They were supposed to be competing for the same jersey, but it now looks like both of them could be thrown in from the start against the Springboks.
According to the Irish Independent this morning, Ireland coach Joe Schmidt is ready to pair Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne in a new centre partnership against South Africa on Saturday in what would really mark a new era in the Irish backline after years of Gordon D’Arcy and Brian O’Driscoll at 12 and 13 respectively.
Henshaw and Payne had both been touted as potential starters at outside centre alongside D’Arcy for the first clash in the November series this weekend, but the Leinster man has struggled with a groin injury of late and Schmidt is believed to have liked what he has seen from the new-look partnership in training so far.
It would be a bold move by Schmidt to put his faith in a new-look and inexperienced pairing, especially against a team as talented and experienced as the Springboks, but it also pretty exciting and a glimpse into what might come in the future when D’Arcy eventually hangs up his boots.
Rory Best, meanwhile, is unlikely to be fit to face South Africa as he continues to struggle with a calf problem, with Sean Cronin likely to start at hooker if the Ulster captain fails to make it.
