Hot Press scrums down with the Irish rugby team

With just days to go before the tightest, most anticipated Six Nations in many a year, HP crashed the Irish team base in Carton House to check out how preparations are going.
Of course, it matters little how meticulously Joe Schmidt and his team plan out the week leading up to a game if Mother Nature chooses to throw a spanner in the works. The freezing conditions left the training pitch unsafe for use and saw the squad’s session pushed back for four hours.
Happily, that gave HP a chance to get comfortable in the luxurious surroundings – ‘tis far from four-star glamour we were raised! – and wag chins with a handful of the players knocking about the Co. Kildare base, including Munster scrum-half Conor Murray. We didn't yet know whether the No. 10 shirt would go to Ian Keatley or Ian Madigan - Schmidt entrusting Keatley with the job in the end - but Murray insisted that the identity of the man outside him would have little impact on his own game.
“We all have our roles within the team,” he reasoned. “We understand how Joe wants us to play. I don’t think anyone has to change; they can still express themselves. We have a good understanding of the game plan, and how we want to approach it.”
There’s also an air of mystery in the front-row. With Cian Healy still sidelined – and question marks over who will be the first choice tighthead – hooker Rory Best is also preparing to see some new faces alongside him in the coming weeks.
“Whoever starts on Saturday may not be the guy to start the last game,” says Best. “They might not finish the game either! But combinations are something that we work on; there’s been a lot of different units that have trained together over the past ten days.”
And with Mike Ross holding onto his spot for the Roman battle, forwards coach Simon Easterby moved to quash any suggestions that experience alone would be the deciding factor.
“You try and pick what you feel is the best side; if the best player happens to have more caps than the other guy, then so be it. From a forward’s perspective, we like to think that what the Italians have, we can match and better that. We want to go out and lay a marker down for the whole competition.”
Before hitting the training pitch, Best echoed his coach’s comments.
“Momentum is vital; you need to hit the ground running. With no bonus points, there’s no second chances. We need to get a good start on Saturday.”
We’re counting down the hours…