FORMER LEINSTER AND Ireland star Brian O’Driscoll believes Joe Schmidt still has an ‘easy selection’ decision at number 10 despite the Six Nations struggles of Ireland and Jonathan Sexton.
Sexton claimed the World Rugby Player of the Year award at the tail end of 2018 before he again guided Leinster to a Heineken Champions Cup final and a successful defence of the Pro14.
However, an arduous Six Nations in which Sexton struggled to show his best form until the fourth-round win over France casts a lingering shadow over Irish prospects.
Joey Carbery currently leads the queue ahead of Ross Byrne and Jack Carty as Sexton’s understudies, but O’Driscoll can’t see the back-up options forcing their way ahead of the experienced incumbent in the pecking order.
“He’s very exciting,” said O’Driscoll of Carbery as he helped Sky Sports launch their ‘Sports Extra’ package.
I don’t think he’s a genuine threat yet to Johnny. As soon as this World Cup is over they’ve got to start thinking that way. But now with what Johnny’s achieved, he is World Player of the Year.
“By (Sexton’s) standards maybe he had a shaky few months and hasn’t had the same performances as he had in the last few seasons, but he’s still vital to Ireland’s success in the World Cup.
“It’s an easy selection, because he knows exactly what the team needs to achieve and everyone’s role within it.”
Next month, Ireland will take on Italy, England and Wales in four warm-up Tests before going to Japan.
Though history suggests that form in pre-World Cup Tests is not a pre-requisite to a good tournament, the matches provide a valuable proving ground for players to find their rhythm and build individual form.
And while many eyes are drawn straight to the quarter-final permutations – a toss-up between South Africa and New Zealand – or the possibility of a historic semi-final appearance, O’Driscoll is wary of the threat from an exceptionally dangerous Scotland team in Ireland’s opening match on 22 September in Yokohama.
“We’ll feel as though we have the beating of Scotland, but we can be beaten by Scotland. There’s no doubt.
“We were beaten by them (in the 2017 Six Nations). Look at what they did to England, pulled them apart in Twickenham. We have to give them utmost respect and hit the ground running.
“And that’s why, maybe, there’s four warm-up games. To make sure everyone has two games under their belt and make sure they’re firing.
Sometimes you have a warm-up game or two in the pool to get you up to speed. We don’t really have that luxury.
“If you don’t come out of the blocks against Scotland, you’ll be on the receiving end of a defeat that will absolutely take the wind out of your sails – worse than what happened against England.”
From the outside looking in, we often see a temptation to tread tentatively through the warm-up schedule and make sure not to succumb to injury. O’Driscoll, who was an injury concern leading up to the 2007 World Cup after a facial injury in an infamous clash with Bayonne, brushes off the notion.
“That’s just not the way you go out and play a Test match,” says the Ireland and Leinster legend, “the second you have that mentality you’ll encourage injury or encourage something you’re trying to fend off.
For me it was easy: a Test match for Ireland – friendly or otherwise – was about trying to get yourself up to speed, get match-fit and also to get a win for Ireland, play well for Ireland and try to impress the selectors.
“Even the warm-up game in ’07 when I had my sinus fractured, I didn’t think, ‘I’m going to miss the World Cup.’ And I didn’t think, ‘I’ve to hold back here’, or ‘protect yourself’. It’s not really the attitude you expect from a team who’s going to go on and have some success.
“Injuries will happen, unfortunately. In all likelihood we’ll lose a few players in advance and probably in the pool stage (too). That’s the game we play now. You might get lucky. The Grand Slams we’ve won – we had very few injuries in ’09 and not many in 2018 – so you do need a lot of luck when you’re Irish.
“Hopefully the ferocity of those warm-up games won’t be so brutal that there will be casualties, and not key casualties.”
Sexton certainly comes into that category.
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Seems to be fairly grounded. Best of luck to him!
Wow. That closing piece of advice is powerful for a 16 year old. I like him already.
Not going to be popular but gaa is the main reason Ireland isn’t producing more professional sports people. Nothing against gaa but young kids are playing a sport they can’t make a living from when they may make a career from another sport with the same input.
@Harry Trafford: that is of no fault of the GAA to be fair. It’s up to the FAI to attract these young players to their product…every country faces the same issue, sports competing with other sports to attract young participants. Ireland is no different.
@Harry Trafford: not everything is about money. For some playing gaa and having a good job etc is enough for them. They play the sport and can obtain legendary local status. For others it’s about chasing huge wads of cash in a more commercial industry overseas with huge failure rates. Retire & play golf & grow a beer belly. Different folks, different strokes. As long as you’re happy. That’s the main thing.
@Ottomaaan: I agree the FAI need to pull the finger out. Ireland have some of the best sports people in the world right across the board. Just the article mentions a career in GAA but it’s an amature sport, all be it played with a professional attitude.
@Ronan McDermott: a career in sport isn’t all about money, not everyone makes massive wads of cash only the very small majority. I’m not referring to just becoming a footballer. You can make a decent wage in most sports at a professional level.
@Harry Trafford: I hear you. Not disagreeing with you as such. Lots of sports have salary caps etc. By being involved with gaa you could have a very good job arranged with a sponsor etc. So technically you’d still be making money with a company that’ll work around your schedule.
@Ronan McDermott: very small minded, being a top footballer against the billions that play or the the top hurler against the 100s that play
@tubbsyf: I’m not small minded at all. Different folks, different strokes is all I said.
“Stay committed to doing it. Don’t go over there and think you’ve made it. You’re only playing 18s football. You haven’t made it anywhere yet, so keep your head down and keep working away.” Sounds like Roy Keane got to him.
I think this is a story the GAA need to be cery cognisant of. The way the competitions are set up now you only have a few counties who are ever likely to win anything with back doors, super 8′s etc making it almost impossible for one of the “smaller” teams like wicklow to hold onto or encourage their best players to stick with the support. The constant push for revenue generated by the biggest counties making finals is seeing the players from the top counties putting in even more effort in the knowledge they might win something while concurrently you have teams from weaker counties who are saying upwards of 40 players are refusing to come into their County set ups.
@Dino Baggio: This is vividly highlighted in Munster where they seed the draw to have Cork and Kerry in the football final every year even though Cork are at best the third best team in Munster and the likes of Limerick footballers are struggling to get players to commit. The drain of players to pro sports is going to get worse unless the Gaa address this issue.
Only just came across this article. Conor was with Mill Celtic from the age of 11 before joining Newbridge Town at 13. He was in the KDUL Academy from 11 and played inter league at u 12 and u 13. Not sure where the only playing soccer since 14 is coming from
Bully Beef?