Ireland tackle speculation that Rory Best's captaincy is under threat
Joe Schmidt insists there is “no internal noise” regarding Rory Best’s captaincy despite Ireland’s record 57-15 loss to England on Saturday. Head coach Schmidt took the unusual step of addressing the media on Tuesday, accounting again for Ireland’s “unacceptable” eight-try hiding at Twickenham.
Ireland will announce their final 31-man World Cup squad on September 8, with boss Schmidt insisting places are still up for grabs. Asked if 37-year-old hooker Best’s role as skipper was under threat, Schmidt refused any guarantees but said: “To be honest, if there is external noise of that nature then there is no internal noise of that nature.
“Probably for Rory it is that internal noise that is most relevant to him because that is where the decisions are going to be made and – at this stage – there are no decisions that have been made in that direction. So, there are guys who are going to get an opportunity this weekend and if they perform better than any player who played last weekend, then there is always a contest and you have got to keep that contest live.
“It’s an unacceptable result for us. It was a performance beneath where we’d like to be. It’s a performance beneath where we need to be. The whole group are very, very conscious that we have a short period of time to make sure we accelerate what is part of our progression.
“We did try and have a very rigorous pre-season and the pre-season really ran up until the Portugal camp. We tried to taper a little bit towards the end of the week but, really, we looked flat, we looked slow. To throw everything out would be a mistake. There were a couple of aspects that weren’t too bad.
Having watched Ireland get torn asunder by England, the legendary Brian O'Driscoll has stated his preferred midfield partnership for the World Cup
https://t.co/vdKfCFJhxz— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 27, 2019
“I felt we found a little bit of space in behind them a few times, there were a couple of glimpses of some pretty good structure and getting over the advantage line. And some pretty good defence a few times.”
Schmidt insisted star fly-half Johnny Sexton does not have a serious leg injury but admitted Ireland will not take any risks with their premier playmaker. Sexton might not feature against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday – though Conor Murray is fully clear of any concussion worries after a head injury check on Saturday.
Asked if Sexton has a leg problem, Schmidt said: “No he doesn’t have a leg injury per se. He’s got a bit of (muscular) stiffness and soreness. If we wanted to pick him this weekend we could pick him.
“If you had seen him out there and how hard he was running, it’s a progression for him. He is very keen to be involved this weekend but we are not going to be silly about that. If we don’t think he is 100 per cent and ready then he won’t be involved this weekend.”
Fergie described it as the biggest mistake of his career. @CiaranKennedy_ looks at the similarities between the Man U legend and Joe Schmidt's impending departure https://t.co/lb7ou4GdOt
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 27, 2019
Cian Healy suffered an ankle injury against England while Keith Earls is battling a knee issue, but Schmidt expects both to be back in plenty of time for the World Cup. “Cian, he is bullish. Cian was involved in the first game and the second game. He probably wasn’t on the radar for this game anyway,” said Schmidt.
“We are probably just going to stick with that plan anyway. He is unlikely to play this Saturday and will play the Saturday after. I would be gobsmacked if he is not available for that. It’s really frustrating for Keith Earls. He looked super sharp.
“He got a little bit, I suppose you’d call it tendonitis in the knee, just above it. It’s just niggling away more than anything else. It is about playing the long game with Keith and making sure that he is 100 per cent ready to go. I know that he will be ready for the weekend after this one. I doubt whether he will be involved this weekend.”
– Press Association
WATCH: Ireland coach Joe Schmidt and captain Rory Best speak at after their’s side 57-15 loss to England
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
34 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
34 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments