THREE GAMES IN and still no sign of Robbie Henshaw being involved for Ireland on the pitch at the World Cup.
The Leinster centre will not be part of the matchday 23 against Russia on Thursday in Kobe as his hamstring injury continues to keep him sidelined.
Given that Henshaw sustained this injury in Ireland’s first training session after arriving on Japanese soil over three weeks ago, it’s fair to say that Joe Schmidt and his coaches have been carrying the 26-year-old in their 31-man squad.
Henshaw was injured at Ireland's first training session in Japan. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
In doing so, Schmidt has underlined how important he perceives Henshaw to be to Ireland’s World Cup prospects.
It now appears the hope is for Henshaw to return in Ireland’s final Pool A clash with Samoa on 12 October, a full four weeks after he was injured, and then feature prominently in a possible quarter-final the following weekend.
It’s not difficult to imagine Ireland having sent other players in similar injury situations home before now, calling on their standby list to get a fully-fit player over to Japan to train and play. With the tight restrictions of 31 in a squad, carrying an injured player affects matchday selections and the quality of training sessions.
For Schmidt, Henshaw is worth that woe.
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Ireland have strung supporters along with optimistic updates on Henshaw in recent weeks, suggesting he was close to returning. Schmidt insisted today that the former Connacht centre was “on the cusp” of featuring against Russia.
The likelihood is that Ireland knew from the beginning, when Henshaw had a scan on his hamstring, that he would be sidelined for four weeks. The accuracy of diagnosis and recovery protocols nowadays means they almost certainly understood exactly what they were doing in keeping Henshaw in Japan.
With Chris Farrell now also sidelined with concussion, the knock-on effect here is that Garry Ringrose will start his third game in 12 days against Russia on Thursday. Ringrose also played in all four of Ireland’s World Cup warm-up games, starting two of them.
The outside centre has completed the full 80 minutes in both of Ireland’s games so far, delivering impressive workloads in both games. Players want to be on the pitch as much as possible but one has to wonder how Ringrose is feeling after the two opening games.
Henshaw at Universal Studios with Bundee Aki and Rob Kearney yesterday. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
The conditions inside Kobe Misaki Stadium on Thursday will be extremely hot and humid, pushing the players to great lengths in a physical sense. The hard-working Ringrose won’t shirk the challenge, of course.
Schmidt seems intent on having Henshaw available for Ireland’s possible quarter-final and he will be praying that the 38-times capped midfielder can make an impressive return against Samoa in two weekends’ time.
Henshaw’s first and only outing of this season so far was an impressive performance against Wales in Ireland’s final warm-up fixture, when he shone at 13 after a delayed return to action.
His defensive intelligence was complemented by an incisive and skilful attacking performance that day, all of which Schmidt will be hoping can come to the fore in the next few weeks.
The Ireland head coach will also recall Henshaw’s monstrous display against France at the last World Cup when he dominated the midfield, as well as his many other important performances in big Ireland wins in recent years.
Henshaw has earned the patience Schmidt is showing him, but there is little doubt that loyalty is stretching the 31-man squad in Japan.
The reluctance to replace Henshaw also perhaps hints at Schmidt not believing that the options on his standby list could have made the right impact in Japan.
Will Addison was next in line but has been injured himself since Schmidt opted to retain Henshaw, adding to a lengthy list of injury woes for the versatile Ulster back. Had he been called over and then injured in Japan, Schmidt would have had regrets.
Ireland hope that Henshaw can get up to speed quickly. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Munster midfielder Rory Scannell was in Ireland’s wider pre-season squad before World Cup cuts, while back three players Dave Kearney and Mike Haley were also involved. It never seemed likely that Schmidt would turn to them, however, while the likes of Ulster’s Stuart McCloskey and Connacht’s Tom Farrell weren’t in camp over the summer.
Schmidt has instead kept his faith in Henshaw getting back up to speed very quickly after a long stint out with a hamstring injury.
The Leinster man has played just 80 minutes of rugby since 25 May, but Schmidt is still backing him to make an impact in Japan.
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Still no Henshaw - Ireland carrying the centre shows his importance to Schmidt
THREE GAMES IN and still no sign of Robbie Henshaw being involved for Ireland on the pitch at the World Cup.
The Leinster centre will not be part of the matchday 23 against Russia on Thursday in Kobe as his hamstring injury continues to keep him sidelined.
Given that Henshaw sustained this injury in Ireland’s first training session after arriving on Japanese soil over three weeks ago, it’s fair to say that Joe Schmidt and his coaches have been carrying the 26-year-old in their 31-man squad.
In doing so, Schmidt has underlined how important he perceives Henshaw to be to Ireland’s World Cup prospects.
It now appears the hope is for Henshaw to return in Ireland’s final Pool A clash with Samoa on 12 October, a full four weeks after he was injured, and then feature prominently in a possible quarter-final the following weekend.
It’s not difficult to imagine Ireland having sent other players in similar injury situations home before now, calling on their standby list to get a fully-fit player over to Japan to train and play. With the tight restrictions of 31 in a squad, carrying an injured player affects matchday selections and the quality of training sessions.
For Schmidt, Henshaw is worth that woe.
Ireland have strung supporters along with optimistic updates on Henshaw in recent weeks, suggesting he was close to returning. Schmidt insisted today that the former Connacht centre was “on the cusp” of featuring against Russia.
The likelihood is that Ireland knew from the beginning, when Henshaw had a scan on his hamstring, that he would be sidelined for four weeks. The accuracy of diagnosis and recovery protocols nowadays means they almost certainly understood exactly what they were doing in keeping Henshaw in Japan.
With Chris Farrell now also sidelined with concussion, the knock-on effect here is that Garry Ringrose will start his third game in 12 days against Russia on Thursday. Ringrose also played in all four of Ireland’s World Cup warm-up games, starting two of them.
The outside centre has completed the full 80 minutes in both of Ireland’s games so far, delivering impressive workloads in both games. Players want to be on the pitch as much as possible but one has to wonder how Ringrose is feeling after the two opening games.
The conditions inside Kobe Misaki Stadium on Thursday will be extremely hot and humid, pushing the players to great lengths in a physical sense. The hard-working Ringrose won’t shirk the challenge, of course.
Schmidt seems intent on having Henshaw available for Ireland’s possible quarter-final and he will be praying that the 38-times capped midfielder can make an impressive return against Samoa in two weekends’ time.
Henshaw’s first and only outing of this season so far was an impressive performance against Wales in Ireland’s final warm-up fixture, when he shone at 13 after a delayed return to action.
His defensive intelligence was complemented by an incisive and skilful attacking performance that day, all of which Schmidt will be hoping can come to the fore in the next few weeks.
The Ireland head coach will also recall Henshaw’s monstrous display against France at the last World Cup when he dominated the midfield, as well as his many other important performances in big Ireland wins in recent years.
Henshaw has earned the patience Schmidt is showing him, but there is little doubt that loyalty is stretching the 31-man squad in Japan.
The reluctance to replace Henshaw also perhaps hints at Schmidt not believing that the options on his standby list could have made the right impact in Japan.
Will Addison was next in line but has been injured himself since Schmidt opted to retain Henshaw, adding to a lengthy list of injury woes for the versatile Ulster back. Had he been called over and then injured in Japan, Schmidt would have had regrets.
Munster midfielder Rory Scannell was in Ireland’s wider pre-season squad before World Cup cuts, while back three players Dave Kearney and Mike Haley were also involved. It never seemed likely that Schmidt would turn to them, however, while the likes of Ulster’s Stuart McCloskey and Connacht’s Tom Farrell weren’t in camp over the summer.
Schmidt has instead kept his faith in Henshaw getting back up to speed very quickly after a long stint out with a hamstring injury.
The Leinster man has played just 80 minutes of rugby since 25 May, but Schmidt is still backing him to make an impact in Japan.
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centre Hamstrung Ireland Joe Schmidt Midfield RWC2019