New Zealand Maori squad (to play England and Ireland)

[munstermuffin]

Think we'll be alot weaker than that Feicarsinn as I can't see Kidney make likes of DOC, Earls (who is hampering injury), Murphy or Bowe play this game with very physical games each weekend of it.

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

Wow, it'd be great if you guys decide to listen to all us New Zealand fans and accept our injury excuses ahead of our annual end-of-year tour. Somehow history tells me we won't get away with that.

Ready made injury excuses (as bracing for the chances of a loss) are at least something the English who are also touring aren't doing (yet).

 

[durbutter]

Go away, NZ have massive strength in depth compared to ireland, so don't start.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Good point durbutter. Anyway, we've never beaten NZ so when did they need excuses? We're missing 4 number sixes and 4 locks. If you factor in that we only have 4 pro teams it comes pretty apparent that we're going to be a bit sub par.

 

[MunsterMan]

NZ and Australia will be playing an injury ravaged Irish forward pack, that is a fact. I certainly don't plan to use it as an excuse if we lose and hopefully neither does anyone else

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

Go away yourself, durbutter. Just so long as Irish are aware that NZ Maori are mostly full strength, but the All Blacks are equally injury ravaged. We have nearly 10 All Blacks unavailable due to injury.

I suppose I'm going to be told that the bulk of the irish posts which spurred my response earlier were not nearly all focusing on how injury struck Ireland are? Was the content all about how the game could play out, whether Ireland might play a kicking, running or forwards based game, or maybe about which players might step up a little to fill the void? No, in all honesty it was focus on injuries.

Legitimate if there wasn't so much of it. It's excuse making.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Wow, it'd be great if you guys decide to listen to all us New Zealand fans and accept our injury excuses ahead of our annual end-of-year tour. Somehow history tells me we won't get away with that.

Ready made injury excuses (as bracing for the chances of a loss) are at least something the English who are also touring aren't doing (yet).

We're not really missing much, just Hartley that i can think of, and he isn't the best hooker in the team anyway
Our team woes come from Johnsons selection policy, and i think we've moaned about that since he was appointed anyway

 

[Conal]

even if the all blacks are injury ravaged they have a far bigger pool of players to pick from ireland dont

 

[munstermuffin]

I wish Nick Williams was Irish then we'd be sorted

 

[Darwin]

I wish Nick Williams was Irish then we'd be sorted

I'm not sure if you are serious or not (I mean who could seriously say they wanted Nick Williams in their team?). When in NZ he was undoubtedly the laziest rugby player I've ever seen - all he would do is wait around until he got the ball, have a wee run, then spend the next few minutes with his hands on his knees recovering.....

 

[Feicarsinn]

Go away yourself, durbutter. Just so long as Irish are aware that NZ Maori are mostly full strength, but the All Blacks are equally injury ravaged. We have nearly 10 All Blacks unavailable due to injury.

I suppose I'm going to be told that the bulk of the irish posts which spurred my response earlier were not nearly all focusing on how injury struck Ireland are? Was the content all about how the game could play out, whether Ireland might play a kicking, running or forwards based game, or maybe about which players might step up a little to fill the void? No, in all honesty it was focus on injuries.

Legitimate if there wasn't so much of it. It's excuse making.

Of course it is. What the hell is wrong with making excuses? It makes us feel better while you can still bask in victory. Seems selfish on your part not to allow us to make whatever the hell excuse we want.

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

Of course it is. What the hell is wrong with making excuses? It makes us feel better while you can still bask in victory. Seems selfish on your part not to allow us to make whatever the hell excuse we want.

Lol, I'm partly trying to remove part of that "under-dog tag with a ready-made excuse" thing, but partly joking around. I love the Irish team. I like most Northern Hemisphere sides to a certain degree, but have always particularly liked watching the Irish. Just don't like going into a game with this scenario, it invariably leads to "Oh the All Blacks won, but only by 8pts, moral victory to us".

I just would prefer the Irish fans acknowledged the injuries but still got on with the job of anticipating a chance to maybe steal a surprise win. Especially against the Maori, that should be as close as any we'll see this year, injuries or not.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Oh I agree completely, moral victories aren't worth a shite at this level. We still should be targeting a win over the Maori and a victory against one of the national sides this summer but odds are that that isn't going to happen.

As for the game itself, I'd like to Sexton get the nod at ten. The lad still hasn't had enough gametime back since his injury to play against Oz or New Zealand. Hoping for big things from Dan Tuohy if he plays. He could just sneak onto the plane to New Zealand with a good tour, he can play both backrow and lock so he would be an asset if he can cut it. This may be the perfect game to trial the Drico/Earls 12-13 axis but I get the feeling that Paddy Wallace will get a run out since he isn't starting against the BaaBaas. I'd love to see this backline go out:

9) Reddan
10) Sexton
11) Bowe
12) Drico
13) Earls
14) Trimble
15) Murphy

Wouldn't be too far off our strongest despite no O'Leary, D'arcy, Kearney, Rog or Wallace, with no mention of Fitzgerald as he's clearly unavailable. The pack is another matter but we should be able to match the Maori out wide. Bowe to score a billion points.

 

[MunsterMan]

Haha that is the first choice backline I suggested a few days ago. It would tear the house down man So much pace and creativity Would love to see it played at least once on tour. Whether it will see any ball would be another matter.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Had the Drico/Earls 12/13 ever been used (like when there's been an injury mid game and they've had to reshuffle) or is it all just speculation/wishing?

 

[admartian]

I'm not sure if you are serious or not (I mean who could seriously say they wanted Nick Williams in their team?). When in NZ he was undoubtedly the laziest rugby player I've ever seen - all he would do is wait around until he got the ball, have a wee run, then spend the next few minutes with his hands on his knees recovering.....

Yeah, he's basically a poor man's Sione Lauaki.

And that's saying something...

 

[Feicarsinn]

Had the Drico/Earls 12/13 ever been used (like when there's been an injury mid game and they've had to reshuffle) or is it all just speculation/wishing?

When D'arcy went off injured against England Earls shifted inside and O'Driscoll went to 12. It worked very well by all accounts, including my own.

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

It'd be very intertesting to see more of O'Driscoll playing 2nd five, particularly if there's another decent centre option.

 

[MunsterMan]

Earls is more than a decent centre option, I hope he gets to play at 13 at some stage on tour, although he makes a fine winger too.

Two Irish players who are left out of the 22 for the New Zealand test match will be playing for the New Zealand Barbarians against the Maori as well, I think that is an excellent gesture from you guys

Seeing as the Maori game is on a weekend I do think it will be a strong Irish team. Maybe just resting the guys who have knocks instead of playing a proper second string team. Leave O'Driscoll, Heaslip, Hayes, David Wallace and possibly Tommy Bowe out and pick the rest of the team as normal.

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

This is more what I've been keen to hear. I want to know more about these players as tours are much more enjoyable when there's name and abilities you've heard about and then you get to watch them in action. I'd never heard of Earls for example.