Brendan Fanning: Ireland’s New Zealand series lives until it’s pronounced differently – so pick the top 23 to get your heart pumping
A while ago we got into one of those circular debates with someone about team building and how that should affect team selection in big games.
The other side was mainly driven by the needs of a World Cup, which as soon as it came into view was to be the North Star.
Our own opinion was and is that outside of Tests against Tier 2 nations, you should mainly pick the best ones available because Test Rugby is what it sounds like: a Test.
There will be a time to rotate in some areas because that is what is best for the squad’s well-being at this point.
players want to play. They tend to get very unhappy when their job description doesn’t go beyond holding the bag and helping out while running during warm-ups.
It’s not just for morale, it separates some – not all – players from the idea that whatever happens, their spot is unwinnable. Additionally, it encourages confidence across the board as you rotate and get the right result.
A bit like offloading, it’s best done from a position of strength rather than when you’re emptied into tackle and dumping baggage, which happens to include the ball.
So would you say that Ireland are now in a position of strength against New Zealand?
For Andy Farrell, the thought process for Test 2 in Dunedin needs to be the same as it was for Auckland last weekend. The series lives until it’s pronounced differently, so pick the top 23 to get the heart beating and the blood flowing.
Even if they get pumped under the covers on Saturday, the move to Wellington should be held back by midweek rendezvous with the Maori.
This, of course, brings Johnny Sexton back into focus. Farrell has two questions to answer here: Is Sexton the best 10 to put the series into perspective? If yes, is he fit?
The first is a gimme. The head coach is totally invested in his captain, who just so happened to have been an influential voice in Farrell’s job as Joe Schmidt’s successor.
There are similarities between them in how they behave on the field under fire. There is no reverse gear.
While some of us thought in February last year that Sexton, who was playing like a chump at the time, would be better off folding his tent, both players and coaches just buckled up and drove on. You were right. Sexton donned the yellow jersey again and the peleton lined up behind the race leader.
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Ireland head coach Andy Farrell had a lot to think about (Andrew Cornaga/AP/PA)
If that was a little embarrassing for us, then so was Farrell, as every minute brought his number 10 closer to his 37th birthday – he falls next week – and the World Cup.
The fear was and is that a glitch between here and France next year will result in all those miles being wasted breaking new ground for Ireland at this tournament.
But that’s the price you pay for following a policy we fully support: picking what’s best for your roster in the here and now. This poses the question of Sexton’s fitness.
Farrell got the ball rolling just after the final whistle at Eden Park. The key point in his case was that while Sexton failed the first hurdle – HIA 1 – he passed the second and hoped to pass the third.
It’s hard to say what to make of the pot, which is the head injury rating. If Jeremy Loughman was able to hold his own against the Maori in Hamilton despite showing signs of ataxia a few minutes earlier, it’s the diversion that other fish consider masters of the high seas when it comes to deception.
It was a relief in Auckland that Dave Heffernan, whose departure from the field was unnecessarily delayed, was at least spared the stop at that unreliable signpost.
Sexton must have the HIA mantra memorized by this point. He’s been on record since last year and says he won’t play if he doesn’t pass the check sequence and if he does, he will. It’s that simple. No gray area with gray matter. Farrell is line for line on the same song sheet.
When the information the coach gets from his medical staff says the player is fit, Farrell has no choice: he picks his top 10.
He can’t afford to budget for a bash and make two or three changes that would give the players playing time that he might need at the World Cup. He is obliged to chase the prize while it is still visible.
A few days ago in the Sunday Independent we suggested that it would be useful to see some new faces on Saturday. This is because we can no longer see the price. We’ve been fueled by the overwhelming evidence that New Zealand will improve by more than Ireland over the course of this week, so salvage what you can from the experience.
We totally understand why Farrell doesn’t follow that line.
Likewise, had he said he was pulling his captain out of the line of fire for a second or third opinion, we would have understood that sending him on this tour is really as smart as the medical tests suggest. And that has nothing to do with the World Cup next year. A little more is planned.
https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/irelands-new-zealand-series-is-alive-until-it-is-pronounced-otherwise-so-pick-the-best-23-to-keep-the-heart-beating-41819234.html Brendan Fanning: Ireland’s New Zealand series lives until it’s pronounced differently – so pick the top 23 to get your heart pumping