“He’s an absolute gent and he adds a lot to the squad. He’s a real positive person to have about the place… hopefully he gets his chance this week.”
Craig Gilroy got his chance. 33 minutes off the bench. Three tries.
The Irish players mobbed him after each of his tries – each of his stunning scores – and they found him again at the final whistle. Simon Zebo [quoted above] gave him a bear-hug and Conor Murray screamed ‘YESSS’ at the Ulster winger.
Last January, we caught up with Gilroy ahead of the 2016 Six Nations and heard how eager he was to get involved with Ireland and show them what he could do. He said:
“I know I am a better player now than I was when I first started with Ireland [in 2012]. That knowledge is a real confidence booster for me.”
He missed out on squad selection for the championship but was in for the training camps. He got his opportunity on the summer tour to South Africa but had to watch from the sidelines again as Ireland had a superb November Series. In Rome, on Saturday, he got a sliver of a chance and grasped it.
Some @SixNationsRugby comeback for @cgilroy14
6 carries
81 metres gained
3 clean breaks
5 defenders beaten
3 TRIES! pic.twitter.com/M0c2pVw8vq— Pat McCarry (@patmccarry) February 11, 2017
He is well liked within the Irish squad and he is bringing the coach’s around to his teammates’ way of thinking.
And he might not even make the match-day 23 for Ireland’s next game against France.
Following Ireland’s 63-10 win over Italy, Joe Schmidt was asked about Gilroy’s stunning impact off the bench. He replied, “I thought it was a mixed bag for Craig, a couple of defensive things that positionally he’ll learn from.”
He then went on to praise CJ Stander’s kick for setting up one of Gilroy’s scores.
The 25-year-old may not shift Simon Zebo or Keith Earls from the starting XV but there are two Ulster colleagues that will be battling for his spot on the bench. Tommy Bowe was off on Ulster duty while Andrew Trimble will ‘definitely be available for our next game’. Schmidt added:
“Hopefully there will be some headaches for selection.”
Gilroy has given Schmidt a headache. That’s all he can do.
Surely his next chance won’t be too far away because it shouldn’t be.
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