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International Test Matches
Ireland Squad 2018/2019
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<blockquote data-quote="Reiser99" data-source="post: 972333" data-attributes="member: 72977"><p>Thing is that after winning the Grand Slam and beating NZ in 2018, I don't think anyone expected so many of the Irish squad to have such a drop in form within a year. Schmidt goes into the 6N's knowing that some players haven't played as well at club level or have been injured, but it would have been extremely harsh to drop them after the AI's. After the 6N's you've then only got the warm ups and so Schmidt either has to gamble on playing some new younger/fringe players without experience or hope that his established players come good. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and while he could have maybe played one or two players a bit more I can't see making large squad changes just before the world cup as justifiable. Maybe if the whole process had happened a year earlier in 2017, so that 2018 was the year when the form dropped, then Schmidt could have addressed it with squad changes, but for me a 6N's and 4 warm up games just before the WC is not enough time to risk playing unproven players.</p><p></p><p>For me the issue is less about the selection and why so many Irish players had a drop in form and could anything have been done about it? It's a hard question to answer and clearly Schmidt didn't have an answer either.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Reiser99, post: 972333, member: 72977"] Thing is that after winning the Grand Slam and beating NZ in 2018, I don't think anyone expected so many of the Irish squad to have such a drop in form within a year. Schmidt goes into the 6N's knowing that some players haven't played as well at club level or have been injured, but it would have been extremely harsh to drop them after the AI's. After the 6N's you've then only got the warm ups and so Schmidt either has to gamble on playing some new younger/fringe players without experience or hope that his established players come good. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and while he could have maybe played one or two players a bit more I can't see making large squad changes just before the world cup as justifiable. Maybe if the whole process had happened a year earlier in 2017, so that 2018 was the year when the form dropped, then Schmidt could have addressed it with squad changes, but for me a 6N's and 4 warm up games just before the WC is not enough time to risk playing unproven players. For me the issue is less about the selection and why so many Irish players had a drop in form and could anything have been done about it? It's a hard question to answer and clearly Schmidt didn't have an answer either. [/QUOTE]
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