The way that I look at it Macca's still in that squad from his efforts with us, not his performances for Leinster so far..

Like the fact that Schmidt seems to be putting a team together base do the opponents rather than just on time served..

IrishRugby wrote: Ireland Team To Play Australia

Paul O'Connell will lead Ireland against Australia in the Aviva Stadium this Saturday as the new Irish captain starts in the second row in the second game of the Guinness Series.
O'Connell is joined in the engine room by Devin Toner with Cian Healy introduced to the front row. Sean O'Brien starts at openside in the absence of the injured Chris Henry.
Brian O'Driscoll earns his 127th cap since his Test debut against Australia in 1999 and will be partnered in midfield by Luke Marshall.

Johnny Sexton returns to the out-half berth and is reunited with his former provincial half-back partner Eoin Reddan.

There are 10 2013 British and Irish Lions involved in the match day squad: Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll, Johnny Sexton, Conor Murray, Jamie Heaslip, Sean O' Brien, Paul O'Connell, Rory Best and Cian Healy. 11 of the Ireland XV started in the RWC11 victory over Australia in Eden Park, New Zealand.

IRELAND Team & Replacements v Australia
(Guinness Series and Lansdowne Cup, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Saturday, November 16th, kick-off 17.45 GMT)

Player/Club/Province/Caps

15. Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster) 47

14. Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) 52

13. Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) 126

12. Luke Marshall (Ballinahinch/Ulster) 3

11. Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster) 20

10. Johnny Sexton (Racing Metro) 36

9. Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster) 51

8. Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster) 58

7. Sean O'Brien (UCD/Leinster) 28

6. Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) 17

5. Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster) 86

4. Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster) 8

3. Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster) 32

2. Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) 68

1. Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster) 40

REPLACEMENTS

16. Sean Cronin (St Mary's College/Leinster) 28

17. Jack McGrath (St Mary's College/Leinster) 1

18. Stephen Archer (Cork Constitution/Munster) 1

19. Mike McCarthy (Con/ster) 13

20. Kevin McLaughlin (St Mary's College/Leinster) 6

21. Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster) 20

22. Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster) 5

23. Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht) 2

Hope he gets on, there are 15 Leinster players in the team including the bench

Delighted. Thormley hinted at it this morning in his article.

robbie on the bench

Poor game, Ireland eventually put a weak Samoan outfit to the sword. They were missing a few apparently but expected more from them. Nothing like the side who won in Cardiff last November. Australia next week is the first serious test of the Schmidt tenure

sol, had to put my glasses on to see it. he's a grown man and 9 days gone, id expect more hahaha

i expect samoa to have a good go. very average players in the ireland team

Pat on RTE now talking about Samoas recent loss. Fair play to him.

(He also has the starting of the Movember tache, seemed to say he was guilted into it by the lads!!)

He is a massive figure in world rugby though and will be around until 2015 WC, if he is fit he is a definite starter anytime. He will be looking towards that WC, I also think that it breaks from the Leinster background that Joe would have. It looks good for him not to pick a Leinster man in terms of team unity.

What do people think of POC as Captain? Am I the only one who thinks it should have gone to someone else? He hasn't played for Ireland in 19 months and has serious fitness issues. Don't get me wrong I think he's a great player and leader but I question giving it to a man who will probably miss more games than he will play.

Happy out with the team. Would have had Marshall at 12 though. Some bench!

Robbie wasn't fit anyway, he had a hip issue

I am more than a little peeved that Robbie was not released for the Glasgow match after the announcement for the Samoa game, he's now unlikely to make the team or the bench for any of the Autumn Internationals.

In fact it's unacceptable in my opinion.

Dissapointed for Robbie that he doesn't even make the bench, but a small crumb is at least we have some representation there in Reddan, Cronin and Macca...

Seems like a strong enough team (at least a strong 23). Shame Robbie didn't make the cut.

1. Mc grath.
2. Best.
3. Ross.
4. Toner.
5. McCarthy.
6. Pom.
7. Henry.
8. Heaslip.
9. Murray.
10. Jackson
11. Bows.
12. Darcy.
13. Bod.
14. McFadden.
15. R Kearney.

16. Cronin,
17. Healy.
18. Fitzpatrick.
19. Poc
20. Sob.
21. Redd in.
22. Madigan.
23. D Kearney.

Schmidt's first team. Poc is captain with heaslip vice captain and captain on pitch for Samoa.

The Ireland game is Samoa's only match this autumn against a top 10 test nation, i think Samoa could be really up for this game, Ireland will need to operating close to full strength and potential to bring this one in.......Where as Australia playing All six nation teams except France in their 5 weekends...Samoa are suffering from their commercial appeal i guess compared to their 7th place world ranking....


Australia's record for 2013 - 2 wins in 6 Rugby Championship games, 1 wins in 3 Lions test, down to England already last week........3 wins in 10 this calendar year so far, saw they got some hammering in the Aussie Media as well....McKenzie-Wallabies need more than Italy and Scotland wins to get some sense of respectability on 2013......Aussies could be problematic for Ireland with their backs against the wall looking for results when they come to Dublin

The Ireland game is important to the All Blacks...McCaw has mentioned in post match interviews in the past that New Zealand do be very aware that Ireland have never beaten them and everytime they go out against Ireland an added motivation to beat us is not to be a member of the first New Zealand team to lose to Ireland.

New Zealand could also have a historic 100% win record to achieve, for 2013 calendar year, with a win in the Ireland match if they remain unbeaten until then.

Yikes Ireland are up against it this Autumn International series (All 3 teams above them in world rankings, compared to there was always a Fiji or Argentina in other autumn series), but I trust Schmidt to bring an X factor to Irish play and-or team selection to get a few results from the series.