My Ireland Team

[poppy]

15.KEARNEY.14.EARLS.13.FITZGERALD.12.O DRISCOLL.11.BOWE.10.O GARA.9.O LEARY(reddan is playing rubbish and his pass to slow).8.HEASLIP.7.WALLACE.6.BEST(but since he is banned I would Have ALAN UILAN sorry no cue).5.O CONNELL.4.O CALLAGHAN.3.HAYES.FLANNERY.HORAN. If leamy was fit I would play him at 6

 

[monkeypigeon]

On form in big letters yet there's Best...and no Quinlan.

 

[cyRil]

Well isn't that team full of world class, non-average players...

 

[monkeypigeon]

I'd split it 50/50 between the average and the...won't call them world class but 'super' players.
and now that I realise that you can't split 15 players 50/50 I'll say that Hayes doesn't count.

 

[MunsterMan]

Alan Quinlan > Neil Best. Otherwise I would agree although hooker will be a tough call.

 

[shazbooger]

Hate these lazy posts. If we were playing NZ tomorrow, I'd probably like to see;

1. Hayes
2. Best
3. Horan
4. Casey
5. O'Connell
6. Quinlan
7. Jennings
8. Wallace
9. O'Leary
10. O'Gara
11. Bowe
12. Wallace
13. O'Driscoll
14. Fitzgerald
15. Kearney

I'm picking;
Best at hooker because both flannery and jackman are hopelessly unreliable out of touch.
Casey at four cause I'd just like to have a look at him in the hope that he might offer a bit more than O'Callaghan.
Jennings cause I dont think Wallace is a 7
Wallace at 12 because he hasnt actually been doing too badly there for Ulster.

 

[shtove]

Hmm, that's interesting - Logo goes for Wallace at 8 instead of the conquering hero from D4 (you'll probably inform me he was born in Naas and suckled by badgers).

Haven't seen much of Ulster, so I've no idea how Wallace is doing at 12. Would be a shame to send FitzG's tackling and distribution out to the wing. But I wouldn't stick Earls on the wing either. Best thing is to have BOD/Fitz in centre, and you can't go wrong with Horgan out wide. I've slagged off Bowe before and been proven wrong - but not by much.

Kearney at 15 is still a mixed experience, while Dempsey is the steady class act.

Hooker is a toss up. Second row as well - Casey? That would be an interesting show of the hand by the new management. And none of the up and coming props is really on the up.

 

[monkeypigeon]

I'd Like to see Fitzgerald and earls together at centre for the Canada match. Kearney full back. Bowe on the left and Horgan on the right.

Casey I agree is worth a bash, nice backrow and I'd rather unreliable lineout ball than Best (who's hardly a rock himself).

 

[An Tarbh]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (shtove @ Oct 27 2008, 10:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Hmm, that's interesting - Logo goes for Wallace at 8 instead of the conquering hero from D4 (you'll probably inform me he was born in Naas and suckled by badgers).

Haven't seen much of Ulster, so I've no idea how Wallace is doing at 12. Would be a shame to send FitzG's tackling and distribution out to the wing. But I wouldn't stick Earls on the wing either. Best thing is to have BOD/Fitz in centre, and you can't go wrong with Horgan out wide. I've slagged off Bowe before and been proven wrong - but not by much.

Kearney at 15 is still a mixed experience, while Dempsey is the steady class act.

Hooker is a toss up. Second row as well - Casey? That would be an interesting show of the hand by the new management. And none of the up and coming props is really on the up.[/b]

well he was born in Israel but can't really hold that against him, still though coming from Clontarf that's got wannabe D4 written all over it.

I'd go Heaslip, Jennings, Quinlan in the backrow with Wallace making an impact for either one of the 3 with 30-20 minutes left, here's hoping Kidney will use his bench unlike his gimplike predecessor.

I see the logic behind Wallace at centre but think that Fitzgerald with O'Driscoll gives us better options.

Kearney has looked a class act at full back so far for Ireland so that's where I'd have him for the Autumn with Earls and Bowe on either wing.

I think Flannery may well have sneaked ahead in the pecking order for hooker, he had a dodgy start in Sale and was poor against Montauban but did seem to turn things round. The lineout has become far more competitive under the ELVs so given that Flannery offers a bit more around the park I'd go with him.

Casey is worth a go but I'd be hugely surprised to see it happening, we can only hope. Given the importance of this series how many risks will Kidney be willing to take?

 

[shtove]

Fair amount of variety there - Leinster keep coming up with more and more options out wide.

But Wallace at 8, like he was for Munster, could be the most interesting.

 

[shazbooger]

I suppose I just like to see a different approach, some kind of change, even it amounts to a change for the worse

Casey, Best and Fitzgerald I'd be open to change but at the same time I'd like to see something different offered, if only off the bench. O'Connell, M O'Driscoll, O'Callaghan and O'kelly have had it their own way for two long. Casey has been calling out for a run so give it to him.

I'd like to see the Quinlan, Jennings and Wallace combination been given a good run. Specifically Jennings at 7. But the fact that Jennings is the only real 7 has me a little worried. Pollock or O'Connor could and possibly should have been included.

And finally, Wallace and O'Driscoll did well in the summer tour, and Wallace has been playing well for Ulster so why not let them keep going.

 

[bluebull3]

lads lets face it we ought to be hammering a side like canada no matter what side you put out if i was declan kidney i would of went for a 15 like this

1.healy
2.jackman
3.buckley
4.casey
5.caldwell
6.ferris
7.pollock
8.quinny
9.o'leary
10.keatley
11.dowling
12.earls
13.fitzy
14.horgan
15.carr

i can't understand why they just dont throw out a side like dat nothing to lose if ur afraid to lose to canada with ur second team you really shouldn't call yourself a top 8 side . any1 agree ??

 

[shazbooger]

But you learn nothing from it as this team will NEVER play with eachother again.

Its about integrating new players with the old established heads, trying out new combinations and seeing how they get on playing with eachother.

Think of it as a potentially physical training session (that you dare not lose)

 

[bluebull3]

but surely a game like this will show you a thing or two about the depth issues in irish rugby for the last 2 or 3 years wallace as been pinned as out half no 2 but this years emergence og ian keatly as blown that debate back open these players are earmaked as the next generation of irish rugby throw them in a test mast situation against a weaker team like canada and see what they can do

 

[shazbooger]

Yeah agree about having a look at a few key positions, but not at all of em. Its probably a bit early for Pollock and Keatley, while O'leary's form has been kinda rubbish. he has given a few guys a run in the pack, but he could have done more. Maybe he will use the bench?

With the team he has put out, we can try to generate some kind of momentum, while resting a few key players at the same time.

 

[O'Rothlain]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Logorrhea @ Oct 27 2008, 03:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Hate these lazy posts. If we were playing NZ tomorrow, I'd probably like to see;

1. Hayes
2. Best
3. Horan
4. Casey
5. O'Connell
6. Quinlan
7. Jennings
8. Wallace
9. O'Leary
10. O'Gara
11. Bowe
12. Wallace
13. O'Driscoll
14. Fitzgerald
15. Kearney

I'm picking;
Best at hooker because both flannery and jackman are hopelessly unreliable out of touch.
Casey at four cause I'd just like to have a look at him in the hope that he might offer a bit more than O'Callaghan.
Jennings cause I dont think Wallace is a 7
Wallace at 12 because he hasnt actually been doing too badly there for Ulster.[/b]

What about Reading at Scrumhalf? I like your list.

 

[JohnBE]

hmm at the mo

Hayes
Flannery
Horan
O'Connell
O'Calaghan (i want to put okelly there but just cant)
Quinlin
Jennings
Wallace
Redden
O'Gara
Kearney
O'driscol
Fitzgerald
Shane Horgan
Dempsey

 

[An Tarbh]

I have changed my recent thinking on the Ireland side, not convinced of Fitzgerald at centre for the moment, think it's worth giving Wallace another go with O'Driscoll. Quinlan gets away with murder for Munster but forever gets pinged for Ireland so he's not worth selecting, especially when you've someone like Ferris there. Deccie doesn't seem to rate Jennings but I'd still have him in my team.

15. Kearney, 14. Bowe, 13. O'Driscoll, 12. Wallace, 11. Fitzgerald, 10. O'Gara, 9. O'Leary, 1. Horan, 2. Best, 3. Hayes, 4. O'Callaghan, 5. O'Connell, 6. Ferris, 7. Jennings, 8. Wallace.

16. Healy, 17. Flannery, 18. Ryan, 19. Leamy, 20. Reddan, 21. Sexton, 22. Earls

 

[durbutter]

yep fancy that team, maybe stinger and humphries instead of reddan and sexton. maybe.

 

[An Tarbh]

not much between Stringer and Reddan at the moment in fairness, with O'Leary getting all the big games it's hard to judge the performances of Stringer, I know Reddan hasn't been in good form either but at least he's getting regular rugby at a decent level and I suppose on those grounds you'd be right to give Humphreys a go as well.