mike ross is out for 3 weeks at least

also think that the fez' (ferris) is out which is a good thing, rest the knee.
muldoon anyone ??????

Apparently Paddy Butler has being called up into the Ireland squad. Someone should have a quite word with Deccie and tell him he's managing Ireland not Munster.

In better news it looks like Wilks will be on the plane to NZ and there's rumours that he might start the BaaBaa's game. Fingers crossed.

Tom Court has tweeted he is definitely out of the NZ tour.

personally i always find these summer tours boring and unneccessary from a rugby point of view. I recognise the financial necessity of them but from a players point of view in the NH its a tour worth missing after a long season. I dont set the alarm clock to watch the games and often barely check the score(and i watch principality rugby on s4c in welsh). i also rarely take performance in these games into acc when judging a players career or ability.
Imo the Autumn Series is the squad to be in and if you fail to make this squad the 6ns is beyond you for another season on merit as a player.
I appreciate the sentiment here about the connacht players being excluded or appearing that way atm but Kidneys mandate is to win games. He, and his bosses, clearly trust players who regularly perform at the business end of the Pro12 and Hec based on the principle that ths is a higher standard than the round robin games in both series.
An example of this is Fitzpatricks selection ahead of Loughney. Fitzpatrick has played only a handful of games this season but one of these was a HEC semifinal. Kidney obviously believes that this is a better indicator of how a player may fare at test level than anything Loughney has experienced or shown to date.
People call for Marshall to be in the squad but Murray and Reddin have played the big games for Ireland and Province and Marshall hasnt.
Doc is there imo based on selection(world cup and 6n) for this season which ends after this tour. It will be interesting to see if he is seleceted for the Autumn series which of couse is a new season. POC should be left at home and if he is then Macca should go ahead of Toner based on the same principle that Toner is behind Brad Thorn for the big games.
Wilkinson if fit will tour as court aparently has been ruled out. Most of the established players like ROG, Darcy, Ferrris etc would prob privately prefer to go on holiday and rest up after a hard season.

The fact that Kidney has a year on his contract is the real problem.

He wants to get the best result he can, he won't be building for the next RWC, so he's under no obligation to blood new players and it would be detrimental to an already tarnished legacy if he went with kids and got hammered.

Totally agree with verything mentioned above.

Woke this morning as a happy camper due to the heineken cup. Saw the squad selection and got depressed again!

salmson wrote:

RogueXV wrote: A win, even if it's in a dead rubber against an All Blacks second side, would allow him to write his own ticket.

Unless he wins the series he should be out. His contract ends next summer, as does Josef Schmidt's. If the IRFU can't do the maths, then, as my oul fella would say, they "should be taken out and shot with balls of their own sh*te".

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Touche.....

RogueXV wrote: A win, even if it's in a dead rubber against an All Blacks second side, would allow him to write his own ticket.

Unless he wins the series he should be out. His contract ends next summer, as does Josef Schmidt's. If the IRFU can't do the maths, then, as my oul fella would say, they "should be taken out and shot with balls of their own sh*te".

Deeply conservative squad. Eddie O'S used to get a lot of grief for his insistence on staying with the same players, but at least he was sticking with players in their prime, not a bunch of crocks and geriatrics.

Personally, I would have left ROG, DOC, BOD and probably Ferris home for various reasons with an eye towards the 2015 RWC, but I assume Kidney wants to run with the success that Leinster and Ulster have managed this season and he feels these four and POC (I wouldn't even be waiting on his fitness) give him the best chance at a possible win. He rightfully should be feeling the pressure after another lackluster RWC and an unimpressive 6 Nations. A strong showing in NZ probably gives him some breathing room. A win, even if it's in a dead rubber against an All Blacks second side, would allow him to write his own ticket.

Look the very fact that he's taking O'Callaghan & RO'G down under say everything about Kidney. HIs dismissal cannot come soon enough as far as I'm concerned, and this is not just for Connacht players sake.

He's holding back the footballing ability of the squad and stopping their progression to anything like club form.

Put it this way. Under Kidney does anyone really think that we will be any better in one years time, in two, three or at (gawd help us) the next RWC under his tenure...???

Put it another way, if you put Kidney in charge of Leinster after Cheika left would they have two further HEC's...??

The IMF wrote: Paddy Wallace has been in the form of his life this year. Genuinely think he has been one of the best 12's in europe this season, perhaps typified by his assist on Saturday. Watching him this year it really clicked for me what Kidney has seen behind the scenes for him to have stuck with him in selection for all these years. So now Kidney drops him!

So positions to be filled are

LH Prop: Loughney is the only contender now surely just strange Kidney is making every effort to delay naming him in the squad.
2nd Row: POC if fit otherwise Cullen / Macca???
Backrow: Henry if fit otherwise Kevin McLaughlin (thought the Leinster man really stepped up to the plate on Saturday)???
Scrum Half: Boss if fit otherwise Marshall

Henry will be fit, as will Tom Court. If Court doesn't make it Loughney or Wilko won't get called in

If POC doesn't make it I'd expect Kidney to go with Toner

It's ludicrous. Macca and Loughney should be shoe ins, Muldoon should be in the mix as well

Paddy Wallace has been in the form of his life this year. Genuinely think he has been one of the best 12's in europe this season, perhaps typified by his assist on Saturday. Watching him this year it really clicked for me what Kidney has seen behind the scenes for him to have stuck with him in selection for all these years. So now Kidney drops him!

So positions to be filled are

LH Prop: Loughney is the only contender now surely just strange Kidney is making every effort to delay naming him in the squad.
2nd Row: POC if fit otherwise Cullen / Macca???
Backrow: Henry if fit otherwise Kevin McLaughlin (thought the Leinster man really stepped up to the plate on Saturday)???
Scrum Half: Boss if fit otherwise Marshall

Sod it, our players will have a month or so off, then start preseason training. They deserve a rest and do anyone else who aren't off to get humped by NZ.

One has to question the value of bringing Ferris, a summer off would surely do him more good, however fair play to Deccie for manning up and discarding Paddy Wallace, even if he's 3 years late on that one.

I said that as well. The Times hinted that one of those AN other slots is open for POC and if he fails then probably Macca. If I was POC I'd be telling Kidney to F*ck off that after another serious surgery going back cold and playing 3 tests against NZ is madness. And to be fair to Paddy Wallace he's probably had his best season ever.

More Munster than Ulster is a bit of a joke.

Ah hello this is Declan Kidney we're talking about! I'm just shocked John Hayes still isn't in the squad.

Very underwhelmed. The likes of Craig Gilroy can feel disappointed.

More Munster than Ulster is a bit of a joke.