More than most, Kieran Marmion, knows what lies ahead on Ireland’s tour to the United States and Japan.
When the team plane touched down in New York yesterday for the first of three Tests, the 25-year-old scrum half had flashbacks to his first taste of international rugby — the Canada and US tour of four years ago.
Isaac Boss and Paul Marshall were ahead of him in the pecking order and when the tour ended he still didn’t have an international cap to his name. His highlights instead were meeting JJ Watt, the Houston Texans NFL star and Ireland rugby fan, and visiting Niagara Falls. It wasn’t quite what he had in mind, but his understudy experience is likely to be repeated by others this month as Joe Schmidt begins to integrate some new blood into his squad, with eight of the 31-man squad uncapped.
“I would have liked to have played but it was good to be on the tour,” said Marmion, who now has 13 caps, with his latest coming in a starring role in March’s win over England in the RBS Six Nations Championship.
“I was pretty young back then and it was a bit daunting, but over time you get to learn things and that was the best thing about it.
Advertisement
“I probably knew I wasn’t going to start as there were three 9s there, but I still hoped to get game time. I guess I got to see a lot of Canada and America. JJ Watt looked after us and took us to his house, so there were some good life experiences.
“But Joe has said the same here, he can’t just hand out caps, you’ve got to earn them as well.”
Some feared for Ireland’s chances against grand slam-hunting England with Conor Murray injured, but the Connacht scrum half delivered an impressively composed performance in what was only his second start.
“It gives me huge confidence to play in those sort of environments. Playing well against one of the top teams in the world, you know now you can play against the best,” he said.
With Murray in New Zealand, Marmion has become one of this squad’s more experienced players and has been tasked with showing as much. “Joe has challenged a few of us who probably wouldn’t have been senior players before to step up,” he said.
Advertisement
Luke McGrath, the Leinster scrum half who enjoyed a breakthrough season at provincial level, and John Cooney, the uncapped No 9 who will move to Ulster from Connacht in time for the forthcoming season, join Marmion as scrum half options on the tour.
“I need to kick on from where I’ve been, to show that I can consistently put in performances,” Marmion said. “There are a lot of new faces here but I should have a bit more of an understanding of what’s going on.
“There’s a lot of stuff Joe asks of you on the training pitch that maybe I haven’t been asked before.
“They’re different questions he’s asking. You’ve got to be really switched on, otherwise he will catch you out.”