Ranking Ireland’s breakthrough rugby stars of 2016 and we’ll have no arguments about No.1

Joe Schmidt wants four quality options for each position in his Ireland squad. At least. And he is deadly serious.

Schmidt took keen, bitter note of what injuries did to his team at the 2015 World Cup. He has four years to deepen an impressive player pool even further. 2017 was all about throwing guys in at the deep end and seeing how they got on. Some did better than most. Here are the players we feel did the most to make the jersey their own in 2016. 1. CJ Stander Made the No.6 jersey his. There's not much more you can do that that, but Stander did. Tore into Wales on debut, scored an NFL-style try against Scotland, bounced back well from red card disappointment in South Africa to be an inspiration against the All Blacks and brought one hell of a fight to the Aussies. Good enough to stave Peter O'Mahony off when the Munster captain returned to fitness. 2. Josh van der Flier Got his chance against England in a surprise selection but did very well. Missed the South Africa tour but had two of the best games of his young career in barracking performances, off the bench, against New Zealand. Rewarded with a start against Australia and delivered with an all-action display. 3. Garry Ringrose It felt like we were waiting an eternity for his Ireland debut but, once it arrived, there was no doubt that many, many more would follow. Decent against Canada, determined against the All Blacks and dynamite in the win over Australia. The Lions talk has already begun. Looking forward to seeing him partnered with Robbie Henshaw in the Six Nations.

Garry Ringrose's try was a first half highlight. Follow the second half action live here: https://t.co/Enb9LCwbej https://t.co/go3LAz33br

— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) November 26, 2016

4. Ultan Dilllane Eight caps for the Connacht lock in 2016 but seven were off the bench. An important squad member but not a guaranteed starter... yet. Made a mighty impact off the bench in the England game and did likewise against the Italians. Scored a fine try in his only start, thus far, against Canada and did not look out of place when mixing it with the All Blacks and Aussies. https://youtu.be/J6qnsIR6tb4 5. Finlay Bealham Made his Ireland debut in the Six Nations win over Italy but finished the year as Schmidt's regular replacement for Tadhg Furlong. Got his only start of five caps against Canada and was superb - huge tackles, decent scrummaging and a great offload for Tiernan O'Halloran's try. 6. Joey Carbery Not too many Irish rugby fans were aware of the young out-half at the beginning of the season, despite his club form with Clontarf in 2015/16. Fitness concerns over Ian Madigan and Paddy Jackson say him elevated to the senior squad and he was on for his debut with well over 20 minutes to go against the All Blacks. He lapped over a conversion from wide left - no bother - and has not looked back. Even did well as emergency fullback against Australia. 7. Tiernan O'Halloran Got his first start at fullback against South Africa after a fleeting appearance in the previous weeks' victory in Cape Town. Unfortunately, he only lasted 10 minutes before he was up-ended by Willie Le Roux. It was delightful, then, to see him get another chance against Canada and, even more so, grab a couple of tries. 8. Stuart McCloskey His call-up to the Irish squad was seemingly inevitable after a host of good performances for Ulster. Did a decent job in the Twickenham loss to England but must have irked Schmidt somehow as he has not featured since. If he keeps up his provincial form, he will press for extended training squad inclusion. 9. Matt Healy Many Irish rugby fans had been hollering for his inclusion for well over a year before he finally got the nod for the South Africa tour. Was drafted in to play fullback after O'Halloran's worrying injury and did a decent job. Would have featured in the November internationals before injury struck. Back now and doing well for Connacht. 10. John Ryan Got a little over 30 minutes off the bench against Canada but played a big part in a scrum that put the squeeze on their opponents and claimed a penalty try in the process. In fine form in Munster red too. As for the eight other men that stood in front of the Irish fans, gave it a lash during Ireland's Call and really ramped it up once they got their chance. It would be harsh to rank these eight men - Quinn Roux, Sean Reidy, Billy Holland, Jack O'Donoghue, James Tracy, Niyi Adeolokun, Luke McGrath, Dan Leavy - but they will be all hoping for more in 2017. No time to hang around as Schmidt will be eyeing a slate of new faces.