Instead of the Aviva, Twickenham and the Stade de France, Garry Ringrose will continue to ply his trade at Rodney Parade, the RDS and Cardiff Arms Park this spring.
He is young and his chance with Ireland will certainly come, but the Leinster fans wowed by his fleet of foot and speed of mind this season must be wondering what the 20-year-old centre has to do to impress Joe Schmidt.
The Ireland head coach was saying farewell to the RDS faithful around the same time the Blackrock phenom was sitting his Leaving Cert in 2013, but there is no doubt the former Leinster boss is well aware of Ringrose and his exciting talents.
His progress in those two-and-a-half years has been so swift that on the Leinster website he is still listed as an academy player – 10 appearances for the three-time European champions this season has still not earned him a place among the senior squad, at least in cyberspace.
In just eight starts his impact has already far out-stripped the contributions of Quinn Roux and Tony Ryan and he is fast eclipsing Noel Reid – but his eye-catching debut season has not convinced Schmidt.
Instead the Kiwi – in search of an historic third Six Nations title in a row has chosen Robbie Henshaw and three Ulster men – incumbent 13 Jared Payne, Luke Marshall and the uncapped Luke McCloskey – ahead of Ringrose.
McCloskey’s inclusion was a certainty. Enjoying his third season with the Ulster senior side, the Bangor man looks every inch (and there are a lot of them) a Test rugby centre.
Marshall was an eye-raising selection by Schmidt’s predecessor Declan Kidney in his final, cataclysmic Six Nations, but even as a then 22-year-old, the Ulster youngster boasted a lot more professional experience than Ringrose has now.
.@IrishRugby could do a whole lot worse than going with Garry Ringrose against Wales on Feb 7th.
— Brian O'Driscoll (@BrianODriscoll) December 27, 2015
This brings us to the most obvious argument – the Brian O’Driscoll precedent. Having been capped at Test level in 1999 before ever playing a senior match for Leinster, Ireland’s greatest ever centre is the poster boy for the “if you’re good enough, you’re old enough campaign”.
However Warren Gatland was a very different coach to Joe Schmidt and Test rugby now is a far remove from what O’Driscoll (who was playing AIL for UCD before his debut) tasted in Australia in 1999. The pace and physicality of the game at the highest level has grown exponentially, while the margin for error has all but disappeared.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OuPxLQx_OE
A coltish, young O’Driscoll quite likely springs to mind for older Leinster fans when they watch the electric Ringrose. Sparky, quick-witted and fearless – the Dubliner has been a shining light in a thus far dark season for the province.
His performance in the RDS last weekend against Bath was further proof that Leo Cullen has a very special talent on his hands but, perhaps in the eyes of Schmidt, his lack of experience is compounded by a lack of bulk.
Ireland’s last two Six Nations have been won thanks to drum-tight defending and a conservative, kicking-friendly approach. With this in mind Payne (95 kilogrammes), Henshaw (103 Kgs), Marshall (102 Kgs) and McCloskey (107Kgs) were always going to be preferred to Ringrose (89Kgs).
He might be good enough and he might be old enough, but in the eyes of Schmidt perhaps Ringrose still has some growing up to do.
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