Updated at 12.00
JOE SCHMIDT DIDN’T reveal too much about his thought process in terms of World Cup squad selection after Saturday’s win over Scotland, although he did again clarify that Ireland will bring 17 forwards and 14 backs.
With wins over Wales and the Scots to reflect on in the past fortnight, Schmidt now has match footage to go along with the impressions players have and haven’t made on the training pitch during pre-season.
The deadline for naming the final 31-man World Cup squad is 31 August, two days after Ireland’s next warm-up fixture against Wales in Dublin.
Schmidt therefore has two weeks to make up his mind on the closest calls of them all, though he is likely to have the 31-man squad outlined at this stage.
So, if you were in Schmidt’s shoes what would you be thinking? Let’s hypothetically imagine that the 31-man World Cup squad has to be named today – what would your selection be?
Take Cian Healy even if he hasn’t played a warm-up game? Three scrum-halves or an extra option in the back three? Which of the talented options on the wings? Six props or use Michael Bent to cover both sides of the front row?
Let us know what 31-man squad you would pick today if you were Ireland’s head coach in the comments section below…
