It’s only one weekend. Even so, that was the first time all four Irish sides lost on the opening round of the season since 2009. Of course, there were mitigating factors, none more so than the absence of pretty much all of Ireland’s summer tourists.
By contrast, most of the Scottish and Welsh players who took part in the opening rounds of the summer’s Nations Championship were made available. The English players represented their clubs on the first weekend of the Premiership despite previously travelling to South Africa, returning home to host Fiji and then flying back out to Argentina. Naturally, most of the French frontliners already have three Top 14 games under their belt.
The Glasgow side that ultimately subdued an ambitious and spirited Munster did so with 13 of Scotland’s summer tourists in their matchday squad. Granted, Munster only provided three of Ireland’s summer squad that toured Australia and New Zealand, but this compounded a long early-season casualty list. Who knows how much better they may have been had Jeremy Loughman, Tadhg Beirne and Craig Casey been available.
Historic opening weekend ends in defeat for all Irish provinces
Similarly, Ulster were without eight of the 10 players they provided on Ireland’s three-match summer series, with only Robert Baloucoune and Zac Ward made available to Richie Murphy.
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One can well understand that Tom O’Toole and Stuart McCloskey have yet to start their competitive seasons under Ireland’s player welfare programme after starting all three summer Tests. The same goes for Nick Timoney after starting against Japan and playing as a replacement against Australia and New Zealand.
But Jacob Stockdale only started one game against Japan, while Tom Stewart, Cormac Izuchukwu, Bryn Ward and Nathan Doak only made one appearance each off the bench in the same match.
By contrast, Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt called on four players in his match day squad who were part of Scotland’s summer Tests away to Argentina and South Africa and at home to Fiji. Among those called on by Everitt were the starting backrow trio of Liam McConnell, Freddy Douglas and Magnus Bradbury. He would have been able to lean on more international talent, but Ewan Ashman, Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham were ruled out with injuries. Of the eight Edinburgh players in Gregor Townsend’s summer squad, only Pierre Schoeman was rested.
Connacht, a la Ulster, are also discovering the flipside of their increased representation in the Irish squad. None of their seven players who featured in Ireland’s opening Nations Championship games were made available for last Friday’s 29-15 defeat at home to the Stormers.
Ciaran Frawley and Bundee Aki were ever-presents in all three Ireland games, while Sean Jansen started against Japan and was a replacement against the All Blacks. But Cian Prendergast started just one game, against Japan, while Billy Bohan and Sam Illo were only employed as replacements in the same Test and Darragh Murray didn’t feature at all.
As he surveyed the home dressingroom after the game and saw the aforementioned seven players in their civvies, Stuart Lancaster must have wondered what might have been, especially had the physicality of those five forwards been made available against their South African opponents.
Although Leo Cullen brought all bar Jamison Gibson-Park of Leinster’s 16-strong Ireland contingent who travelled to the southern hemisphere, only Harry Byrne was available for their 27-26 loss to the Lions in Johannesburg. Furthermore, Cullen has indicated only four more will be free to play next Saturday against the Sharks.
The problem for Leinster, as usual, is that they are not only bulk suppliers to the Irish squad but to the frontline team as well. All bar Byrne and Robbie Henshaw started at least two of Ireland’s three Tests, while Ronan Kelleher and Thomas Clarkson started one and were replacements in the other two.
The consequences of the provinces’ opening-round defeats could yet prove profoundly significant. After all, Connacht edged out Ulster by just two points in making the top eight last season. But had Connacht earned one more point and Ulster just three more, Ireland would have had all four provinces in both the URC play-offs and this season’s Champions Cup.
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In any case, each of the Irish sides are already under pressure to win this weekend, with Connacht away to Benetton on Friday night, Ulster away to Glasgow and Munster at home to the Bulls on Saturday.
In all of this, it has to be remembered that Ireland supplied 18 players to the Lions tour just over a year ago and, of course, the World Cup is just over a year away. Ireland is not blessed with a deep well of Test-quality players and there are a plethora of thirtysomethings to be treated with particular care over the next 12 months – namely Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Gibson-Park, Aki, Henshaw, McCloskey and Garry Ringrose.
It’s a tricky balancing act. David Humphreys, Andy Farrell and their medical and fitness advisors would also say that it is commonplace for Ireland’s summer tourists to make delayed starts to the season compared to their counterparts.
Last weekend’s results may have highlighted how Ireland’s depth chart is not as strong as the provinces, especially, would desire.
It is natural to question the wisdom of Irish rugby following such a sobering weekend. Maybe when Ireland win the Grand Slam and/or the World Cup we will reflect on this losing weekend as proof that the union’s player welfare programme is the best.
However, it’s ironic to think that the IRFU was probably the prime contributor to all four provinces losing.
gerry.thornley@irishtimes.com
