Irish Rugby World Cup Squad

henbane

Any thoughts on the squad?

Why in hell is Jonathan Bell in there? Who is Neil Doak? Any Ulster fans care to shed some light on it.

Amazing how much worse it looks on paper than I thought it would. Murphy really is a huge loss.

The Ireland Rugby World Cup 2003 squad is: -

Forwards (17)
Name Age Province / Club Caps Points
Simon Best 26 Ulster / Belfast Harlequins 3 -
Shane Byrne 32 Leinster / Blackrock College 22 5 (1T)
Reggie Corrigan 33 Leinster / Greystones 26 -
Victor Costello 33 Leinster / St. Mary's College 32 15 (3T)
Simon Easterby 27 Llanelli 23 20 (4T)
Anthony Foley 30 Munster / Shannon 45 15 (3T)
Keith Gleeson 27 Leinster / St.Mary's College 16 20 (4T)
John Hayes 30 Munster / Shannon 34 5 (1T)
Marcus Horan 26 Munster / Shannon 12 -
Gary Longwell 32 Ulster / Ballymena 25 5 (1T)
Eric Miller 28 Leinster / Terenure College 35 15 (3T)
Donnacha O'Callaghan 24 Munster / Cork Constitution 5 -
Paul O'Connell 23 Munster / Young Munster 10 15 (3T)
Malcolm O'Kelly 28 Leinster / St. Mary's College 54 25 (5T)
Frank Sheahan 27 Munster / Cork Constitution 13 5 (1T)
Alan Quinlan 29 Munster / Shannon 16 5 (1T)
Keith Wood(Capt.) 31 Munster / Garryowen 53 70 (14T)


Backs (13)
Name Age Province / Club Caps Points
Jonathon Bell 29 Ulster / Dungannon 36 -
Girvan Dempsey 28 Leinster / Terenure College 38 50 (10T)
Neil Doak 31 Ulster / Belfast Harlequins - -
Guy Easterby 32 Rotherham 19 25 (5T)
Denis Hickie 27 Leinster / St. Mary's College 40 100(20T)
Anthony Horgan 26 Munster / Cork Constitution 3 5 (1T)
Shane Horgan 25 Leinster / Lansdowne 19 40 (8T)
David Humphreys 32 Ulster / Dungannon 56 460(5T, 99PG, 8DG, 57 C)
John Kelly 28 Munster / Cork Constitution 13 35 (7T)
Kevin Maggs 28 Bath 53 65 (13T)
Brian O'Driscoll 24 Leinster / Blackrock College 41 99 (18T, 3DG)
Ronan O'Gara 26 Munster / Cork Constitution 33 332 (5T, 61PG, 2DG, 59 C)
Peter Stringer 26 Munster / Shannon 36 10 (2T)

Not considered because of injury: Geordan Murphy (Leicester), Rob Henderson (Munster – Garryowen).

Shadow Squad: Justin Bishop (London Irish), Paul Burke (Harlequins), Emmet Byrne (Leinster – St. Mary's College), Leo Cullen (Leinster – Blackrock College), Gordon Darcy (Leinster – Lansdowne), Kieron Dawson (London Irish), Justin Fitzpatrick (Castres), Tyrone Howe (Ulster – Dungannon), Mike Mullins (Munster – Old Crescent), Brian O'Meara (Leinster – Cork Constitution), David Quinlan (Leinster – Blackrock College), Paul Shields (Ulster – Ballymena), David Wallace (Munster - Garryowen), Paddy Wallace (Ulster – Ballymena).

MarVeL

Not an Ulster fan but I'd have to say Doak has been playing well every time I've seen him. Thought he probably deserved a shot before this.

Two things worry me though Easterby in instead of Wallace and only one recognised full back. Any thoughts on who plays full back if Dempsey gets injured? Also who got in instead of Murphy (Dempsey must have been on the list as back up, mustn't he?)

PH01

What a loss he will be to the squad? What a sickener? One of the best players in the world is going to miss the Rugby World cup by getting injured in a stupid friendly?
Really disappointing.

Sundy

Originally posted by PH01
What a loss he will be to the squad? What a sickener? One of the best players in the world is going to miss the Rugby World cup by getting injured in a stupid friendly?
Really disappointing.

Exactly what i though because Murphy had his place in the side regardless of how well he played against scotland. I bet o'sulivan is kicking himself for playing him, but i guess he wanted the team to win.

I think our forwards are strong and good but our backs look weak, and i dont really see the need for 3 scrum halfs especially when we only have 2 out-halfs, which i dont think is enough cover.

henbane

Originally posted by PH01
One of the best players in the world is going to miss the Rugby World cup by getting injured in a stupid friendly?

Given the nature of the game friendlies are a terrible idea. Does any rugby player manage to go without injuries of one kind or another throughout the season. Friendlies just increase the chances of getting a bad one.

No coach should be risking the guts of his first choice team in a pointless match this close to the world cup. He didn't learn anything - I don't think anyone who was trying to make a last minute case managed to get included on foot of this match. Just meaningless.

Hairy Homer

No use crying over spilt milk, or cracked shin bones. He's not going, it's a huge loss, but that's the end of it.

With three world class running backs I thought we had a real chance of upsetting one of the big SH names. Now with only two it's going to be tougher. But the good news is that both O'Driscoll and Hickie are playing well.

Bell won't weaken the side as long as he's fit. A tank of a defensive centre, not many will get past him. Really worried about the other wings. Never mind whinging about too many Ulster players; it should be an article of faith that we never let on the team any Munster player with a number higher than 8. OK Stringer is the exception that proves the rule and maybe O'Gara on a fine day may be the other exception to stretch it but Hairy Arsed Munster men belong in the pack. Anthony Horgan and Kelly are both VERY pedestrian.

Doak is a nippy little scrum half and is probably as good as we have as backup to Stringer. We have a serious dearth of good savage props and that could be a real problem against Argentina.

However, if Woody, O'Driscoll and Hickie all play to form, O'Gara gets his act in gear, Stringer gets protection from his pack and the front eight play like men posessed, we may even get out of the group of death.

I would LOVE us to beat Australia. Especially since I saw a clip of former Wallaby legend Mark Ella saying that one of the players to watch at the World Cup will be 'Brian O'Driscoll from Wales.' !!!!!

****ing Wales???????

Maybe he should have a word with his brother Gary........

spudulike

Like in all sports Friendlies are used as a means of deciding what is the best 15 to play. Although Murphies place was assured O'Sullivan probably needed to find out who he plays best alongside etc.... It's still a tremendous shame for him and for all us fans, I've no doubt he would have been the star of the world cup....

At least O'Driscoll seems to be coming back into a bit of form - which was absent for a while there.... I think he's happier now that Woods is captain again. we need both those players at their best.

I have a good feeling about our chances - we have the best squad we have had at a world cup for a long time..... a semi final place is reasonable to hope for - and if we get there anything can happen..... roll on the first game...

Stormfox1020

A bollixs Geordan Murphy, the only newbridge boy to get onto the irish team breaks his feckin leg, oh those scots gona pay.

bucks73

Originally posted by Hairy Homer


Bell won't weaken the side as long as he's fit. A tank of a defensive centre, not many will get past him. Really worried about the other wings. Never mind whinging about too many Ulster players; it should be an article of faith that we never let on the team any Munster player with a number higher than 8. OK Stringer is the exception that proves the rule and maybe O'Gara on a fine day may be the other exception to stretch it but Hairy Arsed Munster men belong in the pack. Anthony Horgan and Kelly are both VERY pedestrian.

Homer the problem with wingers is that there just arent enough world class finishers in Ireland. Apart from Horgan and Kelly the only other option is Tyrone How(did he get called up to the Lions before Hickie)e.

Thats also been the problem with Munster, hence the signing of Cullen.

As for cover for the full back if needed Humphreys would probably have to fill in there.

I also cant understand how Easterby got in there ahead of Wallace. Big mistake.

By the way IIRC you said Leinster would win last week. I believe it was one of our hairy arsed backs who did all the damage.

Trojan

Originally posted by spudulike
Like in all sports Friendlies are used as a means of deciding what is the best 15 to play.

I have a good feeling about our chances - we have the best squad we have had at a world cup for a long time..... a semi final place is reasonable to hope for - and if we get there anything can happen..... roll on the first game...

I concur. Some people on here are slamming the friendly, when it's actually a very important match in the run-up for all sorts of reasons: team selection, match practice, moral, fitness, etc, etc.

I agree that it's desperately unfortunate for Murphy, and for the rest of us to miss him. I'm worried about our full-back coverage too.

But we'll see what happens - not long away now!

Bring on the Aussies

Al.

Hairy Homer

Originally posted by bucks73

By the way IIRC you said Leinster would win last week. I believe it was one of our hairy arsed backs who did all the damage. [/B]

Yes but it was all with his boot, and he missed a couple of howlers as well. I seem to remember (I was there) that most if not all of Munster's penalties came from scrum infringements, and I don't doubt that was largely due to an almost first choice Munster pack sticking it to a very second-string Leinster one (Emmet Byrne and Leo Cullen excepted)

Munster's pack included Sheahan, O Callaghan, Williams, Quinlan, Foley and Halvey as well as two fat props I didn't recognise.

Leinster scored the only try, incidentally from a scrum that came from one of Frankie Sheahan's MANY crooked throws—wasn't he GOOD?—and Munster's backs never looked like crossing Leinster's line.

In fact, can you name one great Irish back that came from Munster?
Don't say Tommy Kiernan - he came from an era when a full back was meant to catch, kick and tackle and do precious little else. Which was just as well.

Thinking back over my 30 odd years of watching the Irish team, I'm damned if I can think of one. All Munster's great players—and they did and do have many—were and are forwards. Claw, Woody, Moss Keane, Pat O'Hara, Gaillimh, Noel Murphy, Ginger McLoughlin, Donal Lenihan, either of their current locks, Foley (pere et fils), Shay Deering, Colm Tucker.....

Who were the backs?

Barry McGann (only thing he could dodge was a salad)
Michael Kiernan (ditto after his first two or three years)
Barry Bresnihan-couldn't pass water.
Tony Ward, maybe, but he was a Dub anyway, and a St Mary's boy at that.

Nope. Cant think of any.

MarVeL

Read a report on one of the sites (think it was rugby.ie but don't hold me to that) that said that Bell was out and was staying home along with Hayes and Shane Horgan. Can anyone tell me whether this is a for the world cup or until they are ready to travel?

sci0x

Sorry to bring up an old thread but im just wondering who scored Ireland's last try in the 2003 Rugby World Cup? It wasnt O' Gara was it?

Jilm

Originally posted by sci0x
Sorry to bring up an old thread but im just wondering who scored Ireland's last try in the 2003 Rugby World Cup? It wasnt O' Gara was it?

BOD scored the last try. Match report here.

sci0x

oh right, thanks

Amazotheamazing

Interesting to see the squad again, and the changes made in the interim, poor Paddy Wallace, still waiting on his game in Ulster.