With Josh van der Flier definitely out of the Ireland squad to face France, Joe Schmidt was left with a host of options.
Van der Flier will miss next weekend’s assignment against Les Bleus after damaging his shoulder in a 39-10 Leinster win over Edinburgh. There is still no official word on how long the flanker will be out of action but his Six Nations championship may well be over.
During that same Leinster game, former Ireland U20 captain Dan Leavy served notice that he is ready for the step-up again after his November debut against Canada. The breakdown battle will be crucial against France so it is interesting to see Munster openside Tommy O’Donnell also included.
However, the likelihood is that one of Irish rugby’s most committed characters will return to the match-day squad. Peter O’Mahony was a superb impact sub in the November win over Australia [see below] and, following some hamstring issues, may get the replacement nod against the French.
During The Hard Yards rugby podcast, Ireland international Mike Ross stated that ‘the most natural thing is to put Pete on the bench’ this weekend. He continued:
“Pete can cover 6, 7 and 8 off the bench and he is a very good lineout option. He has a very good vertical jump… that can be very valuable against the French, especially if you want to deny them maul ball – just get up and steal it.
“I find it hard to see Joe Schmidt changing his back row, especially after the game against Italy. I mean, who do you drop? Having Pete to come on and be very angry is a great option too.”
Asked by Hard Yards host Andy McGeady why O’Mahony is so irately pumped up, former Munster tesammate Donncha O’Callaghan remarked:
“No, he’s learnt that from an early age. I don’t know where he gets it. He needs to chat to someone, find someone to love or somewhere to love within himself.”
O’Callaghan likens O’Mahony’s challenge, of making an immediate impact off the bench, to the excellent outing from Craig Gilroy in Rome last week.
