Peter Jackson column: Irish get set for Storm Gatland to blast Dublin

The deep depression hanging over Ireland has nothing to do with Storm Gertrude and everything to do with Wales landing in Dublin this coming weekend. Expectations for the double Six Nations champions in the gloomiest corners of the four provinces are, if anything, lower than the atmospheric pressure behind the natural mayhem. The Irish fear that the title holders are about to suffer the same undignied fate as the country’s uprooted trees.
Not since the mad old days of the Seventies when Wales won nine times out of ten has their biennial visit caused as much anxiety. It’s almost as if just about everyone in the likely Ireland line-up, from fore to aft, has become the subject of national concern.
You name it, the Irish are worried about it, from Rob Kearney’s form at full- back to Mike Ross’ absence at tighthead.     Injury has also wiped Peter O’Mahony out of the back-row and prevented Iain Henderson, the best young dual-purpose back five forward in the game, from succeeding Paul O’Connell at lock.
Now that the country has at last got round to accepting O’Connell’s retirement, they are left with the stark reality of calculating his loss in terms of defending their Six Nations crown. The simultaneous demise of Leinster, Munster and Ulster from the top rank of European heavyweights has left a sense of impending doom hanging over the national team like a wet blanket.
Jared Payne and Robbie Henshaw, so the theory goes, have had too little game-time because of recurring injury to be as big a force in midfield as they would otherwise be. Tommy Bowe, as good a wing as any in Europe, is out for the season with another Lion, Cian Healey, still recovering from the surgical equivalent of the knacker’s yard.
And then, on top of all that, the whole country is united in its worry over the state of Johnny Sexton’s health. Upbeat medical bulletins that the commander-in-chief will be fit in time have not eased fears over how many more concussive blows one player can be allowed to take.
As if that’s not enough to be going on with, there is the memory of what happened to their admittedly depleted team last time out, how Argentina ran rings round them in Cardiff.  If he didn’t know before then, Joe Schmidt knows now that a limited, winning game in the Six Nations doesn’t stretch as far as the last four of the World Cup.
Wales, who have long-term casualties of their own albeit not on the same scale, took their leave in very different circumstances, knowing they had only themselves to blame for not holding their lead over the Springboks for a few minutes longer.
If one match in more than four months is not deemed enough for Liam Williams, then Gareth Anscombe will probably stay at full-back with Tom James entitled to get the nod ahead of Alex Cuthbert on one wing. In the event of Dan Lydiate
running out of time, then Sam Warburton switches to the blindside of the back-row and Justin Tipuric re-enters on the openside.
Far from weakening the back-row as a unit, it can be argued that such a change strengthens it. How the Irish must wish to have such match-winning alternatives.
Schmidt could go for broke, pick Payne in his preferred Ulster position at full- back and reward Stuart McCloskey for his emergence as the best centre in the Pro 12. How the New Zealander intends to put all his men together again and prevent a fractured team from further cracks will be revealed this week.
One thing’s for sure. None of the reasons why a superior Wales team ought to make a flying start on Sunday are likely to be given a sympathetic internal airing by Warren Gatland, not when he would have you believe Ireland are favourites to win.