IRELAND ASSISTANT COACH Richie Murphy has backed Andrew Conway and Jordan Larmour to step up to the mark if called upon in Sunday’s World Cup opener against Scotland.
Rob Kearney and Keith Earls have been struggling with injuries this week, leaving Larmour and Conway in line to be named in Joe Schmidt’s starting XV to face the Scots.
15-times capped Conway is expected to be in the 15 shirt if Kearney is absent, while 16-times capped Larmour would likely be on the right wing in the event that Earls misses out.
Although the forecasted torrential downpour for Sunday is now looking less likely, there is still expected to be some rain, as well as strong winds, meaning Ireland’s back three will need to be highly accurate with their aerial skills and positioning.
But Murphy believes that 28-year-old Conway and 22-year-old Larmour are ready if called on by Schmidt when he officially names his team at 7am Irish time on Friday.
“Extremely confident,” said Murphy when asked how confident Ireland would be with possible changes in the back three. “We picked 31 players that we feel can all do the job for us.
“If, for instance, Rob wasn’t there, we’d be very happy with Jordan. He’s got a lot of big-game experience. Bomber [Conway] has played back there as well, so if it is a case that Rob’s not there, we’d be very happy with the guys.
“They understand the systems, they’ve been working in them for three-and-a-half years, Jordan since he’s come into the squad. They should be very comfortable within the systems.”
Losing Kearney and Earls would deprive Ireland of vast experience at the back, but Schmidt is expected to have a fairly settled team otherwise.
Murphy feels that halfbacks Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton are well primed to guide their team around the pitch.
“Johnny is in really good form. Obviously, he’s only had one game coming into the World Cup which is probably not exactly what he would have wanted. He would have wanted to play more. That’s where he’s at.
“He’s in really good shape physically, mentally very hungry, and he’s looking forward to a massive World Cup, as all our players are. He’s in a really good place.
“Conor picked up that knock earlier on in pre-season but he’s bounced back really well. He looks sharp, his passing is good. There’s a nice buzz around the two guys when they’re training and they’re leading within the group.”
Murphy welcomed the return to full training of Joey Carbery but also said Jack Carty is an option for Ireland as back-up at out-half, while he pointed to the “massive threat” of Finn Russell in Scotland’s number 10 shirt.
As for the forecast, Ireland’s aren’t quite sure what to expect on Sunday.
“The weather’s changing,” said Murphy. “It’s very hard to know and we’ll just have to keep an eye on it over the next few days. Two days ago, it looked like it was going to be the worst rain shower we’ve ever seen. Now, it’s saying it will be dry.
“I think everyone wants dry weather, no one really wants to play in the rain. We’ll have to adapt, World Cups are all about adapting, whether that’s in the team or what the conditions are or how a referee interprets a rule. You have to adapt all the time.”
