Ireland’s campaign teetering on the brink of utter failure

The mood inside the Ireland camp is coloured by frustration and disappointment. Always an honest interviewee, Andrew Trimble admitted as much.

Hardly an ideal vibe as Sergio Parisse's Italy comes to strangle Rory Best's pack into submission this Saturday at the Aviva Stadium. But such feelings are unavoidable, understandable even, after constructing a 13-0 lead against Wales last month before it finished as a 16-all draw.

Then there was the lack of accuracy, under a Parisian deluge, which ended in a 10-9 defeat, followed by leaving Twickenham with nothing despite Robbie Henshaw and Josh van der Flier crossing the English whitewash.

Tries that never were, and never will be.

“We’re very close to clicking,” said Trimble, “and when we do, hopefully the players and coaches will be vindicated.”

At least the body count remains the same. Tommy O'Donnell (shoulder) is the only reported injury among 35 players training outside Maynooth this week but neither O'Donnell nor fellow Munster flanker Jack O'Donoghue, the only addition, are expected to make the match day squad.

Hamstring tear

Jared Payne

should return having recovered from a hamstring tear that briefly unfurled the heftiest ever Irish midfield partnership of Henshaw and Stuart McCloskey.

That’s the major decision facing Schmidt: who to partner with Henshaw and where to position the Leinster-bound Athlone prodigy. Because the use of Henshaw feeds into how Ireland intend to play.

Up until now, this transitional group has adhered to the same attritional approach we have consistently seen from Schmidt’s national selections.

“I don’t see another way around it,” Trimble stated. “The game has become very, very physical and very direct. If you don’t win collisions on the pitch, then you don’t win games.

“It’s a strange criticism to be too attritional. Look at the way Italy play, the way England play; it’s one area you know you’re going up against it, one area you massively admire.

“It’s something we need to be proud of, how attritional we are, and perhaps we’ve shown glimpses of being able to complement that approach to the game with a few small little nuances. Just because we’re not getting over the line, they’re still happening and they’re still in the game plan and I’d find that criticism frustrating.”

Attrition is to reduce something’s strength or effectiveness through sustained attack or pressure. Problem, as in Ireland’s case, is it can have the opposite effect when battering into physically superior specimens.

“People want to see us take more risks but they only want to see that if the risks pay off,” Trimble continued. “You get criticised if you don’t take risks and criticised if they don’t go well.

“We’ve got a few ideas how we can break the Italians down but this is a quality Italian outfit and we really have to be on the money this weekend.”

Ireland's Six Nations campaign is teetering on the brink of utter failure. Only a comfortable win over Italy followed by victory over Scotland would avoid that becoming reality.

“We haven’t become a bad side, we have just become a side that hasn’t been quite as clinical as we want to be. If we’d been more clinical we could have won three games from three. I hate when I hear people say that because, ultimately, we haven’t won any games and that’s the way it goes. You just got to face that.”

Concerns about how Schmidt's Ireland play mainly focuses on their inability to find and exploit space. Or more so the kicking away of possession rather than a pass and catch mentality so glaringly obvious watching Super Rugby's return this past fortnight or highly skilled Leinster teenagers in Donnybrook.

And so, for the week that’s in it, who should partner Henshaw sparks an interesting debate.

Powerful dynamic

“Obviously you have got two contrasting styles between Jared and Stu so it’s just what sort of rugby Joe wants to play.

“Stu brings that powerful dynamic to his game, he is a collision winner, a man who gets over the gainline. Jared can win collisions as well, he just likes to go over it, while Stu likes to go under.”

Which way Schmidt intends to go, over or under, will be revealed on Thursday.

The coach has flagged these last rounds of the championship as a period of transition but that idea has been diluted somewhat by Ireland manager Mick Kearney.

"I wouldn't necessarily describe ourselves as going through a transition phase," said Kearney. "After all, the Six Nations is Test match rugby, it's all about winning. We'll treat Italy with the utmost respect."

Trimble concurred.

“It’s something there is a lot of talk about outside the squad but from our point of view we’re very self-assured, we kind of know the guys we are sharing the dressing room with and know how much quality is there,” he said.

It’s very easy to talk about the guys who aren’t here but the guys who are here, we’ve talked about the guys making their debuts as well, Josh stepped up, Stu, Ultan (Dillane).

“These guys really produced big performances. I suppose that’s a reflection that the transition is over...they’re fully fledged internationals performing really well on the big stage.”