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Much-changed Irish admit Folau could catch them out
BRISBANE, Australia, June 8, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Ireland coach Joe Schmidt
said Israel Folau’s aerial supremacy could pose a problem as the much-changed
Six Nations champions open their three-Test tour against Australia in
Brisbane on Saturday.
The Irish are masters at probing for weaknesses through their pinpoint
kicking, but in fullback Folau the Wallabies have arguably the best player
under the high ball in international rugby.
Schmidt has left his first-choice fly-half Johnny Sexton on the reserves
bench and instead has preferred to give his understudy Joey Carbery a rare
international start in Brisbane.
“We have seen enough of Israel Folau, a number of our lads have played
against him a few times,” Schmidt said on Friday.
“And it’s funny, it’s one of the things that people perceive we are good at
but I don’t think there is anyone in world rugby that is as good Israel Folau
in the air.
“How do you combat it? I think you’ve just got to go up and do the best you
can.”
A stand-out performance would be timely for Folau, who has come under fire
for airing his views that gay people are destined for hell.
Schmidt defended his decision to start Carbery ahead of Sexton for the
first of three internationals in Australia, where the Irish haven’t won since
1979.
“Some of those guys have had some reasonably tough weeks and it was an
opportunity, really,” Schmidt said.
“We decided that it (bringing in Carbery) was an opportunity that would
probably be more difficult to engineer later in the tour. It was trying to
get a balance.”
Schmidt has made made six changes to the team that won the Grand Slam at
Twickenham in March, with 32-year-old Sexton one of a number of frontline
Leinster players who are confined to the bench after successful recent
European and PRO14 campaigns.
“Johnny (Sexton) runs a really solid game. People are deferential to Johnny
because he has been in the seat for a long time,” Schmidt said, looking ahead
to next year’s World Cup in Japan.
“But if he has been in the seat for a long time and no one else gets to sit
in it, then we just leave ourselves a little bit exposed if he’s not in the
seat.”
Schmidt has surrounded Carbery with experienced backs including Robbie
Henshaw and Bundee in the centres, Keith Earls on the wing and Rob Kearney at
fullback.
With Sexton on the bench, Peter O’Mahony captains the side.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1430 hrs