Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt believes the added responsibility his players took on during a successful summer tour will stand them in good stead for future Tests.
Ireland beat Japan in their final match of the tour last weekend, overcoming the next Rugby World Cup hosts 35-13 in difficult conditions at the Ajinomoto Stadium.
While many of Ireland’s biggest names were away on Lions duty, the summer tour gave Schmidt the chance to blood young talent and head coach Schmidt has been thrilled by the way his players have stepped up to the mark.
“I’m delighted with the way it’s gone because we’ve got to know this young group of players; the coaches have had the opportunity to work with them,” he said.
“They’ve taken responsibility for working hard themselves and people have emerged as leaders.”
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The Ireland chief heaped praise on Leinster’s outside centre Garry Ringrose and believes the 22-year-old can help lead his side to victory for years to come.
He said: “Gary Ringrose normally gets to sit behind some very experienced players – he had to step up and lead by example and I thought he did again during the tour. I thought he was well assisted by Luke Marshall in the midfield.
“Keith Earls has led off the pitch but you’ve seen how he’s been good on the pitch. Rhys Ruddock, as captain, has been a really impressive leader.
“Kieran Marmion, too. So often sitting behind Conor Murray and being led by Jonny Sexton, he really stepped up and led as well, particularly defensively. He covered an enormous amount of ground.
“For us, there are lots of positives. There are some guys who still have a lot of work to do at the same time. It gives us a bit of a benchmark and platform that we can start building.”
Keith Earls was in scintillating form during the three-Test tour, producing three magical assists, and Schmidt paid homage to the 29-year-old’s performances.
He said: “He is a champion bloke as well as a phenomenal player and I think his ability to change direction at speed but also his intellect in the game, his skill in the game; his passing game is second to none.
“He’s multi-faceted but what most people see is how quick he was an his ability to break the line in super style on the tour.”
