The old joke used to be that it was harder to get off the Irish rugby team than get on it. It was a sentiment put forward by those outside of Dublin who felt that the starting 15 was a closed shop, though the fact the 1982 Triple Crown-winning team had eight differences from the side that claimed it three years later disproved the theory somewhat.

If it was ever true, it has now certainly been consigned to the dustbin of history. Such is the level of quality available to Joe Schmidt, nobody is safe and the team is a true meritocracy. The team that beat England in Twickenham on St Patrick’s Day to win the grand slam only featured eight of the starting side that had clinched victory against Eddie Jones’s side at the Aviva Stadium a year previously, while the match-day 23s only featured 10 common players.

Contrast that with the similarities between the teams that won the championships of 2014 and 2015 – same full-back, same half-backs, one change in the pack (the recently retired Chris Henry for Seán O’Brien) and just one alteration among the nine replacements (Felix Jones for Fergus McFadden).

ADVERTISEMENT

To be able to make such changes and still wind up successful is a real underlining of Schmidt’s coaching and team-building abilities, but it also speaks volumes of the pool of talent available. A friend who has coached many a GAA team has often lamented that he “can’t put in what God left out”, ie the raw materials must be there in the first place, and never have things been so plentiful in that regard.

Looking at the team which conquered Twickenham, the standout newcomers were Jacob Stockdale, Bundee Aki and James Ryan, all of whom had shone in the previous year’s November internationals, with Stockdale and Ryan having been given their debuts in the summer tour to the US (in Ryan’s case, before playing a senior game for Leinster).

With greater experience under his belt from Super Rugby and his time with Connacht, Aki was less of a gamble and it was just a case of waiting for his clearance to put on a green jersey, but Stockdale and Ryan were both only 21 a year ago yet they have illuminated their performances with age-defying maturity and composure.

It was against Argentina at the Aviva that the pair announced their arrival on the proper Test stage, Stockdale scoring two tries in a 28-19 win, and, a year on, the question is to what extent the next intake can impose themselves in Schmidt’s plans.

A 54-7 win over Italy in Chicago last week was a sign that the depth is growing, but the fact that Schmidt remained at Carton House for most of the week working with the elite players to prepare for Saturday’s clash with Los Pumas was a sign as to where the priorities lay, with Simon Easterby and Andy Farrell in charge of the American excursion.

Given that it’s a World Cup year, the scope for experimentation is lessened, as can be seen by the debuts handed out by Schmidt four years ago. Then, there were just three fixtures in November, with Jared Payne given his bow against South Africa while Dave Foley, Dominic Ryan and Robin Copeland featured for the first time against Georgia. The previous June, Ireland had toured Argentina and the players to premiere were Rodney Ah You, James Cronin, Robbie Diack, Kieran Marmion, Noel Reid and Rob Herring. Of those 10 players to debut in 2014, only Payne – like Aki, a ready-made newbie – and Marmion made it to double figures in terms of caps.

Gap in talent

Those statistics, and the relative lack of change in team from 2014 to 2015, illustrate a pronounced gap between the very top tranche of players and those looking to break in. One World Cup cycle later, and that gap has narrowed, but there is still a guarantee that anybody looking to break in will have to earn the right to do so.

We wish we could take credit for saying a fortnight ago that “Jordan Larmour will be looking to show he can be the full-back of the future” but there wasn’t any special inside information employed, just a sense that he has continually improved and has met and exceeded every challenge so far. He continued that against Italy and could start on Saturday, but one would still feel that Rob Kearney will get the nod if he is fit enough. The Louth native has held off enough pretenders – and more than his share of injuries – but he will know that past service alone won’t be enough to hold the number 15 shirt.

Tadhg Beirne also maintained the upward curve on his graph in Chicago and if he misses out to Ryan and Devin Toner, it will have been a marginal call, while Schmidt’s decision for the back row is the proverbial nice headache. Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander can’t be shaken but the last spot is a three-way battle – Seán O’Brien is itching to make up for lost time, Dan Leavy came through Leinster’s game in South Africa in good shape and Josh van der Flier stood out against Italy.

Ireland know all too well from historical pain that Argentina aren’t pushovers, but of more use in gauging form is the fact that the South Americans had their best showing in the Rugby Championship, winning twice as they beat Australia away and South Africa at home.

Still, they are the ninth-best side in the world and Ireland are second. No longer is it hoped that Ireland win such games but the expectation is there. Competition for places has sharpened everybody’s senses and victory should be Ireland’s, providing a perfect lead-in to the New Zealand game a week later.