Ireland were very much down to the bare bones against Australia on Saturday. Johnny Sexton and Robbie Henshaw had been ruled out earlier in the week, victims of the bruising encounter with the All Blacks. Prior to kick-off Sean O'Brien was also ruled out.
Then came a flood of injuries during the game. Rob Kearney lasted just ten minutes. Andrew Trimble 30 minutes. Jared Payne did not reemerge after half time.
It left Ireland with a makeshift backline featuring Kieran Marmion, the backup scrum-half, along with Joey Carberry, the backup out-half.
You could tell how proud Joe Schmidt was of his players post-match. He was in a jovial mood too - joking about Simon Zebo's parenting skills.
It’s certainly one of the proudest days that I have been on the periphery of a team. They showed immense character.
Kieran Marmion playing 40 minutes on the wing. His impact tackle on David Pocock to dislodge the ball forward was phenomenal.
Simon Zebo said it was like the crèche out there. He was the old guy looking after the kids running around. I think it's probably reflective of how much control he has as a dad because the kids were all over the place.
Schmidt was full of praise for the entire team but thought the performance of the frontrow in particular deserved highlighting.
I thought Joey Carbery did a great job. Garry Ringrose again stepped up. It wasn’t perfect but you probably can’t expect perfection when those young guys step up or attempt to. But I think we got the edge because the boys up front delivered. Rory Best’s 100 cap made it a more special occasion.
Tadhg Furlong continues to grow into the tighthead position. Jack McGrath was really strong. I though the frontrow that came off the bench were really strong. Peter O’Mahony, it was great to see him out there.
You lose a player just short of the game like Sean O’Brien and his replacement gets man of the match. That’s exactly what you are looking for in a squad - someone who can step up. Josh van der Flier continues to do it.
You can watch the Joe Schmidt and Rory Best post-match press conference below.
