Joe Schmidt has a feast of 100% fit players to choose from
Well, what is 100% in this crazy world?
Cian Healy, Sean O’Brien, Jamie Heaslip, Johnny Sexton and Eoin Reddan have trained fully and have taken contact in today’s session at Carton House.
Under Schmidt’s strict selection criteria, players must take a full part in Tuesday training [before a Saturday match] to have a hope of making his starting fifteen. Gordon D’Arcy and Jamie Heaslip have found themselves out of match-day squads having missed the make-or-break session.
The only player in the squad not to train fully was hooker Rory Best, who was concussed in the weekend win over Italy. Ireland skills coach, Richie Murphy says Best is meeting each of his markers as part of the graduated return-to-play protocols.
Asked if Best was out of the selection mix due to his missing today’s session, Murphy was non-committal. ‘There is no difference between Jamie and Rory [but] it is an individual case,’ he said.
Sexton is in line for inclusion in Ireland’s match-day 23 and it is likely that he will be pitched in at out-half, this weekend, when France come to town.
Murphy says he has not spoken with his former Leinster kicking pupil about concussion or the fact that he shipped three heavy blows, causing head injuries, in the space of eight months.
‘Johnny just itching to go,’ said Murphy. ‘The last few weeks probably have been a little bit frustrating but he understood that he couldn’t play until he got the all clear. He’s got that now and he’s ready to go.’
