Slap, bang in the middle of the Champions and Challenge Cup matches and a run of inter-provincial Guinness PRO14 games, Joe Schmidt hosted the country’s best and brightest for a two-day training camp.
Schmidt does not get much time with his main men outside of the Test windows but he often works out some time with them in August and December.
Plans are already being put in place for the 2018 Six Nations and Schmidt welcomed back some men that he had to do without during November’s Guinness Series – Garry Ringrose, Niall Scannell, Josh van der Flier and Dan Leavy.
There was also the sight of four scrum-halves rotating through the plays as Ulster’s John Cooney was called in after his run of good form.
Interestingly, Sean Cronin was not there. Many suspected that his exclusion from the Guinness Series may have been simply an opportunity to give players such as Rob Herring and James Tracy a run but Cronin may find himself on the outskirts for a while longer.
The familiar faces were there, of course – Sexton, Murray, Furlong, Healy, McGrath, Toner, Henderson, O’Mahony, Stander, Kearney, Henshaw and fit again Keith Earls. Rory Best and Sean O’Brien are out of the next Ulster and Leinster games, respectively, but both were present for off-field activities.
Ireland’s camp ran through Monday and Tuesday so Leinster, Ulster and Connacht opening up for access offered another glimpse of those not called in by Schmidt.
Despite naming them as two wing options for the 2018 Six Nations, Niyi Adeolokun [Connacht] and Craig Gilroy [Ulster] both trained with their provinces. Dropped for the November internationals, Connacht prop Finlay Bealham missed out on Ireland camp too.
Ross Byrne and Jordan Larmour were on Leinster duty while Joey Carbery, still on the injury comeback trail, was also out at Belfield doing some light training.
Schmidt will have reviewed the November action, offered players individual video packages on recent performances, and work-ons, and set out the agenda for the coming months ahead. Having missed out on the past two Six Nations championships, Schmidt is targeting 2018’s tournament as a kicking off point for his squad and their 2019 World Cup plans.
