Payne's mistakes have all centred around kicking, this is without Henshaw who forms abetter partnership with Payne. Go back to the warm up games, while playing with Henshaw Payne was one of our best backs while Zebo still made these errors.
Its also relative, Payne doesn't have a viable replacement whereas Zebo is a sub at best when we're at full strength.
Actually not true... as an Ulster fan, I absolutely love Jared Payne, I think he is a fantastic full back, solid in defence and very good at reading a game, and he makes breaks when returning kicks that don't make sense, because you'd swear there's no gap before he breaks through. However, he was pulled into outside centre by the orders of the Irish management and since then, his attacking influence on the came has decreased massively, he is not a large threat on the ball, and he doesn't have much pace which doesn't help him defend the 13 channel, although his defence is very solid, but he doesn't understand the position or get to make use of the positional skills he has in abundance at 15.
The man who's position he took at Ulster, Darren Cave, has excelled when been allowed to play there, making numerous line breaks for Ulster, deft offloads, and has always had a very strong defensive game, in fact it's been the attacking side of his game he's had to work on, the defensive solidity has always been there. He has come on leaps and bounds the last 2 years, and it does baffle me why the irfu can decree that Payne should be starting 13 ahead of him, especially when he was so good in his natural position. Even yesterday, Cave is not an inside centre though he can play there, when Jackson came on (who's distribution and game management were first rate, and I instantly noticed a better cohesion in the irish attacks, but I'll get to that), Cave shifted to 13, and Madigan to 12, and in the 15-20 minutes of this, Cave made 3 line breaks, all created by himself, i.e none were laid on a plate for him by someone else's brilliance. So to say there isn't a ready-made replacement for Payne isn't true, and I genuinely think Cave is a far better player there as it is his natural position, but the Irish management seem reluctant to allow him to play there for whatever reason. If given a run out I am supremely confident he would show exactly what he can do.
Paddy Jackson looked good yesterday as well when he came in... to me, when I look at Madigan, I see a good player for making runs and sidesteps and he is often the centre of the show when he plays well, but when it comes to rating an out-half, I like to judge them based on how well the rest of the backline look, as in an out-half's job is to make everybody else play well, and manage the players outside them to get the best out of them. In this regard, I do believe Jackson is superior to Madigan, and is a better Out-Half, although Madigan is a better bench option as he covers 12, something Jackson won't be able to do. They actually looked impressive as a combination yesterday, and I also believe Paddy needs to work on his kicking a little, as it can be very good some days, but occasionally he can go missing off the tee, but in terms of attacking the line and putting OTHER players through the gaps, as well as his strong, fast passing ability, which quickens up the whole game, he has so much potential.
The wingers for Ireland are a tricky area... to be honest, I'm still a little gutted for Trimble, and I also believe after last year, Craig Gilroy actually looks much much better than Earls, who I'm not a fan of and believe is vastly overrated. This may be Ulster bias, but Gilroy didn't fail to beat the first man almost ever last year, his sidestep was back, and his spins were perfectly timed, as well as his raw pace, he is lightning! But back to the point at hand, Schmidt has options in terms of 2 proven finishers, who are tough in defence and will put away their chances in Tommy Bowe, and Dave Kearney. I'm a fan of Bowe despite his poor game vs England, which is unlike him I have to say, and I like Dave Kearney too. Zebo and Earls are smaller and a little faster, Zebo looked good from Full Back but its a long time since I've seen him be as effective as that from the wing, where he hasn't hit the same heights in quite a while, if he did, he would be fantastic, but it seems inconsistent, and then Earls to me doesn't finish particularly well, and isn't as Solid as Bowe or Kearney. His first game vs Canada, honestly I nearly cried, he was that poor. He had one good moment and then gave away possession countless times, should've put away at least 1 more try, and didn't look international standard at all. Fitzgerald is a player I like to watch, he's electric when on the ball, so I'd love a combination of Him and either Bowe/Kearney on the other wing, with Rob Kearney at Full Back.
Up front, great to see Cian Healy back, the beast. Makes Tendai Mtawarira look like a fencing sword, though Jack McGrath is a fantastic prospect to fill in for him. Toner did ok, but Henderson has been so strong recently in the loose and in the engine room, that i can't see him being dropped, unless for tactical reasons Ireland are worried about their lineout. I'm hoping Heaslip will step up his game a bit too, he's been fantastic for Ireland over the years, but he's seeming to wane a little now. However I've said that before and he's come roaring back with mind blowing performances, so here's to hoping!
All in all, Ireland have done nothing special so far, controlling the first two matches, getting the bonus points, and just easing in. Italy will be slightly tougher, but they look so disorganised at the moment, unless Parisse is fit, I can't see them putting up too much of a contest and then, the big one, Gallic vs Gaelic, Let's show em how it's played Boys!
