There were many feelings going through my head when I saw Joe Schmidt's Ireland squad announcement for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. There was excitement, shock, confusion, and frustration. However, I have learnt to feel that I trust what Schmidt decides as he has no doubt given the Irish the best period in their country's history at the international stage, but nevertheless there is some praise and disagreement that I have to give to him.
First and foremost, there is the Jean Kleyn selection. Devin Toner was clearly not fit enough to be starting, but to give his spot to a player who had just became eligible for Ireland recently and someone who only has played twice at the International level? I'm not sure I agree with that. If Kleyn had been a bit more established, I would agree. He also looked overmatched against England and that's a bit concerning. Yes, Toner was coming off an injury and probably was playing catch up, but was Kleyn a better option? Toner probably could have come on as a substitute or provided depth, but I hope Schmidt made the right decision.
The second selection that had me scratching my head was Luke McGrath's selection over Kieran Marmion. I understand McGrath's defense was a big reason why Schmidt selected him, but he was fourth in the depth chart and Marmion was second. Heck, McGrath was behind even John Cooney who I thought might have even gotten the back up role. That's why I am so shocked that McGrath was selected. Marmion was very good when he filled in for the end of year tests in 2018 including the match where Ireland beat New Zealand in where he was fantastic. I hope Schmidt made the right selection, but this one I'm skeptical about. Maybe he feels like Conor Murray is back to his regular self after coming back from injury and is back in shape. Let's hope that is the case.
Then there is the debate about his Rhys Ruddock selection over Jordi Murphy. The point of the selection is Ruddock's leadership skills. While I like that reason, I'm not sure if I would have gone that route in my selection. Murphy was been a stable presence in the back row and he is versatile, while Ruddock hasn't had many caps under Schmidt like Murphy has. This was another head scratcher.
The one that is the most debatable would have to be the Chris Farrell selection as lot's felt like Will Addison should have gotten the nod. Both are versatile centers, but Farrell had dealt with injuries in the past and Addison had been getting significant playing time for Schmidt as he was his "jack of all trades" as Addison could play more positions in the back line. Sure, Addison had dealt with injuries too, but he seemed like he was in peak shape as he played well against Wales recently. However, this was a selection I wasn't all up in arms about.
That being said, the squad that Schmidt has selected is a very strong one. I think it will be fairly interesting to see what squad they select on matchday when they face off against a strong opponent like New Zealand or South Africa. I was excited to see that players like Jack Conan, Joey Carbery, Andrew Conway, David Kilcoyne, and Niall Scannell make the squad and have a chance to contribute at the World Cup. I think despite all my qualms with Schmidt's selections, what is comforting is that the depth and quality of talent here is fantastic. It's really exciting to see what they can do at the World Cup.
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