Ireland (Summer Tour Part 2 and General Discussion)

First topic message reminder :

Continuing on from;

https://www.606v2.com/t53276p1000-ireland-s-summer-tour

yappysnap wrote:Just popped in to see people's views on Schmidt now that he's had a proper run of games with the squad...

Got to say this thread is probably the most amusing read out there. Takes my mind off the angst filled England threads currently doing the rounds.

So what are the expectations of the AI's for Ireland fans now? Are you play the T3 teams this autumn or a mix?

We play South Africa, Georgia and Australia in that order. Two very physical tests and a crack at the team who hammered us last Autumn. Should be a good number of players used. 2 wins, a narrow defeat and somebody (anybody!) to shine in one of the centre slots would be as high as I'm allowing my hopes go.

For the Boks with everyone Fit AND firing;

Healy
Best
Moore
Toner
POC
POM
Henry
Heaslip
Murray
Sexton
Earls / Trimble
D'Arcy
Henshaw
Bowe
Kearney

Subs; McGrath, Cronin, Ross, Henderson, SOB, Reddan, Jackson, Fitzgerald

Sin é wrote:Baz, what did your sister in law's Hungarian boyfriend think of Mike Ross?

 
Ironically it never came up. Not sure if that means Rossy didn't have a whole lot of on screen time?

We'll add that observation to the Zebo list of reasons why Joe doesn't like him.

Journo: "Joe, why no Z.........?"  
Joe: "Shut it mate!!!! - Just shut it! -  I've had plenty of your gob, son, and just because your name is Shin Aeh, that don't make your stat attacks on me any less schit!  Zebo has too many inch stats around his gut!  Okay?  - That satisfy you?  Too much belly!  Is that language clear enough for you??"

Aahh now I see why you think that Zebo bounces off tackles SecretFly... It's the beach ball effect of his belly... Silly me for not recognising it earlier

First day in camp, Zebo had his usual breakfast but, his massive appetite far from satiated, he started in on the coaching teams breakfasts soon afterwards. He's been on the outs ever since. I heard it on the internet!

The problem is there are too many sisters in laws Hungarian boyfriends making comments on these boards. Not that I have anything against Hungarians am sure they are very nice people. Its like letting Kerry people play hurling (or rugby for that matter). Next we will have Ukrainians for Dave Kearney or Kazakhstanis for Jordi Murphy

ME-109 wrote:The problem is there are too many sisters in laws Hungarian boyfriends making comments on these boards. Not that I have anything against Hungarians am sure they are very nice people. Its like letting Kerry people play hurling (or rugby for that matter). Next we will have Ukrainians for Dave Kearney or Kazakhstanis for Jordi Murphy

Seriously?!? 

ME-109 wrote:The problem is there are too many sisters in laws Hungarian boyfriends making comments on these boards. Not that I have anything against Hungarians am sure they are very nice people. Its like letting Kerry people play hurling (or rugby for that matter). Next we will have Ukrainians for Dave Kearney or Kazakhstanis for Jordi Murphy

I wouldn't have an issue with having a Ukranian in for Dave or a Kazak in for Jordi  ... if they're good enough and they do the three years.  I don't think I could ever tolerate a laid back Caribbean guy though, who might maybe be fat and enjoy life too much in the happy days department.  That's a counter-culture that goes against Irish rugby principles.  Irish rugby players must maintain their traditions of solemn deadpan expressions (Kearney, Heaslip, POM, POC when in Irish camp, etc) and their dreadful timing when it comes to telling jokes.

So what has next season in store for Ireland. Will they improve or decline?

The future looks bright and strength in depth will get better but I think we might see Ireland go back a bit. The older players in the squad will all be another year past their peak. POC, Ross, Heaslip, Bowe, D'Arcy, Reddan, Best etc. Much will depend on Schmidts strategy heading into the world cup. It looks as if Schmidt will keep selecting the same players so its fairly safe to assume it might effect the team. Ireland don't do long or medium term team planning.


Some contenders to break into the Ireland squad regularly would be Henshaw, Olding, Sherry, Marmion, Copeland etc. Personally I'd like to see some pressure being put on Rob Kearney and Heaslip in terms of team selection.

I'll be disappointed if we don't win the Slam and at least make the WC semi-finals next year.BoD is gone but lets be honest he wasn't as important last year as he has been in the past and I'd be confident Schmidt can manage the new centre role properly,we might see some more threat if we have a 13 with a break.

PoC looks to be on the slide a little but if you're half way down Everest then that's still bloody high,plus he always rises to the big occasion.He seems to be still learning even at his age and a couple of his ball carries against France where he was sprinting flat out receiving the pass showed how he can still add strings to his bow.

Everywhere else is cause for optimism,our backrow is healthier than ever,Henderson looks like the real deal as a lock,Moore will only get better at TH while Cronin is coming into his peak and is great backup for Best.

In the backs Murray and Sexton are both near the best in their positions,D'Arcy while aging still seems to do a job while Olding,Marshall and Henshaw add youthful promise,Earls might have a say in their too.We have a large group of top quality wingers and Payne will hopefully be used at fullback to put pressure on Kearney.

Our main concern is the coaching ticket,we need a new forward coach and now that Kiss has taken over at Ulster we have to see will that help or hinder us.In general though I think we're heading for a few years of unprecedented success.

Simon Easterby for forwards coach is the rumour doing the rounds at the moment. A fine coach no doubt, but would rather we didn't have this disruption heading into a world cup season.

Mickado wrote:Simon Easterby for forwards coach is the rumour doing the rounds at the moment. A fine coach no doubt, but would rather we didn't have this disruption heading into a world cup season.

Sounds like we're very much in a making do and 'putting plasters onto gaping wounds' phase at the moment - caused by the quick decision of Plumtree to hit off back home. Schmidt seems to be in a bunch of situations he didn't expect himself to be in at this point when many favourable coaches are locked down and into roles in the lead in to WC.

asoreleftshoulder wrote:I'll be disappointed if we don't win the Slam

Slam doesnt mean much to me as long as we win the championship. With the quality in the 6 nations only a really exceptional or kinda lucky team wins a slam.

If we won the championship again it would be a remarkable achievement.

Easter by would be a good appointment I feel. As a player he was very smart and the Scarlets are not doing too bad with him there.

GunsGerms wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:I'll be disappointed if we don't win the Slam

Slam doesnt mean much to me as long as we win the championship. With the quality in the 6 nations only a really exceptional or kinda lucky team wins a slam.

If we won the championship again it would be a remarkable achievement.

I'd tend to agree with you but I think as a minimum we need to win all our home matches,that's a standard we should aspire to.If we do that it only leaves Scotland and Wales in the way of a slam and I think both those matches are winnable,Wales away isn't an easy match but imo they are a team in relative decline while we are on the way up so I'll be disappointed if we don't beat them.

As an overall goal winning the championship is more than enough for me but when you break it down match by match there isn't one game I don't think we should win (England being a really tough match but we need to put together a good record in Lansdowne).The fixture list is also decent for us,we don't have any 6 day turnarounds and we get a 2 week break before playing England and Wales.

I'd be happy with Top Two, win over either South Africa or Australia and World Cup semi-finals.

Really I'd love to win another championship but might be difficult as England are building up to a peak whereas we are struggling to put together a new centre partnership.

We could quite easily be eaten up not just by a potent English side but also by Wales and even France.  It's doable for those three because just like Wales were no mystery to Schmidt coming into the last 6N, Schmidt's ways with the personel he has won't now be a surprise to anyone else.  Wales will be better than last time we met them - they'll be ready for any tactical smarts, won't be so unsettled by them, will be prepared to rumble.

It needs quite a significant re-punch from Ireland in the AIs before I'll have renewed confidence in our team having the teeth to challenge for the 6N again and then on to the big event of 2015.

My faith has been dented by what I saw in Argentina, I hope it's renewed by at least a win and a tight loss against SA/AUS.  Two losses not acceptable on home soil with supposedly one of the best coaching/player tickets in Europe.  We do what we claim we can do (going head to head with top SH sides) or we give over pretending that 6N form is enough for the WC.  It isn't... and it won't be into next year.

SecretFly wrote:We could quite easily be eaten up not just by a potent English side but also by Wales and even France.  It's doable for those three because just like Wales were no mystery to Schmidt coming into the last 6N, Schmidt's ways with the personel he has won't now be a surprise to anyone else.  Wales will be better than last time we met them - they'll be ready for any tactical smarts, won't be so unsettled by them, will be prepared to rumble.

It needs quite a significant re-punch from Ireland in the AIs before I'll have renewed confidence in our team having the teeth to challenge for the 6N again and then on to the big event of 2015.

My faith has been dented by what I saw in Argentina, I hope it's renewed by at least a win and a tight loss against SA/AUS.  Two losses not acceptable on home soil with supposedly one of the best coaching/player tickets in Europe.  We do what we claim we can do (going head to head with top SH sides) or we give over pretending that 6N form is enough for the WC.  It isn't... and it won't be into next year.

I don't know if that really applies to this Irish side under Schmidt. If we were a one or two trick pony this season then I could agree that other teams might be better prepared. If all we had was a fancy wrap around and a maul then teams could target those quite easily. But I think we were just so much more accurate in most areas compared to last season.
Of course it would have been good for continuity to have Plumbtree build on what he started but maybe a new face can add a little something and we can keep most of the good stuff we did this year. By far the biggest challenge facing the team is finding the right centre partnership. We need to increase our attacking options in this area but remain solid defensively. For me its just a matter of who partners Darcy and whether he plays 12 or 13.

Next season Ireland will need to start expanding their game.

Schmidt's first season went well and he got the team performing consistently. Thst cant be underestimated. The next step for Schmidt is to get the team playing better attacking rugby. More offloads etc. Do that while keeping the consistently and Ireland will be in a good place.


I'm going to disagree with most people about the centres. People say it will be an area of weakness next season but I think it could be an area of strength. BOD was way past his best and D'Arcy is not the player he once was either. If Henshaw, Olding or some other players hit it off in the center then I think Ireland's attack can greatly improve.

profitus, BOD may not have been at his best but he was one hell of a stabilising figure for Ireland at 13.

profitius wrote:Next season Ireland will need to start expanding their game.

Schmidt's first season went well and he got the team performing consistently. Thst cant be underestimated. The next step for Schmidt is to get the team playing better attacking rugby. More offloads etc. Do that while keeping the consistently and Ireland will be in a good place.


I'm going to disagree with most people about the centres. People say it will be an area of weakness next season but I think it could be an area of strength. BOD was way past his best and D'Arcy is not the player he once was either. If Henshaw, Olding or some other players hit it off in the center then I think Ireland's attack can greatly improve.

Not so much that Centres are an area of weakness but I think moreso the simple implication that it's certainly an undefined muddle right now - given how many people are mentioning any number of twosome combinations and quite a number of 'potential' individuals for both 12 and 13.  Obviously not all the potentials will be able to be tested, not all the combinations will be able to be tested.  It will need a degree of decision making on Schmidt's part based on very little proving ground before the WC.

In short, there are probably too many candidates in the ring for these positions and too few months to whittle them down to a convincingly settled (and potent) twosome.

Would it be fair to say that Darcy has come out of the summer tour in the most improved position in the squad even though he didn't travel?

So many people were throwing him on the scrap heap and saying he should do us all a favour and step aside. Himself and J'aime were popular targets this past season.

Yep... the scrapheap wagon has been doing the circuit in recent months looking for business.  But I think many people now realise just how much improvement from Provincial level is required for these roles.  It's not simply a case of younger guy holding down a position at Provincial level is the natural step-in guy to replace an old-spice International scrap-heap candidate.
First they must have the consistent International guile and resilience of scrapheap candidate.  It's no procession into a shirt simply because of age profile.

I think D'arcy was already in a strong position. If anyone's stock has gone up its Payne and Bowe as potential outside centres to partner D'arcy.

I am certainly one of the people that wants D'Arcy to stop. Just because there have not been players to step up immediately does not hide the fact that he is not as good as he once was and his handling has left him.

Very few young players immerge on to the scene and look stars straight away. With Ireland I think that they should settle on 4-5 potentials and give them extended runs in the Ireland setup to get experience.

thebandwagonsociety wrote:Would it be fair to say that Darcy has come out of the summer tour in the most improved position in the squad even though he didn't travel?

So many people were throwing him on the scrap heap and saying he should do us all a favour and step aside. Himself and J'aime were popular targets this past season.

They have been popular targets for years and yet have both be fairly key players in anything Ireland have achieved. D'arcy is getting old but he is well worth his place in the Ireland squad for the WC.

Fans can be very fickle.

Do you think the relatively easy games for Ireland this June will benefit Ireland leading into next season? Seems to me recovery will be easier having not undertaken the Contiki tour Scotland did or come up against the more energy sapping SA and NZ. Of course that quickly gets undermined by club commitments but it's nice to go into your time off without much fatigue or injury concerns and maximize that vital time off. Wales may have got a mental boost in their good display in the second test but they'll still be thinking how did we let that slip away. Similarly England will be disappointed they let their standards slip.

Ireland can approach the November tests in a healthy state of mind and if Schmidt gets them performing well there, it'll no doubt have a kick-on effect for their title retention hopes.

Hard to know. Schmidt has done really really well to win the championship in his first year however it isnt uncommon for new coaches to have a really strong first season because they bring new tactics and a new lease of life so not only is the team reenergised but they are less predictable and therefore harder to beat.

Gatland, Schmidt, Kidney, Brunel and Lancaster all had very good first years. The real test for Schmidt is yet to come. Is he good enough to continue the upward curve with Ireland? Plumtree is probably a fairly significant loss as is O'Driscoll so there are lots of challenges to come. While he can already hang his head high the jury is still out on Schmidt's reign as Ireland manager.

Good points GG. The difficult second album awaits...

I'd hope the relatively easy Summer tour will help us.We allowed Healy,O'Brien,Bowe and O'Mahoney the few months off to get fully fit and firing.I don't think it's a coincidence that 3 of them went on the Lions tour,the chance to get some rest is rare for our top players so it's great to see them take it.

I do think that was a coincidence. There are plenty of guys that didnt go on the Lions tour that were injured or rested too. Paddy Jackson or D'arcy for example. There were also some who did like Sexton and Heaslip that are flogged by their clubs and played just fine.

Far too much is made of the effects of a Lions tour when it was almost 2 years ago.

I wonder will people still be using it as an excuse at next years WC? Probably!

Rest is relative and yes, some central characters got their rest.  But that bears no tangible link to the style of play or the strategic design of the game that Schmidt is trying to imprint on his side (not just the senior guys but the hopefuls too)

Schmidt still had a lot of work to do this Summer, and let's hope he got something of what he wanted out of it.  But overall, as a continuation of where Ireland left off in performance and hunger terms, then nope, it wasn't remotely the same team as the one that hit the 6N.  And Schmidt has a lot more to work on than I suspect he felt he needed in advance of the Argentinian tour.  His body language and words said it all - tons to do and a short time to do it - anxious times.

Saying that we got away with giving our top few players a rest is only acknowledging the truth that our central few players are absolutely essential; and therefore we're at a risk of being very ordinary if we're forced to be without them.  That's the worry, that Schmidt is not creating a system that any good player can readily jump into but again forced to compile an 'undroppable' list that will garnish any strategy he has with their own undroppable personalities and abilities.

GunsGerms wrote: Is he good enough to continue the upward curve with Ireland? Plumtree is probably a fairly significant loss as is O'Driscoll so there are lots of challenges to come. While he can already hang his head high the jury is still out on Schmidt's reign as Ireland manager.

Hmm I agree the big challenges are to come but can't see how the jury is out. In his first season he won a very(for us)rare 6N title, in a season when we played the big 2 away, in the process beating France in Paris, won a first test series in Argentina and came within a whisker of beating the AB's. If we'd have retained the ball for 30 seconds longer against NZ he'd have set the bar so high it would probably never be topped.

In terms of maintaining an upward curve...I think we may need to go back to go forwards a bit as we try new midfield combinations but the window is very short with the RWC so close...we need momentum going into this, which means a minimum of 2 wins in Autumn and 4 in the 6N.

Well the jury is out in the sense that Kidney also won a grand slam in his first season but ultimately proved to be a fairly average coach. It is important for Ireland to push on from here so in a sense Schmidt still has work to do to prove himself at international level.

GunsGerms wrote:
Far too much is made of the effects of a Lions tour when it was almost 2 years ago.

No I don't think this is an excuse Guns - players who go on tour miss out on a proper break and pre-season so are bound to feel it towards the end of the following season. For someone like O'Connell he'd have played continuous for 2 years (bar injury) so it definitely has an impact.

GunsGerms wrote:Well the jury is out in the sense that Kidney also won a grand slam in his first season but ultimately proved to be a fairly average coach. It is important for Ireland to push on from here so in a sense Schmidt still has work to do to prove himself at international level.

I think history will judge Kidney favourably Guns, you can't ignore what he achieved in his first season and also the win over Australia in the RWC.

However most of us know that he eventually was faced with challenges he didn't have the skills to overcome. I don't think the jury is out on him either, he just over styed his welcome like Eddie did.

For the now Schmidt is the man for the job I have zero doubt about it, but eventually if a coach stays long enough things will go stale, there'll be up's and downs and it will be time to move on. Traditionally the IRFU have been to conservative and stuck by coaches far too long.

Schmidt won't give them or us time to get bored with him.  

I keep saying it - we have two years left...at most.  If he stays longer then I guess that will be a pretty big seal of approval for Ireland because 1. - it will be going against his habits.  2. - it will mean he's still wanted. And 3. - most importantly, he still feels he's not there yet with Ireland and has faith in the players to keep chasing his perfect plan.

rodders wrote:I think history will judge Kidney favourably Guns, you can't ignore what he achieved in his first season and also the win over Australia in the RWC.

However most of us know that he eventually was faced with challenges he didn't have the skills to overcome. I don't think the jury is out on him either, he just over styed his welcome like Eddie did.

For the now Schmidt is the man for the job I have zero doubt about it, but eventually if a coach stays long enough things will go stale, there'll be up's and downs and it will be time to move on. Traditionally the IRFU have been to conservative and stuck by coaches far too long.

Absolutely. However, if you knew what we know now about Kidneys tenure would you keep him on as coach after the grand slam? I probably wouldnt.

GunsGerms wrote:

rodders wrote:I think history will judge Kidney favourably Guns, you can't ignore what he achieved in his first season and also the win over Australia in the RWC.

However most of us know that he eventually was faced with challenges he didn't have the skills to overcome. I don't think the jury is out on him either, he just over styed his welcome like Eddie did.

For the now Schmidt is the man for the job I have zero doubt about it, but eventually if a coach stays long enough things will go stale, there'll be up's and downs and it will be time to move on. Traditionally the IRFU have been to conservative and stuck by coaches far too long.

Absolutely. However, if you knew what we know now about Kidneys tenure would you keep him on as coach after the grand slam? I probably wouldnt.

I'd have ditched him after the RWC in 2011 Guns- felt that then and felt it now. The IRFU made the same mistake with Kidney that they made with Eddie, extending his contract before the RWC.

As Fly says I don't think Joe will allow that to happen. I'd keep him until a year after the RWC (dependent on how the RWC goes) and if he's not the man to take us on until 2019 then he should go then....but that's getting ahead of ourselves.

kiakahaaotearoa wrote:Do you think the relatively easy games for Ireland this June will benefit Ireland leading into next season? Seems to me recovery will be easier having not undertaken the Contiki tour Scotland did or come up against the more energy sapping SA and NZ. Of course that quickly gets undermined by club commitments but it's nice to go into your time off without much fatigue or injury concerns and maximize that vital time off. Wales may have got a mental boost in their good display in the second test but they'll still be thinking how did we let that slip away. Similarly England will be disappointed they let their standards slip.

Ireland can approach the November tests in a healthy state of mind and if Schmidt gets them performing well there, it'll no doubt have a kick-on effect for their title retention hopes.

I think the easier summer tour will greatly benefit Ireland. Players need a decent summer off for the body to recover. Thats my take on things. The Lions tour really takes it out of players as well. Maybe not every individual but theres definitely a hangover after that tour physically and mentally. Theres only so many times you can go to the well.


Theres too much rugby being played there days IMO. South Africa are in a situation now where many of their players are playing nearly all year round and I think that will start to catch up with them sooner or later.

Not possible to do Rods - the 6Ns is too close to the end of the world cup and in the middle of the club season.

Ireland couldn't face into a 6Ns (and a tour to New Zealand) without a coach(s) in situ.

Sin é wrote:Not possible to do Rods - the 6Ns is too close to the end of the world cup and in the middle of the club season.

Ireland couldn't face into a 6Ns (and a tour to New Zealand) without a coach(s) in situ.

It wouldn't be their choice. Rodder's point involved Schmidt proving he's not the man to take Ireland on to 2019. Under that scenario, he says he should go after the WC. I'd suggest it won't be a fan decision or an IRFU decision, it'll be a Schmidt personal decision. Isn't that the completion of his contract anyway? After the WC? If Schmidt wants to get out, he'll walk.

But I'm hoping for way better than that nighmare scenario of bad results and more resignations.

GunsGerms wrote:

thebandwagonsociety wrote:Would it be fair to say that Darcy has come out of the summer tour in the most improved position in the squad even though he didn't travel?

So many people were throwing him on the scrap heap and saying he should do us all a favour and step aside. Himself and J'aime were popular targets this past season.

They have been popular targets for years and yet have both be fairly key players in anything Ireland have achieved. D'arcy is getting old but he is well worth his place in the Ireland squad for the WC.

Fans can be very fickle.

D'Arcy would struggle to get on a NZ super rugby side.
Heaslip is going downhill fast. Playing every game doesn't help his form so maybe he needs a decent break. Either way his starting place is starting to come under threat now. Copeland is quality and POM can play there and Jack Conan is one to watch in Leinster and should play more next season.

profitius wrote:

GunsGerms wrote:

thebandwagonsociety wrote:Would it be fair to say that Darcy has come out of the summer tour in the most improved position in the squad even though he didn't travel?

So many people were throwing him on the scrap heap and saying he should do us all a favour and step aside. Himself and J'aime were popular targets this past season.

They have been popular targets for years and yet have both be fairly key players in anything Ireland have achieved. D'arcy is getting old but he is well worth his place in the Ireland squad for the WC.

Fans can be very fickle.

D'Arcy would struggle to get on a NZ super rugby side.
Heaslip is going downhill fast. Playing every game doesn't help his form so maybe he needs a decent break. Either way his starting place is starting to come under threat now. Copeland is quality and POM can play there and Jack Conan is one to watch in Leinster and should play more next season.

Reputation only. Proof is the tours of International duty. Different conditions, different 'prove yourself' mental pressures, much higher intensity and highest ranking levels. Yes, Heaslip has definitely contenders now on his tail but only to the extent that many of the 'nailed ons' do in the Ireland team.

As for D'Arcy................. which Irish 12 would get onto a super rugby side?

profitius wrote:
D'Arcy would struggle to get on a NZ super rugby side.
Heaslip is going downhill fast. Playing every game doesn't help his form so maybe he needs a decent break. Either way his starting place is starting to come under threat now. Copeland is quality and POM can play there and Jack Conan is one to watch in Leinster and should play more next season.

True on D'arcy but the reality is so would Luke Marshall and Darren Cave. There isn't that much between the various options and if you take the age profile out of the occasion D'arcy has probably delivered more in the big games in the last year than his younger compatriots.

Disagree on Heaslip, I think he's playing some of the best rugby of his career lately. He does start too many games though and I do like the look of Copeland and with Ruddock looking so good lately maybe POM at 8 could be explored again... there are options but on current form Heaslip is fundamental both as a leader and player.

Yeah Heaslip is miles ahead of Copeland and I don't see that changing.I'd love to see PoM move to 8 and challenge Heaslip,he's not really a 6 in the normal sense but he's too good to leave out,I think Ruddock looks much more suited to that role long term.

I've been waiting for someone to relpace D'Arcy for ages but nobody really steps up,one thing I will say is that there's a chance we slightly overestimated BoDs importance to our defense and underestimated D'Arcy.BoD has played alongside a few different 12's over the last few years and the midfield has not looked solid at all.D'Arcy comes back in and it immediately changes,he might miss the odd tackle these days but he's always there to attempt them whereas without him teams have managed to fly through gaps.

I think D'arcy isn't a particularly good tackler, but positionally he is very good at holding his line inside BOD and outside Sexton. He's also very good in the ruck too, very effective at slowing down opposition ball and doesn't always get credit for this. This is why Schmidt likes him so much I think, he really understands when to get involved in the ruck and not.

The criticism is that without his old acceleration he offers very little in attack and can become a weak link against the top sides, when he can get driven backwards in contact and occasionally force passes and handling errors.

That said its for the younger guys to prove they offer more and so far they've only done it sporadically and not consistently. Olding is the guy who looks the real deal but after missing all of last year I think he's a good bit out of the picture for the RWC.

I'd say D'Arcy will hold onto one of the centre spots until after the WC,I'd like to have seen someone overtake him already but since noone has really staked a claim I'm assuming Schmidt would prefer to only replace BoD.

Olding really has great potential but like so many others just got unlucky with injuries at the wrong time.I'd be confident he'll really step up if he can stay fit.

asoreleftshoulder wrote:I'd say D'Arcy will hold onto one of the centre spots until after the WC

I see it that way too asore.

rodders wrote:

asoreleftshoulder wrote:I'd say D'Arcy will hold onto one of the centre spots until after the WC

I see it that way too asore.

He might. It depends on what players are coming through this season. Hopefully one or two new centers will make the breakthrough.