While the continued absences of Joe McCarthy and Tadhg Furlong remove two decisions from the equation for Simon Easterby ahead of Sunday's Guinness Six Nations meeting with Scotland, the interim Ireland head coach does have some big calls to make between now and when he names his matchday squad on Friday morning.
As it stands, it doesn't appear as if injuries will dictate his selection. Finlay Bealham was a scare over the weekend after he caught his ankle under a ruck in the second half of Saturday's win against against England, but the fact that another tighthead hasn’t been called up bodes well for his chances of playing.
Similarly, Mack Hansen trained fully on Wednesday, and appears to be on course for inclusion after suffering a bad cut on his knee which required stitches.
The main selection decisions facing Easterby, it seems, are positive decisions. The performance and impact offered by the Irish replacements last Saturday has given the Irish management team food for thought; reward the game changers, or stick with a winning formula?
The three replacements from last week pushing hardest for places in the starting XV this Sunday will be Dan Sheehan, Jack Conan and Jack Crowley. Sheehan and Conan’s introduction on 50 minutes brought a new energy to the Irish performance, while Crowley was also brought on before the hour mark and had arguably his best outing in a green shirt.
It was the latest in a string of positive displays from the Munster out-half (above), who paid a big price for his team’s poor start to the season when he lost his starting place in the Ireland side to Sam Prendergast in November.
If Andy Farrell had made that decision back in November to lay a challenge down in front of Crowley, the 25-year-old has responded perfectly.
Ahead of Sunday’s trip to Murrayfield to face Scotland, the opinion polls seem split on who should wear the 10 jersey.
"My summary is for Jack Crowley to come off the bench for 22 minutes [against England] and impress the way he did, I do think in his position you’d like to be given the chance to run the week," former Munster out-half Jonny Holland told the RTÉ Rugby podcast this week.
"If he’s not being given the chance to run the week after the performance, the maturity, how he responded to being dropped, then you kind of go 'what am I doing?’
"I do think he deserves a shot of running the week against Scotland and starting it, and leaving Sam having the impact off the bench, because they can both do both."
The counter to that argument was presented by Bernard Jackman, highlighting how the upcoming bye-week presents Easterby to stick with Prendergast for another game, before bumping Crowley into a starting role against Wales.
"I would leave Sam [in the team] this week because I think you have to take into account that it was England, you have to trust your eyes and in the first half he had some errors, and we were pinned for the first 20 minutes.
"A lot of our 22 attack, the fact that we didn't score wasn't down to him either. He had a good game with some errors, but I would leave him play this week. I would certainly start Jack the week after.
"I’d be very comfortable with either of them starting to be honest. The key is they are absolutely certain what the coaches want from them."
Easterby's own comments after the game last Saturday gave a good indication of his willingness to avoid any reactionary selections, highlighting how those who came off the bench benefitted from an England team that had been worn down by the starters.
Sunday’s opponents, Scotland, have struggled for depth in their 23 in previous meetings with Ireland, but Gregor Townsend did get an injection of intensity from his replacements in the 31-19 win against Italy, with Jack Dempsey, Tom Jordan and Gregor Brown all impressing in the second half.
And Jackman believes Ireland might be wise to hold back some punch of their own for the final quarter this weekend.
"I wouldn't be against keeping the same team and same bench.
"I would treat it like a two-block period. Say Jack Conan [above], Dan Sheehan and Jack Crowley are going to start the next game, then they benefit from having a week and a half prep like the fellas that played against England did.
"It would make some sense to have the same group, as such, give and take for injuries – but not mess around with the starting team too much, but then reward people for another big performance after Scotland."
However, as Cork Constitution head coach Holland pointed out, if Sheehan and Conan both start in the Irish pack this weekend, will the team be in a better position heading down the stretch?
"I struggle with this. Maybe because I’m a club coach and not an international coach," he said.
"If Dan Sheehan starts the game, are Scotland even in with a shout? That’s where I struggle with it. You do need to hold back a card at some stage, that if you do get under pressure, that you have to be able to turn it and not just hang on and survive.
"I don't like picking finishers so to speak. That’s a quirk of selection. I like to start with my best team go forward."
Ireland’s team to face Scotland will be announced at 9am on Friday morning.
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