Joe Schmidt insists he will not throw Ireland's young guns into the fray before their time as he fears the unforgiving Test arena could destroy their confidence.
The head coach revealed he had spoken to both exciting Leinster centre Garry Ringrose and Munster No 8 Jack O'Donoghue about their development as he looks to handle Ireland's rising crop of talent with care.
Both Ringrose [21] and O'Donoghue [22] failed to make Schmidt's 35-man Six Nations panel but the uncapped foursome of Josh van der Flier [22], CJ Stander [25], Stuart McCloskey [23] and Ultan Dillane [22] did make the cut.
"We don't want to be naive about putting a player in too early and him having some unseemly experiences and knocking his confidence," said Schmidt.
"It’s about timing things. I’ve spoken to a number of young players – the Jack O’Donoghues, the Garry Ringroses – including the guys we do have the squad.
"Chatting to guys like Josh van der Flier and Ultan Dillane and those sort of guys, it’s about building their experiences and them having the confidence to perform in an environment they’re comfortable enough in .
"It’s never going to be entirely comfortable, that’s why it’s a Test match, but [it’s important to] make sure they’ve got the requisite physical conditioning and experience to add value at that point so that they feel comfortable."
Schmidt named Rory Best as his new captain last Thursday and the New Zealander emphasised the Irish camp's confidence that the Ulster hooker has the experience and qualities to flourish in the role.
VIDEO: "He is a very good character off the pitch & a very good leader on the pitch." - Schmidt on captain Rory Best https://t.co/kqxgpl7VMC
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) January 27, 2016
"It's very much a group decision. The coaches when we sat together and the staff, we virtually endorsed what the feeling what was the players. I'm very comfortable that Rory steps in. Obviously with 89 caps his experience is immense.
"At the same time he has been very much a regular fixture in all of the campaigns that we have managed to put together in my tenure.
"I have got to know Rory really well. He is a very good character off the pitch and a very good leader on the pitch. He is a very good individual player, I think that has to be fundamental to any captaincy decision as well."
