Cheers, Dec. Temporary forum blindness.

Shows the usual lack of momentum from Kidney, sadly. Need new blood in, some of the old warriors might've been let sit the autumn out..

Merged the new thread with this one

Was chatting to a guy at work about this and we couldn't fathom the way the pack is split:

4 props
2 hookers
5 locks (2 can cover blindside)
7 backrows (4 blindsides!)

On a side note, would love to see Henderson being moulded into a second-row, himself and Ryan could be a great combo for the future

Fitzpatrick was ahead of him in NZ and Loughs isn't starting consistently for us, I doubt he's in the picture this time round.

Paul Marshall must be feeling very hard done by alright. Full-back selection will be interesting. Loughs could still be in with a shout if he has a good game against Ospreys (assuming he plays).

Sol_ie wrote: Macca and Muldoon only Connacht players included. Cronin left out aswell.

Thought some lads might get a nod after the weekend, but not to be.

Thoughts gents?

Cronin should be at a club where he is first choice, himself and Strauss are the same age and have the same game basically so barring injury / cataclysmic loss of form selection will always be a toss up.

Don't know what his contract situation is with Leinster are, but next season he should be looking at a move to Munster or at least somewhere where he is likely to be top dog...

Macca & Mul won't see any game time in anything but the Fiji game, if that. I'll bet my car Kidney will pick DO'C, PO'C and Ryan as his second row options in the key games barring an injury to one..

Luke Marshall was brought in to get experience in training hold some tackle bags and maybe get an A cap against Fiji. Shame that Loughney didn't get in but he hasn't played as much with White in the way. For me it's going to be interesting who gets the 7 jersey. Dave Wallace is gone and SOB is injured. So Chris Henry should be in with a very good shot of claiming it for this series.

Props: David Kilcoyne - Mike Ross - Tom Court - Cian Healy.

Hookers: Rory Best - Richardt Strauss

Second Row: Mike McCarthy - Donncha O'Callaghan - Paul O'Connell - Donnacha Ryan - Dan Tuohy

Flankers/No. 8: Stephen Ferris - Jamie Heaslip - Iain Henderson - Chris Henry - Kevin O'Laughlin - Peter O'Mahony - John Muldoon

Scrumhalves: Conor Murray - Eoin Reddan

Out-Halves: Ronan O'Gara - Jonathan Sexton

Centres: Darren Cave - Gordon D'Arcy - Brian O'Driscoll - Luke Marshall

Wingers/Fullbacks: Tommy Bowe - Keith Earls - Fergus McFadden - Andrew Trimble - Simon Zebo

Macca and Muldoon only Connacht players included. Cronin left out aswell.

Thought some lads might get a nod after the weekend, but not to be.

Thoughts gents?

6 locks, 3 sixes and 3 looseheads....

but only 2 hookers and 1 tighthead.

Having outdone Eddie on the upslope by clinching a Championship and Grand Slam, Yoda looks like he's after Eddie's comedy selections crown on the downslope of his regime.

swift4prez wrote: fairly happy with that squad picked. well done to strauss and henderson.

im slighty disappointed to see darcy still there and also ROG when a chance should be given to keatley and madigan.

im surprised luke marshall got a call up and not paul.

also again we dont have a fullback in the team. earls in nowhere near a full back. when was he last played there.

its a pity that from the 4 lads who left us isnt in there. cronin/strauss is 50/50 or 49/51.
keatley can be hard done by. hagan and carr need to start for leinster first

Think we'll see Bowe or McFadden covering 15...

Conman wrote: I think Paul Marshall should be in. Muldoon, D'arcy and McLaughlin are questionable choices.

You could add Luke Marshall in there too, he's been ok for Ulster. But International class, was I watching different games?

Curious to know what position Henderson is coming in to cover? Presume it's lock with Ferris/Mul/Ryan/Henry/McLaughlin/O'Mahony/Macca and even Tuohy all capable of covering the Blind Side comfortably where his only games for Ulster so far have been...

Paul M definitely, but Kidney only named two scrum halves and Murray despite having played atrociously against Racing and playing relatively well albeit against an absolutely bereft Edinburgh side. But then Kidney is always going to keep the Munster representation up with Leinster & Ulster regardless..

Thought ROG is injured, his form is definitely questionable (being polite there.. :whistle: ) so why isn't Jackson or Madigan in the squad? Sexton is the first choice Flyhalf for Ireland now, and moving forward and RO'G should only be called up if there are injuries.

Connacht	2
Leinster	10
Munster	9
Ulster	10

IRFU wrote: Irish Rugby Squad (Guinness Series 2012)

Rory Best	F	Ulster
Tommy Bowe	B	Ulster
Darren Cave	B	Ulster
Tom Court	F	Ulster
Gordon D'Arcy	B	Leinster
Keith Earls	B	Munster
Stephen Ferris	F	Ulster
Cian Healy	F	Leinster
Jamie Heaslip	F	Leinster
Iain Henderson	F	Ulster
Chris Henry	F	Ulster
David Kilcoyne	F	Munster
Luke Marshall	B	Ulster
John Muldoon	F	Connacht
Conor Murray	B	Munster
Mike McCarthy	F	Connacht
Fergus McFadden	B	Leinster
Kevin McLaughlin	F	Leinster
Donncha O'Callaghan	F	Munster
Paul O'Connell	F	Munster
Brian O'Driscoll	B	Leinster
Ronan O'Gara	B	Munster
Peter O'Mahony	F	Munster
Eoin Reddan	B	Leinster
Mike Ross	F	Leinster
Donnacha Ryan	F	Munster
Jonathan Sexton	B	Leinster
Richardt Strauss	F	Leinster
Andrew Trimble	B	Ulster
Dan Tuohy	F	Ulster
Simon Zebo	B	Munster

fairly happy with that squad picked. well done to strauss and henderson.

im slighty disappointed to see darcy still there and also ROG when a chance should be given to keatley and madigan.

im surprised luke marshall got a call up and not paul.

also again we dont have a fullback in the team. earls in nowhere near a full back. when was he last played there.

its a pity that from the 4 lads who left us isnt in there. cronin/strauss is 50/50 or 49/51.
keatley can be hard done by. hagan and carr need to start for leinster first

I think Paul Marshall should be in. Muldoon, D'arcy and McLaughlin are questionable choices.

Mul and Macca called up

Squad announcement streaming live at noon

www.irishrugby.ie/news/27538.php

Expect more of the same from Kidney. The fact our final game is against Argentina which we may have to win just to get the 8th spot for world cup seeding says it all about the direction we are heading. Back at square 1 from when he took over which was at a low ebb.

I don't believe Kidney has wonderful raw materials to work with but since 2009 (which was brilliant at the time) we haven't really delivered much of substance since then. Some very poor defeats in that time. The game has evolved a long way since 2009 and Kidney hasn't changed with it, kicking game for a while back then and the conservatism of the majority of games at the time suited his no risks approach. similar with the 2 million phases going about 2 yards that Munster successfully used to close out the Heineken.

That would never be allowed to happen now and as we have seen with Harlequins, Clermont, Leinster the emphasis is only on kicking as a last resort, keeping ball in hand is priority. Even Munster and Connacht (at times Leinster and Harlequins) are coming around to that way of thinking when traditionally it would be a case of keep things tight in the pack. No elaborate back line moves.

On the international scene NZ obviously have the same approach (even Wales, Australia etc.).

The game is moving on and if we don't move with it at international level we face a long period in the doldrums.

The squad announcement is on Wednesday. Are we expecting any call-ups? Macca? Wilko's not been in great form so wouldn't bet on him.

I'd say Loughney and Macca would be our best bet. Declan Fitzpatrick is only juuuust back from injury so I'd say Loughnry could be called in as back-up TH. Macca is 50/50 with Dan Tuohy playing so well.