Bernard Jackman says that a lack of game time shouldn't be a concern for Ireland as they prepare for the start of the Guinness Six Nations next month.
Andy Farrell's side had a fruitful autumn series, including a victory over New Zealand in Dublin, but disruption thereafter in the United Rugby Championship has led to fears in some quarters that Wales will face an undercooked host side at the Aviva Stadium on 5 February.
All four Irish provinces had matches that were postponements due to Covid-19 cases in their squads. Many of Munster's players faced an extended period of isolation in South Africa when the omicron variant was first discovered there.
RTÉ and Virgin Media confirm details of free-to-air Six Nations coverage
Omicron's arrival on these shores was followed by numerous fixtures falling by the wayside over the Christmas period, adding up to large stretches of few competitive games for Leinster, Munster, Connacht and Ulster.
Jackman, speaking on RTÉ's Game On, says the long break between games for some players shouldn't be a major concern for Farrell ahead of the beginning of the tournament.
"It was really important that Leinster got to play last and this week," he began.
'Can Conor Murray find the tempo game to make him the number one scrum-half? - @bernardjackman assesses the battle to be the starting @irishrugby number nine on @GameOn2FM pic.twitter.com/ki4eVajpjO
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) January 19, 2022
"We saw in November that when Ireland pick a full strength team, it's very much under-pinned by Leinster players.
"The Irish players are miles behind the English players, in terms of game time over the last seven or eight weeks, but those two games [in Europe] should be enough.
"I would say the Irish players are going to be very fresh. Ordinarily you'd have big Irish derbies, more intense European games... the overall number of minutes has been quite low, but they're getting games at just the right time before the tournament starts.
"It's ok. I would have been worried if last week's round, or this week's round, in Europe had suffered, but I think we're just about all right."
