence coming off the back of a superb season with Andy Friend’s side.
Here, he will hope the pack provides a solid platform off the set-piece and otherwise for him to operate, but Schmidt will look to Carty to use his eye-catching skillset to add another dimension to Ireland’s attack, which at times has looked blunt during the last 12 months.
“Just what he’s provided at training, what he provided last time he came on in the Principality Stadium in that last few minutes,” Schmidt said when asked what he hopes Carty to bring to the table.
“I thought he was self-assured, I thought he was accurate, he did a fantastic little grubber kick across for Jacob Stockdale to pick up which got us in behind and Jacob almost scored. It built to the try that we did get, so, I’d like to see that.
“He came off the bench and two of the tackles he made were outstanding tackles. He got off the line, he chopped the player very quickly. Those are the elements we’d love to see, he’s obviously got a pretty accomplished kicking game.
“He has to meld all those things into the performance he puts out there individually himself but also, he’s got to bring other players into the game. He’s a conduit for so much of what happens because the 10, so much of the game flows through the 10.
“It’s a massive task for Jack but we’re really looking forward to seeing how he goes.”
With Schmidt set to submit his 31-man squad to World Rugby on Monday [it will not be made public until the following week], it’s hard to know what the head coach is thinking in relation to his third out-half option.
But the fact Byrne has been struggling after his first Test start last week, and Joey Carbery is sidelined and Johnny Sexton again wrapped in cotton wool, Carty should, fitness permitting, get an extended shot against Wales on Saturday afternoon.
It may have come late in the day, but it’s no better time for Carty to bring his eye-catching Connacht form into the Test arena, and in turn provide Ireland’s attack with a welcome spark.
Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey and Bernard Jackman try to identify how Ireland can get back on track after Twickenham.
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