Baptism of fire.
On Wednesday at 5pm, Joe Schmidt’s 34-man [if Keith Earls gets a right of reprieve] squad was announced. It featured six new caps and a host of young players making their way in the Test world.
Of the six uncapped players named, some will have a better chance of facing the world champion All Blacks at Soldier Field than others.
Let’s look at the likely, and unlikely, lads.
Joey Carbery
Straight out of a successful club season with Clontarf and into the Leinster starting line-up. Carbery was born in New Zealand but has been in Ireland for over seven years now and Schmidt wants to get him capped up and – one of us – as soon as possible. Slick passing off both hands, an eye for gaps, confident without being too cocky, pace to burn and a handy goal-kicker.
Johnny Sexton insists he is 100% to start in Chicago and even if he is 65%, we reckon he will do just that. Paddy Jackson is now the established deputy so, barring injuries, Carbery won’t feature.
John Ryan
Ryan burst out of the blocks this season and had the game of his career, thus far, against Glasgow last weekend. Mobile enough and able to truck around with intent.
Mike Ross and Marty Moore are surplus to requirements as Schmidt fires one across the bows of foreign based players… at 37 year old tightheads from Cork. This means – barring a switcheroo involving Finlay Bealham – that Ryan should be on the bench in support of Tadhg Furlong. The tighthead times are a changing.
Garry Ringrose
Schmidt sheltered him from the brutal Test world for the past year but the 22-year-old’s time has come. Three games into his Leinster partnership with Robbie Henshaw and there is already enough to suggest they could have a long, happy future together.
Schmidt may be tempted to revert Jared Payne back to 13 for the All Blacks game and Luke Marshall is in-form competition. Has shown at Leinster, last season, that he can cause trouble on the wing so may be versatile enough for a bench role.
Billy Holland
Life in the Munster dog yet.
Must have thought that an Ireland cap would never come at senior level but a very good start to the season has been rewarded. Another that looked mighty in the Champions Cup triumph over Glasgow.
With Mike McCarthy left out and Iain Henderson injured, there is every chance he could feature on the bench but Schmidt also has Devin Toner [a certainty], Donnacha Ryan and Ultan Dillane to choose from.
James Tracy
A couple of Champions Cup games under his belt this season and a tough away start against Montpellier the other day. Not yet the finished article but an athletic option that does the fundamentals and carries damn hard.
Rory Best all but certain to start so Tracy will duke it out with Sean Cronin for the reserve role.
Luke McGrath
Another Leinster lad getting the squad nod. There has been a lot of chirpy, encouraging talk about McGrath for the past two seasons so time to drop him in at the deep end and see how his wits hold up. Has started 2016/17 very well and his passing game has been excellent. Tactical kicking needs to improve but he can only learn from sticking close to Conor Murray.
Murray is a lock to start but McGrath has every chance of replacing Kieran Marmion, who has been in and out of the Connacht starting line-up, on the bench.
Which of the uncapped players NEEDS to start?
Each player would happily argue their merits but of the six newbies in the squad, we feel two have very strong cases.
Ryan can point to his bullocking start to the season but he would hardly have the All Blacks worried. Ringrose’s burgeoning partnership with Henshaw and his excellent form in recent weeks mark him out as the best bet from the six.
We would prefer Jared Payne to stay at fullback and Luke Marshall has only played once with Henshaw and that was back in June. Since then he has copped another concussion – his fifth in recent years. Go with the Leinster pair and let them test themselves against the best.
Of Ireland’s six new faces, who would you start?
Colm Parkinson is joined by Paul Rouse for a heated debate about Sky Sports’ five-year GAA deal and an exclusive chat with AFL star Zach Tuohy on the new GAA Hour.
