Who’s in, who’s out, and who’s getting shaken all about? Time to take
to look…
He is…the
elephant in the room (Unknown)
He’s either the first name on the teamsheet or he’s staying in Ireland
– yes of course I’m talking about Cian Healy.
If he’s fit, Healy goes and he starts as Ireland’s loosehead prop, of that
there is no question. If he’s semi-fit then Schmidt has a massive call to make
– bring him just in case but risk the possibility of his injury woes lingering
on, or leave Ireland’s best prop at home with the possibility that he may
recover in time. If he’s not fit, Ireland have a problem.
They should
be…booking their plane ticket (Definites)
Rory Best is nailed on at
hooker, while injury to Marty Moore means Mike
Ross has the tighthead jersey under wraps as well. Across the scrum Jack McGrath has solidified his
position as Cian Healy’s understudy and should make the plane too. Captain Paul O’Connell and lock partner Devin Toner will definitely be there,
while one suspects the versatility of Iain
Henderson will guarantee him a spot in the 31-man squad as well, with
Schmidt making no secret that the utility man is a favourite of his. The
reliable back row trio of Peter O’Mahony,
Sean O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip are also definites.
Conor Murray faces very
little opposition at scrum-half, so will travel, while being the world’s best
number ten probably just about clinches Jonathan
Sexton’s place. Given how well their centre partnership went during the Six
Nations you would expect Robbie Henshaw and
Jared Payne to be in there
somewhere, while Rob Kearney is
another whose position is under very little threat.
They should
be…booking refundable accommodation (Probables)
Leinster player of the season Sean
Cronin will be Best’s deputy at hooker, with Leinster team-mate Richardt Strauss third choice. Michael Bent’s ability to play both
sides of the scrum will make him a good choice as the fifth prop in the squad,
while a speedy recovery from injury should set up a spot for Marty Moore. Donnacha Ryan has seemingly banished his injury woes and should be
the reserve lock, while groundhog openside Chris
Henry and big-carrying Jordi Murphy will
provide back row cover.
In the absence of any better scrum-halves, Eoin Reddan will probably get the nod as the back-up scrum-half. As
has been the norm for Joe Schmidt, it’s more than likely both Paddy Jackson and Ian Madigan will travel as fly-half cover, with the Ulsterman seen
as a starter and the Leinsterman as a versatile bench option, covering inside
centre and full-back too. As far as the outside backs go, both wing spots are
up for grabs, as well as the two back-up positions too. Schmidt is a big fan of
Andrew Trimble, so fitness
permitting he will probably travel, as will Ulster team-mate Tommy Bowe. From there it’s a toss-up
between three or four for the two places left, with Munster duo Keith Earls and Simon Zebo presumably the preferred choices.
They should
be…packing a bag just in case (Possibles)
Should Cian Healy fail to make it then Dave Kilcoyne will be called-up as the backup loosehead, that’s
more or less a given. Despite being axed from the squad, one injury to a hooker
could open the door for Rob Herring to
sneak in, while Nathan White will
also be optimistic about his chances, especially given he can cover both sides
like Bent. Jack Conan’s meteoric
rise at Leinster means he’s not completely out of the reckoning for an Ireland
spot either.
Kieran Marmion should be
the third choice scrum-half after Isaac Boss’ horror show against Scotland and
Munster fly-half Ian Keatley may
still harbour some faint hope that he can make it too, especially if Sexton or
Jackson pull out before the tournament. Darren
Cave’s newfound ability to play both inside and outside centre will make
him an intriguing possibility for Schmidt, and may yet be included in the squad
as cover for both Henshaw and Payne. And don’t rule out Dave Kearney from the back three equation – Rob’s brother is a
consistent, if not spectacular, performer.
They should
be…preparing for Pro12 rugby (Unlikelies)
Ulster’s Dan Tuohy has
already been axed from the squad and it seems unlikely he’ll be added back. The
same applies for Isaac Boss who had
a dreadful outing against Scotland, and if the Kiwi was included ahead of
either Reddan or Marmion then serious questions would be asked. Munster
full-back Felix Jones has been
favoured by Schmidt recently, but the coach’s decision to try out Simon Zebo at
full-back against Scotland perhaps puts an end to his hopes. Regardless of
being the Pro12’s top try scorer last season, Craig Gilroy has been bizarrely and unfairly overlooked completely
and seems destined to miss out too, and, despite the chance of one big final
hurrah, Gordon D’Arcy’s
international career looks like its race has been run as well.
