Joe Schmidt is expected to name his summer touring squad on Tuesday and there should be several new faces included.
Given the fact that Ireland have given up 11 players to the Lions and that players such as Ultan Dillane, Tommy Bowe, Stuart Olding and Jordi Murphy are sidelined, Schmidt should still be able to name a pretty strong squad. A squad more than capable of winning all three Test matches.
The likes of Cian Healy, Donnacha Ryan, Devin Toner, Jamie Heaslip, Paddy Jackson, Andrew Trimble, Simon Zebo and Keith Earls are all in contention to tour. Schmidt will want to look at some new faces but will be conscious of the need to retain an experienced spine in his starting XVs.
Three big selection calls may will give an idea of Schmidt’s thinking as planning for next year’s Six Nations and, long term, the World Cup ramps up.
Scrum-half
Kieran Marmion or Luke McGrath? Does Schmidt go to the man next in line or the younger challenger?
McGrath has been lauded by all involved at Leinster and has captained the province on several occasions this summer. He earned praise from Schmidt after his confident appearance off the bench, against England.
Marmion did enough, though, in the Wales and England games to get the starting nod for at least two Tests this summer.
“It was great to get those opportunities and experiences under my belt,” Marmion told us earlier this month.
“I was happy with how things went but still feel things could go better and I can add a good bit more. Hopefully if I get a few more opportunities, I can improve and keep pushing forward.
“With Conor [Murray] away, hopefully I can get some more game time, put in some good performances and keep on improving as much as I can.”
Out-half
This is a big one and Schmidt has two live options, with a third outhalf also in the mix.
Paddy Jackson is the next man up as Johnny Sexton will be tussling with Owen Farrell for the Lions No.10 jersey. The Ulster man recovered well from a rocky first half against Scotland to play well against Italy. His defensive frailties were set upon by the Welsh so questions remain.
The exciting option would be pitching Joey Carbery in from the start and seeing if he can once replicate replicate his fearless provincial form on the international stage. Carbery has also been doing well at fullback for Leinster and with Rob Kearney still recovering from injury, that could see the Clontarf man tried out in different roles.
Ross Byrne of Leinster and Connacht’s Jack Carty are likely to scrap it out for that extra outhalf slot.
Midfield
Stuart Olding’s ankle injury means Munster-bound Chris Farrell is all but certain to be included in the squad. Luke Marshall and the uncapped Rory Scannell are also in contention and Garry Ringrose is locked in.
Marshall is the proven performer and the steady selection but it would be fascinating to see if Schmidt would go with an inside-outside combination of Scannell and Farrell for even one of the games. Farrell often plays 13 but he could be moved inside to partner him up with Ringrose too.
Ronan O’Gara is a big fan of Farrell, having seen the Tyrone native up close in France’s Top 14, with Grenoble, over the past three seasons. He told The Hard Yards:
“At six-foot-five and with his variety of skills, he has something to offer at national level that we haven’t seen. The guy is the same size as Joe Rokocoko or Donnacha Ryan and he’s playing in the centre.
“His passing game, left to right and right to left, is really good. He’s working with an under the radar coach in Mike Prendergast down at Grenoble and he has been mentoring him for two years. He has been drilling skills into Chris; he’s not just a gym monkey.”
Schmidt may also take Stuart McCloskey on tour. Teaming the 6-foot-3, 17-stone McCloskey with the equally imposing Farrell would be some scary centre combination.
