Joe Schmidt has revealed that he spoke to Ian Madigan as long ago as last season about the possibility of being a backup scrumhalf. Madigan, who regularly plays at outhalf and inside centre for Leinster, has been included in Ireland's 31-man-squad as cover for specialist scrumhalves Conor Murray and Eoin Reddan.
“Ian Madigan will cover scrumhalf,” said Schmidt before explaining that Madigan has not played the position very often in the Irish team environment.
“It was in the back of our minds. I spoke to Ian about it last season. It’s not suddenly. It’s something Ian did some work on it off season so he’s been quietly preparing himself for that to potentially happen.
“It wasn’t what we were going to do. We had discussions with various players to play different positions. We knew we couldn’t have total coverage with 31 players.”
The coach was unclear if Madigan would begin to take up the number nine position at training sessions between now and the World Cup.
“Potentially that is something we will sort through but he has done individual training,” said Schmidt. “He hasn’t trained in the team very much but in the last week he’s started to slot in and do a little bit with the team.
“I’d like to think it’s calculated and we’ve given it as much thought as we could. It allowed us a little more flexibility further out.”
Schmidt bemoaned having to make the phone calls to players such as Andrew Trimble, Felix Jones and Fergus McFadden, who did not make it onto the squad. But the coach kept the light burning.
The 48-hour rule can bring players into the tournament if injuries to the squad begin to mount up. Players can be replaced up to two days before a match but not any closer than that.
“It’s disappointing for us as well as them,” said Schmidt of having to let down the players. “It’s the brutal reality of what we have to do.
"But to a degree that risk is managed by the 48-hour rule and by the opportunity of getting someone in especially with the proximity of the World Cup to Ireland. "
Keith Earls will be fit and is following return to play protocols after taking a blow to his head when he tackled Welsh winger George North last weekend. Earls hasn't trained and won't be involved at the weekend in Twickenham, although he will be cleared to play by the then as there are no recurring problems.
The coach also explained why Trimble fell just short of making the final cut and why Ulster centre Darren Cave, an outside chance to make it at the beginning of the year, was called up.
The decision about Trimble was one of the most discussed over the six-hour meeting the Irish management had when coming to the 31 names.
“If it wasn’t a big call with Andrew Trimble it would have been a big call with someone else in the back three,” said Schmidt.
“That was one of the most discussed positions. I think we spent six hours on Sunday and for some of those hours Andrew Trimble was going to the World Cup with us and for some he wasn’t. That’s how tight it was.
“I think the difference was that Andrew had played 38 minutes in a Test match. He played 80 minutes for Ulster. But he’d hurt the foot again and it interrupted his opportunity to best press for the position and time ran out for him.”
His Ulster team-mate Cave was rewarded for his specialist ability to play in the centre positions. Schmidt sees his two starting centres, Jared Payne and Robbie Henshaw, as players who had lined out more often in other positions before picking up the 12 and 13 shirts
“Again with the midfield we feel we’ve enough cover,” said the coach. “It’s a little bit of a manufactured midfield. Robbie hadn’t played 12 until he came into this environment.
“Jared had played more fullback than 13 and Robbie had played more fullback than 13 in recent years. We wanted one specialist midfielder in there to play 12 or 13.
“Darren’s performances at training and in the match against Wales meant he was deserving to be involved. His flexibility and positivity in the environment are real pluses for us.
"We feel that among those five (Henshaw, Payne, Cave, Luke Fitzgerald, Keith Earls) plus Ian Madigan who can move in there . . . having Ian cover nine and 10, to expect him to cover 12 as well is a little bit of an expectation and therefore we wanted to go with the specialist 12 and 13."
IRELAND WORLD CUP SQUAD
FORWARDS (17)
Hookers
Rory Best (Ulster)
Seán Cronin (Leinster)
Richardt Strauss (Leinster)
Props
Cian Healy (Leinster)
Jack McGrath (Leinster)
Mike Ross (Leinster)
Nathan White (Connacht)
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster)
Secondrow
Paul O'Connell (Toulon, capt)
Devin Toner (Leinster)
Iain Henderson (Ulster)
Donnacha Ryan (Munster)
Backrow
Seán O'Brien (Leinster)
Peter O'Mahony (Munster)
Jamie Heaslip (Leinster)
Chris Henry (Ulster)
Jordi Murphy (Leinster)
BACKS (14)
Scrumhalves
Conor Murray (Munster)
Eoin Reddan (Leinster)
Outhalves
Jonathan Sexton (Leinster)
Ian Madigan (Leinster)
Paddy Jackson (Ulster)
Centres
Robbie Henshaw (Connacht)
Jared Payne (Ulster)
Darren Cave (Ulster)
Outside backs
Keith Earls (Munster)
Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster)
Tommy Bowe (Ulster)
Dave Kearney (Leinster)
Rob Kearney (Leinster)
Simon Zebo (Munster)
