It’s not a headache Joe Schmidt would have complained about but the absence of experienced flankers Peter O’Mahony, Iain Henderson and Sean O’Brien makes his team selection for the New Zealand game less complicated.
The trio are still "returning to full fitness" and were left out of Schmidt's travelling party in the hope that they can play parts in the November games in Dublin against Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
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That decision means the back-row maths are simpler now and Josh van der Flier is hoping that he benefits.
The Leinster man will be among those competing for a starting spot, with Jordi Murphy, CJ Stander, Donnacha Ryan, Billy Holland and Jamie Heaslip all vying for selection for the Chicago showdown on Saturday (8.0pm Irish time).
In terms of getting to the front of that queue, the 23-year-old, who won two caps in last season’s Six Nations, told Irish Rugby TV: “I suppose train as well as I can, get the detail sorted as early as I can, see where that takes me.
“[I’ll] try to do as well as I can in training and then it’s up to the coach who he selects. [I’ll] prepare as well as possible.
“It’s massive, as big a game as they come really.
“It’s really what sets the benchmark, they [and Australia] are the best teams in the world, you want to be playing them as often as you can.”
That was a sentiment echoed by Munster rival Stander, who is hoping that the crowd can make the Soldier Field encounter feel like a home game.
“I hear there’s a lot of Irish support there and a lot of tickets sold to Irish supporters,” he said.
“I think it’s a great challenge, we are excited for the challenge.
“We know what we can do as a group, what we’ve worked on and what we can improve on.”
“If you challenge yourself against the best in the world, what more do you want.”
