Alan Quinlan was on Friday’s OTB AM and was pleased with the team Joe Schmidt named for Ireland’s opening World Cup game against Scotland.
Schmidt opted for the tried and tested combination of Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier and CJ Stander in the back-row, with Jack Conan and Tadhg Beirne on the bench.
Conan was in the running for starting the game after starting both of Ireland’s warm-up games against Wales but Quinlan believes Schmidt made the right call.
“It’s the back-row I would have picked to be honest. But you’d certainly question the way CJ’s played and his form.
“Jack Conan did get an opportunity over the two Welsh games. He played well but didn’t really stand out and have a really impactful game,” Quinlan said.
Many fans have called for Conan to start at eight with his recent impressive form but ultimately he didn’t have much time to displace Stander in the starting team.
“It’s hard for guys when they’re trying to chase form if you get the opportunity like Jack Conan did. Because you’ve only a couple of games to play at the start of the season.
“I know myself, back when I played, sometimes it takes four or five games to really get that match speed and match fitness up,” Quinlan explained.
Stander hasn’t shown much of the explosive ability he brought to Ireland when he first came on the scene but the former Munster flanker felt he has what it takes to step up.
“Joe [Schmidt] has gone back to the experienced scenario of CJ Stander and maybe what he’s delivered in the last number of years, which is high-tempo, top-quality performances.
“But there is no doubt that his form has dipped a little bit. But sometimes as a coach you make these decisions and hope that a coach can reward you with a big performance,” Quinlan said.
Ireland come up against Scotland at 8.45am Irish time in Yokohama and will hope to get their World Cup campaign off to a winning start.
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