Irish team announced

PJG

From the indo

Ireland: G Murphy, T Bowe, G D'Arcy, S Horgan, A Horgan, R O'Gara, P
Stringer, M Horan, S Byrne, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, M O'Kelly, S
Easterby (capt), J O'Connor, D Leamy.
Replacements: R Best, S Best, M McCullough, N Best, K Campbell, D
Humphreys, G Dempsey.

Downtime

Thats the 'Best' bench in ages.

[Jackass]

With the exception of scrum half, that's probably the strongest team we could name...Didn't realise there was so many injuries till I saw that. Possibly a bit short out wide though. Im glad to see he's put murphy at FB and left Dempsey out....it took him a while to figure that one out, but good descision.

Can't wait for the game now Should be a cracker win lose or draw.

PJG

yeah foley gone also, about time. He's OK for munster, but he's way of the pace for international level and can't make never mind break the gain line.

RuggieBear

Antony Horgan gets another cap for ireland......the mind boggles. He wouldn't make the leinster team;)

Amazotheamazing

Which is just as well, cause the Leinster team keep losing.

Anyhow, as strong an attacking team as EOS could name, he could have stayed conservative and defensive. I don't think we'll win, or even come too close, but it's a step in the right direction for the RWC.

PJG

yeah we got to build for the future

Mungaman

I think its great that Eddie is finaly giving some of the young guys ago. I still can't understand why he is persisting with Dempsey I wouldn't let him run the water bottles.

Pritty sure they won't face any of the All Blacks from last week. Henry gave an interview to Talk Sport and hinted that he won't field any of the AB's who played last week. Which leaves something along these lines

Prob Test Team:15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Ma'a Nonu, 12 Aaron Mauger, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Piri Weepu; 8 Mose Tuiali'i, 7 Richie McCaw (capt), 6 Sione Lauaki, 5 Ali Williams, 4 James Ryan or Jason Eaton, 3 John Afoa, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.

At the risk of sounding verbose its still a good looking side.

mchurl

in fairness for a second string ab side it is still an intimidating line-up.

Wouldn't be too confident going in to the game on saturday

Peter B

Wow an all Ulster subs bench with the exception of the swerve.

Liam90

Richie McCaw what a player, he is the best rugby player in the world, and if ireland can't contain him, i think they will get hammered

RuggieBear

Liam90 wrote:

Richie McCaw what a player, he is the best rugby player in the world, and if ireland can't contain him, i think they will get hammered

nobody has managed to contain him...australia have come close once or twice while fielding 2 opensides

Snickers Man

Liam90 wrote:

Richie McCaw what a player, he is the best rugby player in the world, and if ireland can't contain him, i think they will get hammered

Actually, I fancy the straight fight between the two number 7s is going to be one of the most fascinating battles on Saturday and one area where a big performance from the Irishman could be a telling factor on the game.

I wouldn't detract an ounce from McCaw, who is a wonderful player, but our own breakdown specialist Johnny O'Concrete may not have his aura but is an honest-to-goodness workhorse and in the immortal words of Laurence Dallaglio 'a real pain in the arse to play against'. If Johnny fronts up on Saturday we could know how good he really is by the end of the game. I believe he has the potential to give McCaw a hard time of it.

I can't see Anthony Horgan frightening any of the Kiwi wingers no matter how well he plays. And as for Tommy Bowe: well I hope he has a great game but I'm not sure that a few good Celtic League performances put him in the same league as the All Blacks.

I'm delighted that Shane Horgan is playing and also that Easterby is there, although I reckon no bookie will accept bets on some All Black punching his already broken nose if he starts to assert himself. It's their style.

I still reckon the pack is too nice to face an All Black eight. You have to be ready to 'go to the mattresses' with this lot if the going gets rough. Remember what Willie John McBride did on his first meeting with Colin Meads?

For those of you born after 1980, Colin Meads was the fearsome New Zealand second row who set a world record of caps from the 1950s to the 1970s and whose reputation is best described by a Scottish Lock who earned his first cap playing against him. Apparently, at the first line out, Meads turned to his fresh-faced opposite number and started to tell him in graphic detail just how he was going to dismember him, which limb he was going to use to beat him to death with the soggy end and which orifice he was going to shove it up when he was finished.

As he told this to his team mates after the game, they asked him, wide-eyed and fearfully, what he said back.

'I told him to bugger off, of course,' he said. 'But I said it very quietly.'

On McBride's first meeting in 1963 when he was a 23 year old in his third season and Meads a 27 year old veteran something similar happened so McBride turned around and clattered Meads so hard in the ribs that the legendary 'Pinetree' collapsed in a heap, winded. His team mates couldn't believe it;McBride's team mates couldn't either and basically said to him 'You've upset him now, and you're on your own, pal'

Sure enough, at the next ruck 'somebody' belted McBride around the side of the head, but as he then said. 'I never had any trouble with Meads after that.' Ireland lost by a single point that day, having led for most of the match.

By my calculation, McBride and Meads would have played against each other in another eight tests (including Lions tests) after that. Meads was on the winning side four times, McBride two and two were drawn. Not a bad record against the All Blacks for an Irishman to have.

Ou est Trevor Brennan?

Snickers Man

Downtime wrote:

Thats the 'Best' bench in ages.

Groannnn!!!!!

daveirl

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RuggieBear

daveirl wrote:

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i totally agree....tis a bonkers selection.

Teg Veece

Payne should play on the wing instead of Bowe. The All Blacks will definitely be targetting that area and a young lad like Bowe is gonna be way out of his depth (although there aren't many wingers in the Northern Hemisphere that wouldn't be).
And is Eddie waiting for Brennan to win his 3rd HC medal before he considers him for selection??
I get the feeling it's gonna be a looong match for the Irish...

daveirl

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Nukem

*scratches head* a strange selection all round IMO
Leamy at 8???? remind me he is a blindside an open at best but a No.8 i think not,i woulda thrown a Leinster or Ulster No.8 in - sink or swim. Anthony Horgan - the most underrated player next to John Kelly in Ireland,great player and is hugely strong.

Although S.Horgan in the centre *ouch* wouldnt be my choice in the middle i think he is a great player but better on the wing(he kept Lomu V.Quiet)

Would love to the say it is an impact bench - but its not.
Reckon we have patches of greatness but get annihilated :mad:.
hope im wrong.............

PJG

daveirl wrote:

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daveirl wrote:

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I will agree on ‘He's a great player for Munster and has been a huge servant of Irish Rugby’ its exactly as you say it ‘has been’. At international level when was the last time he had a good game, when was the last time he broke the gain line, when was the last time he broke from the back of the scrum.

Ireland needs to start looking at new combinations for the six nations and RWC. Foley is not going be involved in the next work cup.

As for Wallace, it’s a disgrace the way he is ignored by O’Sullivan. I would gladly see Wallace play in any position in the back row for Ireland.

Not taking away from what Foley has done in the past for Munster but its time to move on. We have wealth of talent at 6 & 7 and lacking at 8 it makes perfect sense to convert one of them.

What I would like to see for Saturday would be
7 O’Connor
8 Easterby
6 T Brennan

Mungaman

RuggieBear wrote:

nobody has managed to contain him...australia have come close once or twice while fielding 2 opensides

Nagh Ruggie Schal Burger has had his measure of McCaw on a couple of occassions. I like Johnny O'C and I think hes a quality flanker but he is def a good distance off McCaw. They are going to have to also close down Mose Tuali,i who is 195cm and 105 kg he's in at 8 he covers blindside as well and can play openside if asked. Leamy is going to have to play out of his skin, watch this guy he is very very quick for a big man.

I think the only real way to take McCaw out of a game is put him on the ground as much as possible by putting a crash runner - take it to ground at inside centre and then turn it over quick and hopefully he's still involved with the first break down.

My last thought is for Stringer who I fear is going to be shown up against Piri Weepu who is looking for a scrap at every opportunity.