It seems unusual that Conor Murray’s main threat for the number nine Ireland jersey could come from a player with just six caps, but the form of Luke McGrath is making people outside of Leinster sit up and take notice.
Murray is one of a handful of players in Joe Schmidt’s set-up that, fitness provided and form maintained, is an automatic starter. The 28-year-old remains at the top of his game, and almost booted his team to an away Champions Cup win in Paris over the weekend.
Few genuinely expect any unenforced changes to a Test half-back partnership with Johnny Sexton that boasts 137 caps and is the envy of in all likelihood every other nation bar the All Blacks.
However, given the widely-held argument that scrum-half has been an area with insufficient competition during Schmidt’s tenure in charge, things are looking altogether rosier on that front with the Six Nations opener in Paris just weeks away.
Kieran Marmion has worked his way into the role of primary back-up, but the Connacht man is now facing increased pressure.
John Cooney has been a shining light in an Ulster season that has had no shortage of ups and downs.
His decision to move from the Sportsground to represent a third inter-provincial side has proved to be a shrewd one and the added game time has allowed the 27-year-old showcase his undoubted talents. Cooney's personal responsibility has increased with place-kicking duties and six months after his Ireland debut in Tokyo, is keeping his name very much in the Test frame conversation.
However the player making most waves, perhaps unusual given his normally understated role and patient wait to establish his first-team credentials, is in-form Luke McGrath. And it has been a steady upward curve for the 24-year-old.
Since making his Leinster debut in May 2012 during the tail end of the province’s most successful ever period, the sniping scrum-half has been forced to bide his time.
"I was kind of an extra," he admitted recently when reflecting on his struggles to dislodge Eoin Reddan and Isaac Boss, though the experiences undoubtedly stood to him.
The break-up of the three-time European champions happened slowly and the former St Michael’s College student resisted the temptation to move on. The decision has been rewarded.
Two years ago he started just one Champions Cup clash in a dismal European season that saw Leo Cullen’s side prop up the pool table for the first time with record losses. The following season, he started all eight games in a European campaign that concluded at the penultimate stage. Throw in an Ireland debut and growing stature and leadership role within the provincial set-up and it was a definitive shift in his standing at both provincial and international level.
And he hasn't rested on his laurels either.
All but one of McGrath’s 12 appearances this season have been from the off. The latest of those, in the all-too-easy 36-point drubbing of Glasgow was another example of his ability to dictate tempo and marshall his team into the redzone.
In a Leinster team averaging 35 points a game, as Scott Fardy became the 26th player to cross the whitewash this season, McGrath is becoming the conductor of the orchestra with minimal fuss. His first-half breaks, quick, incisive passing and an eye for space has seen the clamour for a place on the bench in Paris growing. Not that the player himself is getting carried away.
"It's all about playing well for Leinster. It would be great to get into that squad, but only if I play well here," he said post-match in a typically understated manner.
Key to convincing Schmidt is a more rounded game, not just the visible attacking verve. Here too McGrath has quietened the critics.
A 37-9 Pro14 defeat of the Cardiff Blues in September had the appearance of a routine victory, but for more than an hour just five points separated the sides. Defensive efficiency was every bit as crucial as engineering a break against the Welsh club at the RDS, but McGrath stood firm.
So enjoyable watching @LukeMcGrath93 put the smack down on unexpecting victims. Love to know his tackle count for the game
— luke fitzgerald (@lukefitz11) September 8, 2017
The answer to Luke Fitzgerald’s tweet was just four tackles, but it felt like much more on the night. It's been like that for most of the campaign; his ferocity and efficiency on the other side of the ball will please Leinster and Irish management no end.
His missed tackles tally has just drifted into double figures, but there’s no doubt the scrum-half, who tips the scales two stone lighter than Murray, punches above his weight.
A five-minute cameo in the November internationals was a clear indication that Marmion was still the man favoured by Schmidt in the back-up role, but his form since then has given the management team plenty to mull over in the coming weeks with the Six Nations looming.
McGrath turns 25 on the day Ireland take on Les Bleus in the French capital and it could yet be a birthday to remember for the hard-working scrum-half.
