With an Ireland squad announcement due on Thursday morning, coach Andy Farrell’s picks for the number 10 jersey have become this week’s fashionable talking points.
In that, Johnny Sexton brings added colour with his return to the training paddock following a head clash with Connacht’s Jarrad Butler and medical procedure two weeks ago, while Ross Byrne faces up to Leinster’s weekend against Racing 92 and how he rates in Farrell’s thinking this year.
“Johnny was out on the field charging around today,” said attack coach Andrew Goodman, the former Leinster player, who came into the system this season.
[ Versatile Jamie Osborne timing his form right for Ireland reckoningOpens in new window ]
“Obviously non-contact at this stage but it’s one of those injuries where he’s been able to do all his running, his skill work. He’s been involved in everything apart from the contact aspect of the game, so he’ll build that over the next couple of weeks and I’m sure he’ll be great to go.
The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times
Connacht close in on Challenge Cup knock-out stages after brilliant win in Perpignan
The top 25 women’s sporting moments of the year: top spot revealed with Katie Taylor, Rhasidat Adeleke and Kellie Harrington featuring
Leo Cullen: ‘The dressingroom is frustrated at how we performed today’
“Tadhg [Furlong] was back in doing some unit work today, so again he’ll build into team stuff. So, a couple of weeks of that, I’m sure they’ll be ready to get into Wales first up.”
With a close-up view of the Leinster players, the former Crusaders coach, who has worked with All Black Richie Mo’unga over the years, has little doubt that Byrne’s performances with Leinster in Sexton’s absence have been impressive enough to justify a Farrell pick.
Byrne will probably start against the French side at the Aviva Stadium as Leinster double down on a top seeding that would ensure home draws for the remainder of the Champions Cup competition.
But in the overarching question of what names should occupy Farrell’s mind in the coming days, Goodman’s view is outhalf Byrne should be among them.
“I’d have him in there, 100 per cent,” he says. “Ireland and Leinster play a similar game and I think with, you know, Johnny in there, he is as similar as you’ve got to Johnny in terms of how he can go in there and he can run a game of rugby.
“So, big game, goal-kicking pressure, as we saw against the Aussies, little things like that. I’d definitely have him in there. I’ve only seen him play with a close eye over the last little bit. You know Joey [Carbery] is a good player, there are good options there with young [Jack] Crowley coming through.
“There is a position that is hotly contested with Johnny dominating that position. Who you take as that guy on the bench, you want someone who can cover more than one position, all those things come into it as a coach so there is a lot to consider there around Ross and his game time. But, hopefully, come the middle of the week, his name is there. I’d be stoked for him.”
Byrne landed a pressure kick from wide right against Australia at the end of Ireland’s final Test match of the November series. With only three minutes of the match remaining, it earned a record-equalling 12th successive home victory.
The kick was significant. But Goodman insists that there are more strings to Byrne’s bow with his game management, the demands he makes on players and ability to see several phases of play ahead. If he faces Finn Russell on Saturday, there will also be the Scottish ball player’s bag of tricks to accommodate.
“Just running our game incredibly well,” says Goodman. “He knows the game inside out, how we want to attack in particular. He’s demanding, he holds everyone accountable. But the main thing is knowing his own job week-in, week-out.
“His goal-kicking has been outstanding, but I think the thing to my mind is he knows his game management and ability to be one or two phases ahead of the game like a little chess master really.
“Look, he’s been great for me, in terms of the connection we have every week in around the plays and different little things around the aspect of our game. I’ve really appreciated him. I think he’s been a big part of our success so far.”
While James Lowe is spending time with family this week and will not be back for the weekend, Leinster came through last weekend’s winning game against Gloucester with no new injury concerns.
More involved will be Will Connors, who is expected to train fully after recovering from a bicep injury. Thomas Clarkson is expected to do the same following his rehab from an arm injury, while Max Deegan, Joe McCarthy and scrumhalf and captain Luke McGrath can also train this week following their recovery from ankle injuries.
“There’s lots more to come actually,” says Goodman of Leinster’s try-scoring. “We had a good catch-up around that today in our meeting around the growth, probably around the consistency of it really.
“Like, if we can do that once we should be able to do it more. So, consistency of nailing your role at a really high level, the skillset, the execution of your line etc. Just making sure we can do that over and over and over again rather than sporadically through games.”
