Not many chances to sway Mr Schmidt’s thinking.
With just three more rounds left of Pro 12 games, four for the fortunate and five for the lucky, time is running out for Irish players to convince the Irish coach of their worth ahead of September’s World Cup.
While plenty of the places in Schmidt’s 31-man squad look to be all but sewn up, there are spots wide open, with multiple players vying for the coach’s eye.
We’ve looked through the provinces to find five players who have a huge few weeks ahead of them, as they bid to sneak into the squad.
Denis Buckley
You can put your house on Cian Healy and Jack McGrath going to the World Cup, leaving one loose-head spot left for a host of quality props. Their Leinster teammate Michael Bent has had his best 12 months since arriving on Irish soil in 2012 while in Munster both James Cronin and Dave Kilcoyne have played under Schmidt for Ireland.
However, Connacht’s Denis Buckley has been one of the province’s biggest weapons this season, and three big performances before the end of the season could also see him in the mix. Connacht’s scrum has been a real weapon this season, with Buckley playing a major role, and his performance in the loose against Munster last month was worthy of a Man of the Match, despite the heavy defeat. He’s currently some way down an incredibly competitive pecking order with Ireland, but a good end to the season may bring him into contention for a run in the warm up games. And from there, his chance is as good as any.
Duncan Casey
Richardt Strauss is currently the third man in line for the Irish hooking spot, but he has competition. Rory Best and Sean Cronin look to be on the plane, with one spot up for grabs.
The Leinster hooker may hold the advantage at the minute, but a lot can happen between now and selection time. Ulster’s Rob Herring is in the mix, but with Ulster right in the thick of it he may need to take a back seat to Rory Best. Duncan Casey hasn’t been in an Ireland squad yet under Schmidt, but the 24-year-old has been a revelation for Munster this year during a season when it looked like they would have a hooking crisis. His throwing has been exceptional, and he’s chipped in with three tries in the Pro 12 so far this year. With Munster on course for a semi-final, the extra game (or two) gives him enough time to make an impression.
Tadhg Furlong
Furlong hasn’t featured in an Irish shirt yet, but his inclusion in the squad for the final rounds of the Six Nations shows the extent of the progress in his debut season with Leinster.
Mike Ross and Marty Moore are guarantees to make it to the World Cup, but Furlong looks to be ahead in the race to take the third tight-head spot. Nathan White’s breakthrough season has been abruptly halted with injuries, Rodney Ah You doesn’t seem to be a favourite of Schmidt’s, while Stephen Archer has left it too late to make an impression.
With Marty Moore’ shoulder surgery ruling him out for the remainder of the season, it now means Furlong will pick up even more Leinster game time, and even if Leinster fail to make the semi-finals, the question mark over his name could be changed to a tick pretty soon.
Chris Henry
Through no fault of his own, Chris Henry has gone from the core of the starting line-up, to the periphery of the squad.
His heart problems and subsequent recovery gave others the chance to shine, and with a conveyor belt of Irish backrow talent, he’s returned to rugby with lots to do to convince Joe Schmidt he’s worth a golden ticket.
Sean O’Brien, Jamie Heaslip, Peter O’Mahony and Jordi Murphy all look certainties to go to the tournament, while Tommy O’Donnell looks the most likely to squeeze in for the extra spot. Iain Henderson will also be at the tournament covering the second and back-row, and it leaves some formidable competition for Henry to get the better of. However, a big performance in tomorrow night’s meeting with Leinster could throw things wide open.
Kieran Marmion
Up until February, Marmion was as blue chip an Irish player as you could find.
He had been one of the stars of Connacht’s impressive Pro 12 season, and looked like putting some real heat on Eoin Reddan to be back-up scrum half in the Six Nations. He started the Irish Wolfhound games against the Saxons in Cork, but after a disappointing performance, he hasn’t looked the same player. Isaac Boss’ improved form hasn’t helped Marmion’s cause, and if he’s to find himself in Joe Schmidt’s World Cup squad, he needs to rediscover his own game in the closing stages of the season.
