So where do Ireland go from here?
That is the ultimate question going into Ireland’s second match of the Six Nations.
Joe Schmidt’s side will face Italy in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico where a five-point return will be what is expected.
Italy showed promise in their match against Wales but fell away towards the final quarter – Ireland will expect something similar at the weekend.
So when it comes to the team which should be selected, do Ireland punish some of the players who under performed?
Or do they stick with the same side? Knowing that these same players will undoubtedly want to right the wrongs of Murrayfield and put in a much improved performance.
In our opinion, we believe striking the right balance is key and we expect some new faces to come into the starting XV.
We will take a look at each area of the team and decide whether new players are required.
Front-Row
We don’t think there should be any changes in this area of the pitch, nor do we expect any. Ireland’s scrum was one of the few positives to come out of the Scotland game with a 100% return and this will need to be maintained.
Tadhg Furlong was also one of the few players to come out of the game with any accountability, so it is as you were in this regard.
Second-Row
Although Ireland secured 12/14 of their own lineouts, they were under a lot of pressure in this area throughout and the lack of viable options for Rory Best to target was an issue.
Iain Henderson had a pretty quiet game and we didn’t see the level of physicality that we would expect from him.
With this in mind, we think Donnacha Ryan should come into the team in his place. The Munster man is an efficient lineout operator in both offensive and defensive terms. We also think his aggression was badly missed against the Scots and needs to be present going forward.
Back-Row
This one is a bit more tricky.
The match in Murrayfield was crying out for someone like Peter O’Mahony. You know he would have made his presence felt when Vern Cotter’s men were bossing the breakdown (both legally and illegally) and his ability to pilfer opposition ball was sorely missed.
Although the Cork man is back running this week, the Italy game will probably be too soon for him so the only other option to consider is Josh van der Flier. The 23-year-old has an incredible work-rate and the energy he brought when he came on in the second half was very clear.
Although the back-row wasn’t as effective as we would have hoped at the weekend, we think they will redeem themselves and their performance together as a unit will be crucial in terms of who starts for the remaining three games, especially when you consider the likely return of O’Mahony and the ever-pushing van der Flier.
Half-Backs
No changes expected or warranted here. Conor Murray and Paddy Jackson can both play better and the Murrayfield experience will stand to them. Johnny Sexton is back running but he is unlikely to feature.
Squad Update: Johnny Sexton continues rehabbing and is back running. Will be monitored this week.
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) February 6, 2017
Midfield
It was a baptism of fire for the debut of Ireland’s centre partnership, it was the first time Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose have played at this level together and it showed, particularly in defence.
They would have learned some harsh, essential lessons at the weekend, especially with regards to communication. We know the two can bring the goods and we expect them to do so against Italy.
Back-Three
Simon Zebo remains. He had a decent game and consistently gets an extra yard or two in contact when he has no right to.
Andrew Trimble is expected to be fit for the weekend and he will likely start, Ireland definitely missed his physicality against Italy.
Keith Earls, although he got caught out wide for Scotland’s second try, the initial mistake was by Paddy Jackson by initially biting in on his man which resulted in Earls being put under unnecessary pressure. The Limerick man is also one of the most lethal finishers in the Ireland squad and he displayed this attribute with his first half try.
As a result we are going to go with Earls and Trimble on the wings, with Zebo at full-back.
Unfortunately for Rob Kearney, his performance was a real mixed bag. He made some good breaks but was also caught napping for Scotland’s first try where he failed to spot the danger out wide. His game was also littered with a lot of direct running into contact.
It’s probably the harshest of the omissions, but looking to the future we would like to see some more creativity coming from this position and Zebo can offer this, as he has done so for Munster all season.
