Jeremy Guscott column: Ireland’s big name players are enhancing reputations

My forecast for an England Ireland semi-final looks to be 50 per cent true at this stage, with Ireland pretty much assured of quarter-final qualification if they defeat Italy today before the tough encounter against France next week.
There have been four teams that have impressed me so far in this tournament: New Zealand, Australia to a point, Ireland and France – but none of them have faced the hardest of opponents yet although the Kiwis had to dig in and show their quality against Argentina in their opener.
Three of those sides have coaches that are winners. Steve Hansen is the only one to be part of a team that has won the World Cup (fours ago), while Joe Schmidt and Michael Cheika have had provincial club success and they seem to inspire their team to play well.
The response Schmidt has got from his Ireland squad is considerable. The players have been together for a long time but have started to really click only in the two years since he took charge, winning back-to-back Six Nations title.
Past coaches really struggled to get the best of winning players who were performing well at Leinster, Munster and Ulster. Whether it’s the timing that has been good for maturing senior players, Schmidt’s regime has worked. The thinking, understanding, the respect, it’s all come together to produce a team performing efficiently.
The game at Test level can be so emotional itcan be absolutely draining. Some results can be soul destroying and it’s your belief that gets you beyond that empty feeling in the pit of your stomach.
The more you’ve been through, the more you’ve won, the easier it is to come to terms with hardship because you have won those games before – those brilliant, exciting games – and that’s what those Ireland players have .
They’ve won the Celtic leagues, European Cups and Six Nations Championships and this is the only competition where Ireland haven’t done anything. They have never gone beyond the quarter finals so there’s a lot riding on the game against France to get into position and enable them to probably play Argentina. Given their performance so far, France are another side playing well so that is not a given.
But this Irish side, unlike England – but like New Zealand, Australia and Wales – have won a Six Nations or Rugby Championship two years running and you can’t underestimate the belief that gives you as an individual and as a team.
You don’t deserve to win anything without producing the goods and performing well and if you look at Ireland’s big name players, they’re not playing big by name – they’re playing big by reputation.
The likes of Connor Murray, Jonny Sexton, Paul O’Connell, Sean O’Brien, Tommy Bowe and Jamie Heaslip are playing as near to their best as they can. Forget the opposition, you need to turn up and not back off against so-called weaker teams.
They have done so and been fully professional in the same way New Zealand are. Combine that with the players coming in, such as second-row Iain Henderson, and they are adding to this already good team. Others such as Simon Zebo and Keith Earls slot in when they are injuries.
It will be difficult for Zebo to oust Rob Kearney as No.1 choice, but he will believe he can and rightly so. Earls is incredibly experienced, a tough competitor, quick, elusive and is scoring tries.
The depth of their squad is not as weak as was suggested a few seasons ago where if Brian O’Driscoll was out it almost meant they lost. If Paul O’Connell went down now, yes it would be a blow but there’s Devin Toner who’s experienced and Henderson who’s playing incredibly well.
Confidence is high, their work-rate so far has been fantastic, their set-piece is 100 per cent and because they’ve got a lot of possession they’re running the games the way they want.
They have a strong bench – Cian Healy, Luke Fitzgerald, Toner – that’s not a weak bunch to bring on.
A lot of teams have learnt from New Zealand’s unsuccessful bids to win World Cups when they were favourites but were slightly undercooked coming into the quarter-finals.
Sides in this this year’s tournament are giving their first choice players time with the ball to get into the swing of the competition and produce their best form. Ireland are certainly rolling out the big guns for Italy and their toughest challenge will come next weekend against France.
France are efficiently getting through games and scoring tries without setting the world on fire. I thought Freddie
Michalak was really good against Romania but almost too clever at times – one chip especially which Wesley Fofana couldn’t quite latch on to due to the awkward bounce when it would have been easier for Michalak to score himself.
But Michalak’s cheekiness probably urged him into finding the more difficult way to score. He’s old enough and wise enough not to do that in a game that really counts – which is against Ireland.
France aren’t as complete as Ireland right now. They aren’t 100 per cent sure about their midfield with Mathieu Bastareaud struggling slightly to find his best form but Fofana is coming on nicely. Scott Spedding seems to be the full-back of choice but the wings aren’t certain.
However, whichever forward pack they choose will be strong and Thierry Dusautoir is looking set for an epic battle with O’Brien.
Ireland have the sign over France at the moment. They beat them away to win the Six Nations in 2014, and then again at home to win the Championship this year.
Ireland are favourites and Schmidt will do his best to cover that up with his usual humility. He’s quietly confident but does not display any arrogance which is how he’s getting his players to be. They are just going about their business – which right now is winning rugby matches.