By Gary Watton
March 18 2014

Last year I presented myself with the unhappy task of conducting a post-mortem into Ireland's under-achieving campaign of 2013. Twelve months on and it is my happy duty to provide a player-by-player analysis of Ireland's successful vintage of 2014. Here follows my end-of-term report for every man who started at least one of our five recent matches.

Rob Kearney

The folks across the Irish Sea might understandably rave about the qualities of Mike Brown and Leigh Halfpenny, but we Emerald Islanders wouldn't swap the consistently excellent Rob for anyone, past or present. He is solid under the high ball and when he has a notion of launching a counter-attack, he can prove as  dangerous with ball in hand as anyone. He did almost sabotage his tremendous work with that horrendous garryowen at the end of the France cliffhanger, but otherwise he was as reliable as ever.

Andrew Trimble

The competition for a place on the wing is ferocious, but Trimble has excelled as the championship progressed. He is both capable of skipping past or bursting through opposition defences, while his defensive capabilities are better than ever. Andrew scored three tries, caught lots of high balls and restarts, and did his fair share of tackling. I think that the Irish rugby follower got value for money from his efforts. If he can keep Tommy Bowe out of the team, then this will reinforce Schmidt's well-placed confidence in him, after Trimble was unfairly cast into outer darkness by Declan Kidney failure.

Brian O'Driscoll

The world is queueing up to pay tribute to the prince of centres, so I need not repeat everyone else's glowing praise. Suffice to say that O'Driscoll could still play at the highest level for at least another year. He has the making of a formidable open-side flanker! His acceleration of old may have deserted him, but he is still an effective ball-carrier and a fierce tackler. We will remember him fondly as an all-singing, all-dancing centre who possessed a vast array of qualities.

Gordon D'Arcy

The bearded wonder remains a willing runner, but he totally lacks the pace and even the power to burst through enemy lines. I do wish that this great foil for O'Driscoll would follow his partner's lead and quit while he is ahead. His tackling is no longer of the highest quality and for all his energy and enthusiasm, he is simply keeping two or three talented young Ulstermen out of the team, which is a shame. Come on Gordon. It's time to go. We want to remember you too as a rugby great. Don't hang on in desperation, while slowly deteriorating. It's not dignified, sir. 

Luke Marshall

The Ulster prodigy got only one outing against Scotland where he did nothing wrong. He can count himself unlucky to be discarded in favour of the more experienced D'Arcy. In comparing D'Arcy's subsequent outings with that of Marshall, did the Leinster maestro really add value to the cause? I foresee an exciting partnership between Marshall at twelve and Sexton at thirteen, if the selectors care to think outside of the box.

Dave Kearney

Opinion appears to be divided about Dave. He may not have grabbed the glory of any tries in spite of a spectacular near-miss at the end of the Scotland match, but Kearney impresses me as an elusive runner who simply refuses to go down in the tackle. He always makes yards and is an absolute handful to stop. However, there is a plethora of candidates, headed by Earls and Zebo waiting in the wings, so Dave will have to produce an extraordinary level of brilliance to retain his place in the long term.

Jonny Sexton

I have recently compiled an item entitled 'Erratic Jonny Sexton' because this brilliant and frustrating fly half commands extensive in-depth analysis! Sexton will continue to grace Ireland, scoring tries, kicking goals, launching attacks, and stopping opponents, but I would wish to lobby for JS being relocated to the centre. The guy is such an all-rounder that he would thrive there, and we could bring in an extra place-kicker and a safe pair of hands at fly half. 

Conor Murray

I foolishly used to think that Murray was keeping the seat warm until a great scrum half came along. Now I realise that he is that great scrum half! Murray was a fine success on the most recent Lions tour and he has subsequently gone from strength to strength. He plays with confidence and authority. His box kicks are his party trick, but the big guy can tackle and run with ball in hand too. He is our answer to Mike Phillips, and that is no mean compliment! This is just as well because Eoin Reddan was also impressive when he deputised for Conor in the Italy and France fixtures.

Jamie Heaslip

Oh I just cannot decide if Heaslip is a world-class great or not. He remains a willing, though not entirely convincing, ball-carrier. His mobility is second to none amongst back row forwards. He is a great outlet in the line-out. He also rarely misses a tackle. I still wonder if we should retain Henry at openside flanker and bring back O'Brien in place of Heaslip. [Somehow I doubt if Mr Schmidt will agree.] Heaslip will remain a fixture in the team for the foreseeable future.

Chris Henry

It is a credit to the big guy that the excellent O'Brien was scarcely missed. Henry has grown into his role in the team and it will be a difficult call to replace him when big Sean returns. Henry was at the heart of the action throughout the tournament. He managed to record a try and was pivotal in Sexton's first try in Paris. Henry's workrate was hugely impressive. Few people can fault his efforts in the 2014 adventure when he was merely drafted in as a stand-in.

Peter O'Mahony

Folk far and wide sang his praises after a highly 'effective' shift against the Welsh. O'Mahony is another great line-out option and a formidable tackler. His ball-carrying is not on the same level as that of Ferris however and he did go into his shell against the French. O'Mahony's international future is up in the air. He could be evicted if/when Ferris recovers from his injury woes or he could end up a future Ireland captain.

Ian Henderson

Henderson has a bizarre knack of hitting the ground running when he appears as a substitute, and yet his performance from the start against Italy was distinctly average. Time is on his side and he should at the very least remain on the fringes of the squad as he is an expert at carrying the ball forward.

Paul O'Connell

His best rugby days are behind him, but O'Connell is still a force to be reckoned with. He never goes missing in a match. Although his ball-carrying is not of the highest standard any more, he still has at least one more year of quality rugby in him. I also wouldn't want the big guy to cling on to his place forever when other good candidates are emerging. 

Dan Tuohy

Tuohy was an able understudy for O'Connell in the triumph against Scotland. His line-out catch set up Heaslip's comfortable drive over the line for the team's second try of that afternoon. Is Tuohy ready to compete against O'Connell for a place in the team, or is the Ulster lock not yet international quality?

Devin Toner

Not surprisingly, this Irish giraffe is unstoppable in the line-outs. However, his ball-carrying attempts are best described as 'a work in progress'! Toner has distinguished himself with plenty of tackles and he was foremost in 'choking' a French opponent at the end of the Paris drama, thereby curtailing a French attack in the dying seconds. Toner will be given more time to develop as an international lock forward and work on his apparent limitations.

Mike Ross

Ross may be in 'old age' now with a worthy candidate knocking at the door, but the ageing stalwart ain't going quietly. His scrummaging prowess is a bedrock of our pack and he is putting in more tackles and even ball carries than ever. Ross is an unsung hero. I'm glad that he has a winner's medal.

Rory Best

The Ulster maestro has firmly put behind him a disappointing Lions adventure and returned to the heights of old. His line-out throwing is considerably more accurate. The fact that Ireland barely lost a single line-out in the tournament owes as much to Best as it does to the tall targets he has to aim at. Elsewhere, Best is always in the thick of the action. He is a good link man in attacking moves, and is frequently available to receive a pass, a testament to his fitness. His workrate in the loose and at the breakdown remains of the highest standard.

Cian Healy

The man who paints in his spare time almost painted his team into a corner with a discretion in the second half in Paris. However, Healy wouldn't be Healy if he wasn't playing on the edge. His scrummaging is probably better than ever and he remains arguably the best ball-carrying prop forward in European rugby. What a tragedy that injury robbed him of the likely glory of a starting place in the Lions team last summer. However, a winner's medal in 2014 will have softened that blow! 

Finally, there was a ludicrous media myth that was doing the rounds over ten years ago that Irish rugby had a 'golden generation' that was a shining but temporary phenomenon. Well, O'Gara, Hickie, Horgan, Stringer, Dempsey, Murphy, Wallace, and now O'Driscoll have all gone, and Ireland remain as potent now as they ever have. We have a revolving door of great new players coming through to replace the legends of recent years. The assembly line in Ulster, Leinster, Munster, and yes Connacht is still delivering more talent for tomorrow. To think that Ireland have just won the recent Six Nations in spite of the following being unavailable or unable to get into the first XV is simply stunning. Here's to absent friends, namely Ferris, O'Brien, Ryan, Bowe, Cave, Earls, Fitzgerald, Gilroy, Olding, and Zebo. The future is bright. The future is green!