I’m McGrath’s No1 fan, he has earned right to start tomorrow
‘It is impossible to see Ireland giving Italy any access point into the contest tomorrow’
JACK McGRATH has a huge opportunity against Italy to make the Ireland No1 shirt his own. Cian Healy’s injury was one of the big stories in the lead-up to the tournament, and I was as concerned as anyone else about the thought of us going into battle without him.
He proved last week against Romania that he is not reluctant to put his body on the line in battle and the more games he plays, the closer he will return towards his rampaging best.
But I expect McGrath to have something to say about that.
He has been one of the great new successes in this team over the past two seasons. Healy’s serious hamstring injury last season meant McGrath started four of our five Six Nations matches, and this after he appeared off the bench in every game in the 2014 championship.
He turns 26 the day of the French match and he is no child now, even in prop years, and the amount of big-game experience he has amassed is now evident in how he plays. He is strong in the scrum and if he does not carry as dramatically as Healy, McGrath covers as much of the pitch.
I don’t believe he has done very much wrong in any opportunity he has been given, and Joe Schmidt is lucky to have two high-level looseheads available to him. What we should see tomorrow is McGrath emptying the tank for 50 minutes and Healy emerging to cause chaos against the tiring Italians for half an hour.
What about a repeat of that against the French? For all their problems, their set-piece play has been good, and the new props introduced by Philippe Saint-André means they are replacing their entire unit with 30 minutes on the clock and not seeing any loss in effectiveness.
I don’t know if we are at that level yet, given the importance of Mike Ross and Nathan White’s inexperience at this level, but the thought of Healy and Sean Cronin appearing over the hill against the French is an appealing one.
I think starting McGrath and using Healy off the bench is the best scenario because Healy’s explosiveness cannot be matched by the younger man. It would give Nicolas Mas something to think about, too, as he appears fresh out of the French dugout in eight days’ time.
Just as McGrath deserves his starting slot, so does Iain Henderson.
I say that as someone who has not always been convinced by Devin Toner at this level, and who is absolutely certain that Henderson’s more compact power will be important against the French.
That said, Toner deserves praise for how he played against Romania. That might be his only chance at an extended audition and he showed bottle in seizing it the way he did. But Henderson is a more effective overall player and his partnership with Paul O’Connell is now our best one in the second row.
I used to love watching Italy — I certainly didn’t love facing them, as I was part of the Irish side that lost to them in Bologna back in 1997. They are well past their best now, though. The scrum was always something they relied on for inspiration but they struggle in every aspect of the game.
It is impossible to see Ireland giving them any access point into the contest. Johnny Sexton will kick any loose points on offer early on, but I see Ireland being ruthless in this one and chasing the bonus point without delay.
This pool is unlikely to come down to extra points accumulated, but the French couldn’t manage one against the Italians and it would be another nice way to send out a message about Ireland’s ambitions.
They are certainly too good for tomorrow’s challengers and I will be paying close attention to McGrath in the No1 shirt.
He can make his own statement of intent now he has been given the opportunity.