Onwards and upwards as Joe Schmidt seeks continuity

If ever there was an opportunity for Ireland to rediscover the form that led them to such glories in 2018 it is tomorrow’s visit to Stadio Olimpico.

Onwards and upwards as Joe Schmidt seeks continuity

If ever there was an opportunity for Ireland to rediscover the form that led them to such glories in 2018 it is tomorrow’s visit to Stadio Olimpico.

By the pretty high standards Joe Schmidt has in his squad over the years, the opening two rounds of this year’s Guinness Six Nations have seen performances well below those expected.

Yet having seen hopes of a back-to-back Grand Slam fall at the first hurdle with that opening-round loss at home to a rampant England, Ireland are at least trending in the right direction following victory over Scotland in Edinburgh a fortnight ago.

The 22-13 win at Murrayfield lacked fluency but it got Ireland back into winning territory and, to continue the racing analogy, if that got a foot up into the stirrups, tomorrow afternoon’s round-three clash with Italy in Rome should provide Schmidt’s players with the platform to get properly back in the saddle.

Limited rather than wholesale changes are indicative of Ireland’s need to move forward rather than add experience to fringe members of the squad, although a series of injuries this week, including a hamstring twinge for Joey Carbery, a finger injury for Jordan Larmour and an abdominal strain felt by Jack Conan, also limited Schmidt’s options. It means an unchanged backline anchored by Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton, making a rare outing in Rome, a potential debut off the bench for Connacht’s in-form fly-half Jack Carty and a possible first involvement of this championship for outside back replacement Andrew Conway.

Among the forwards, captain and hooker Rory Best, loosehead prop Cian Healy and lock James Ryan get well-earned rests, enabling Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne and Ultan Dillane their Six Nations starts - for Cronin a first such outing in his 68th Test and 33rd championship game.

For the collective, though, Schmidt yesterday outlined what he wants from them in terms of performance against Conor O’Shea’s still winless side and it is a step up from what has gone before.

“I think continuity, cohesion, and an abrasive edge because we’re going to have to have that because we have no doubt that’s what they’re going to bring,” the Ireland boss said.

“If we can get that, that cohesion, that continuity, that would be outstanding for us, and that abrasiveness that we’re going to have to look after our ball really well. We’re going to have to make sure we shut down their opportunities really well.

“They’re playing with some really impressive width and the tries that they have scored when you look back at that Scotland game, that Wales game, you cannot afford to give them too much latitude because they’ll take that with both hands.

“They have some strike power and they have some smart players. Jayden Hayward is a smart player at the back, he’s a strong player, he often beats the first tackler and if we allow him to slip in behind us, they’ve got guys that will link really well.

Jack Carty: Looking at a potential debut off the bench tomorrow
Jack Carty: Looking at a potential debut off the bench tomorrow

“If I had to put it in a nutshell, it’s on the back of that cohesion, we get some continuity that allows us a bit of control in the game, then we’re abrasive on both sides of the ball so we can either look after it or we can stifle them a little bit when they look to play with that width.”

Schmidt is right not to underestimate the attacking threat this Italian side poses. For though they have not won a Six Nations game since 2015, they have shown on plenty of occasions that they can take full advantage of defensive lapses. Three late tries at the Aviva last season serve as a vivid Irish reminder, as will the tight nature of last November’s meeting at Chicago’s Soldier Field when Ireland’s second string failed to find their rhythm in a stodgy game and were exposed by a Michele Campagnaro try converted on half-time that left it 14-7 to Schmidt’s team at the interval. A quick start to the second half ended the contest and Ireland ran out comfortably as 54-7 winners but the warning signs were acknowledged and similar flourishes during the first two rounds in defeats against Scotland and Wales have also had the head coach’s antenna twitching.

“It was 14-7 at half-time (in Chicago) and they got very close to the line, and we managed to win a scrum turnover and clear our lines, but if they get that, maybe it’s 14-all at half-time and it’s anyone’s game.

“They’ve proven that they can bounce back at the end of games, but they’ve proven they can stay in games. Against Wales they were right in that game.

“Wales won a penalty in front of the posts after 20 seconds, so they were immediately 3-0 up but it didn’t slacken the resolve of the Italian team.

“I’ve seen enough of their players through the PRO14 and through having watched some of them in the Premiership, the (Leonardo) Ghiraldinis, the Campagnaros, to know that they are going to be a tough challenge.

“I would know Conor really well and I have got huge respect for him as a character and as a coach, and he’ll have them ready, and I think we’ve got to be ready.”

Ireland will be ready and can only get better as this Six Nations progresses.

They have also seen Wales make 10 changes for their visit to Rome two weeks ago and nearly come unstuck, failing to return with a try bonus point.

That is not in Ireland’s script. Onwards and upwards into the final two games is the plan and Schmidt will insist his side stays on message.

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