Gerry Thornley: Blooding players is important but so is winning

The infusion of new, young players in any team sport is invariably hailed by pundits and supporters, especially if results have taken a turn for the worse. At such points, there is often a clarion call to invest in youth. It is popular and thus, for coaches, a populist thing to do as well.

An infusion of fresh talent can also galvanise more established members of a squad. As well as their talent, they also bring a youthful exuberance. Less afflicted by nerves, they can bring an energy and fearlessness.

When Stuart McCloskey started charging at the English midfield early in the second half or chased down his own well weighted kick up the touchline, it may even have had a more galvanising effect on team-mates than if a more experienced player had made the same plays. The same is true when Ultan Dillane barged through the tackles of Dan Cole and Dylan Hartley and then exchanged passes with Josh van der Flier.

Like pundits and the public, coaches and team-mates can be more forgiving of newcomers’ mistakes and accentuate the positive. Which is fair enough. They deserve more slack. It also cuts the head coach/manager some slack, for the shoots of promise shown by youngsters offset the disappointment of defeat.

Test level

The three aforementioned debutants demonstrated they can play at test level, all the more so as they did it against a powerful English team at Twickenham. McCloskey, along with

Robbie Henshaw

, did become a little tight to the rucks at times, most probably in their desire to look for work.

McCloskey also coughed up possession twice, but he grew into the game, as did Van der Flier, who eventually augmented his typically high work-rate and tackle count (15) with the aforementioned link play and ought to have been awarded a try with another carry.

Dillane is a raw but wonderfully athletic player whose impact as a ball-carrying lock off the bench was akin to Iain Henderson’s. It was some cameo, albeit – as Dillane said himself – at a time when players were tiring and the game was loosening up. But in the post-Paul O’Connell era, with Henderson and the lock cupboard looking a little threadbare, Dillane’s performance was a real boon. Much is made of his Ivory Coast/Parisian/Kerry roots, but the Connacht system and Corinthians deserve praise for helping to develop him.

The infusion of young talent has most obviously been seen at Leinster this season, particularly when Leo Cullen and the coaching staff gave five full European Champions Cup debuts at home to Bath. All products of the Leinster system, they were also comfortable in the ball-in-hand game which Cullen and co are attempting to implement.

That Bath game was a one-off European match which was also something of a dead rubber, and now that the Italian and Scottish games are academic in terms of the Six Nations title, there will be calls for the infusion of more young players.

Strong selections

But this is different. This is still the

Six Nations

.

Ireland

can still finish anywhere between third and sixth. Aside from the prize money and knock-on effects that would ensue, the IRFU will want

Joe Schmidt

to put out strong selections. Importantly, the squad also need a couple of wins to salvage the campaign and restore self-confidence.

Two wins would also maintain Ireland's unbeaten home record over three seasons and eight games in the Six Nations. That is eminently preferable to blooding a host more young players and finishing fifth or sixth in the aftermath of the World Cup and before a three-match tour to South Africa. You'd wonder why Matt Healy hasn't even been in the squad set-up yet, but you don't give cheap caps in the Six Nations. They can be doled out in the November game against the Tier 2 nation.

There have been – and will be – calls to give Paddy Jackson a couple of runs now, and thus grant Johnny Sexton a rest, or blood Garry Ringrose. But why rest Ireland's most important and creative player at a time when he has rediscovered his mojo?

And having given McCloskey and Henshaw (after all, only in his second season at this level) their first outing together, it would make more sense to persist with them. Then again, Jared Payne seems sure to be fit again, and as Ireland's defensive linchpin until now, one imagines Schmidt will be very much of a mind to play Payne, either at outside centre or fullback. Beyond that, after granting three debuts last Saturday, there is not much scope for any further change.

Ball-carrying ballast

There will be an argument for playing Dillane from the start. Saturday’s game highlighted the dearth in ball-carrying ballast. Irish rugby has never been heavily overloaded with ball-carrying forwards such as

Keith Wood

,

Victor Costello

and

David Wallace

. But the well is even drier when Seán O’Brien and Henderson are hors de combat. It has left a sizeable load already on the shoulders of CJ Stander.

It's true that the Devin Toner-Donnacha Ryan axis is not the most dynamic, but aside from leading the tackle count with 18 in his 65 minutes on the pitch, Ryan got through a huge amount of work at Twickenham. His defensive read when England had five backs running from deep at four Irish forwards when drifting onto Jack Nowell was exceptional.

Dillane could still have ample opportunity for an even bigger cameo off the bench against Italy on Saturday week, as would Seán Cronin if he was restored.

In any event, the pressure is on to win these two games now. gthornley@irishtimes.com