Ian Madigan may have filled the void well during last weekend’s victory over France but the message from the Irish management was clear as their team for the quarter-final with Argentina was named: in Johnny Sexton we trust.
That was the key word as Joe Schmidt, their head coach explained that he and his assistants believe they have men in their charge who know how to take responsibility.
"I am just a realist and at this time of the week, a major part of the coaching has been done and it is handed over to the players," he explained.
“One of the things the coaching team have is an incredible trust of the players and I think that was repaid in what happened last weekend."
No-one more than their play-maker who has clearly been given every chance to recover from a groin injury help this bid to make history as Ireland seek to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
"We have allowed him to build his way back in to the week, having had a fairly light start to the week,” Schmidt said of Sexton.
"We don't take too many risks with injured players and we have got a great medical group and Johnny is ready to go. I think there is always a risk in anything you do, just as there is in making selections and implementing our strategy. You accept those risks in terms of trying to get a result."
"Johnny kicked a bit yesterday and he kicked a bit today. He hasn't done as much as he would have, but that wouldn't be sensible either.”
Three changes have been enforced, however, with Iain Henderson replacing captain Paul O’Connell whose Test career ended with the hamstring injury he suffered against the French, while there are two more enforced changes to the back-row as Jordi Murphy and Chris Henry come in for the injured Peter O’Mahony and suspended Sean O’Brien.
By contrast Argentina have made 10 changes but only because they were able to rest so many of their front-liners in their final pool match against Namibia so that they could be fresh and at full strength for the quarter-final.
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