Ireland v Australia

zAbbo

The Squad is announced over at - http://www.irishrugby.ie/newspage/83900.html

Player / Club / Caps
15 - Geordan Murphy (Leicester) 43
14 - Shane Horgan (Lansdowne/Leinster) 49
13 - Brian O’Driscoll (Capt) (Blackrock College/Leinster) 68
12 - Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster) 24
11 - Denis Hickie (St.Mary’s College/Leinster) 51
10 - Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster) 64
9 - Isaac Boss (Ballymena/Ulster) 3

1 - Bryan Young (Ballymena/Ulster) 3
2 - Rory Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) 5
3 - John Hayes (Bruff/Munster) 66
4 - Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster) 28
5 - Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster) 37
6 - Neil Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) 6
7 - David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster) 31
8 - Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster) 15

Replacements:
16 – Frankie Sheahan (Cork Constitution/Munster) 25
17 – Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster) 41
18 – Malcolm O’Kelly (St.Mary’s College/Leinster) 81
19 – Simon Easterby (Llanelli) 50
20 – Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster) 70
21 – Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster) 1
22 – Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College/Leinster) 67

Not Considered due to injury:
Andrew Trimble {Hamstring}

Have to say, I'm pleased with Boss coming in, and Young. 4 changes in total as well.

bugler

There are a lot of people upset over Dempsey's exclusion. I will be too if Murphy puts in a poor defensive performance.

Very happy Young is in. We could see an Irish scrum get the upper hand this weekend...

smashey

Looks good. Hickie has great experience but seems to have lost a bit of pace. Good to see Isaac Boss get a start against serious opposition. Not too long ago we would have been hoping for a wet day so the forwards could "stuff the bull up their jumpers". I think those days have gone and we really need a dry day for the team to play as they can.

Sangre

I doubt Dempsey has been excluded because of his SA performance.

thebaz

good team , although i would have Sheahan and Easteby in for the Bests !
and maybe Horan in for the Bull !

TarfHead

thebaz wrote:

good team , although i would have Sheahan and Easteby in for the Bests !

Why ?
We know what they can do - they're seasoned internationals.

Neil Best is in good form and will benefit from this level of intensity, while Rory Best needs further examination of his credentials. Once Jerry Flannery is fit, Best will be #2 or #3 again.

Paddy Wallace should be given meaningful game time this weekend to confirm if he is worth persisting with. I can imagine the Poly boys taking short cuts through him if he plays the following week and that would leave no-one any wiser as to ROG's understudy.

Nice0ne

Sheahan and Easterby will start against the Pacific islands, but are right to be left out cause Eddie wants to win the game on Sunday. They just aren't the first choice in their positions any more.

Very surprised Murphy is starting, he must be doing something in training to impress Eddie?

bugler

I'd imagine these changes were planned in advance, and the SA performance had little or no bearing on matters.

thebaz, bringing Horan in for Hayes?! I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you mean shifting Young to TH to accommodate Horan at LH, but it would be the most bizarre selection ever.

Until Simon Best gets a lot more game time and impresses hugely, Hayes is going nowhere.

bugler

By the way, Sheahan has done nothing since his return from injury to get into an Irish shirt. He's there almost by default. Once Flannery gets back fit, I'd expect him to regain his place for Ireland, but that depends on how Best goes in these games.

Assuming a fully fit in-form Flannery I think the pecking order for hooker is

1/ Flannery
2/ Best.

thebaz

TarfHead wrote:

Why ?
We know what they can do - they're seasoned internationals.

Neil Best is in good form and will benefit from this level of intensity, while Rory Best needs further examination of his credentials. Once Jerry Flannery is fit, Best will be #2 or #3 again.

Paddy Wallace should be given meaningful game time this weekend to confirm if he is worth persisting with. I can imagine the Poly boys taking short cuts through him if he plays the following week and that would leave no-one any wiser as to ROG's understudy.

The sooner Humphrys comes out of international retirement the better -- apparently its a done deal - Paddy Wallace fills me with fear for test rugby.

Easterby was a quality Lions test blind side , but hasn't played test rugby for a while, i'd like to see whose better him or best.
Best the hooker got a shot at the weekend , why shouldn't Sheahan get a go , again he hasn't played test rugby recently , let him proove if he is no 2 or 3 in pecking order.

thebaz

bugler wrote:

I'd imagine these changes were planned in advance, and the SA performance had little or no bearing on matters.

thebaz, bringing Horan in for Hayes?! I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you mean shifting Young to TH to accommodate Horan at LH, but it would be the most bizarre selection ever.

Until Simon Best gets a lot more game time and impresses hugely, Hayes is going nowhere.

can Horan not play both sides ?
our scrum is the only real weakness i see in our side . maybe switching Horan isnt the answer , but something needs fixing !

spanner

thebaz wrote:

The sooner Humphrys comes out of international retirement the better -- apparently its a done deal - Paddy Wallace fills me with fear for test rugby.
.

hmm would it be such a great idea taking him back out of retirement, we really need to get a young no. 10 and bringing back Humphreys only will delay this, but I do agree with in that Paddy Wallace is not even getting a game with Ulster. Could any of the other backline players double up into the no. 10 position

bugler

As far as I know any deal involving Humpreys is purely to return for the World Cup, not before it.

Horan cannot play TH. God no. His poor emaciated frame would be snapped :-)

Young can though.

besty

thebaz wrote:

can Horan not play both sides ?
our scrum is the only real weakness i see in our side . maybe switching Horan isnt the answer , but something needs fixing !

Horan would get absolutely raped at tight head against half decent opposition

thebaz

bugler wrote:

Horan cannot play TH. God no. His poor emaciated frame would be snapped :-)

Young can though.

My knowledge of front row is playing half my first season at school as hooker , before been moved on ! .
So i'm no expert to what heppens up front

bugler

Neither is Marcus Horan so I wouldn't feel too bad.

TarfHead

besty wrote:

Horan would get absolutely .. at tight head against half decent opposition

.. so he would be dominant against Al Baxter

besty

TarfHead wrote:

.. so he would be dominant against Al Baxter

Ha, true!

zAbbo

Latham
Rathbone
Tuquiri
Mortlock
Gerrard
Larkham
Giteau

Baxter
Cannon
Shepherdson
Sharpe
Chisholm
Elsom
Waugh
Palu

Strong 15 from Aussie's, and certainly a backline that is as good if not better than ours. Giteau is the goldenchild of the Aussies at the moment, and Larkham returning to 10, on the Wings, Gerrard and Rathbone, Captain Mortlock and the million dollar man in the centres, and the best FB in the business in Latham.

Show's how serious they are taking this

thebaz

Apparently Like Fitzgerald was outstanding in the A match -- so if Geordan Murphy does not perform on Saturday , we could have a new challenger for our World Cup no. 15 .

foz_e_bear

Hickie may have lost a bit of pace, but still able to finish!
Nah I think it's great that stringer has finally got to see what the bench is like, it'll only improve his own game (although he is playing very well at the mo). Frankie...nah! I mean Jerry is the man, but in his absence we need new blood. Still think Heaslip shoulda got a go. As for Murph, what happened to him, two seasons ago I'd have picked Murph over Dempsey every game, but Murph doesn't seem to have any passion in the green, and Dempsey's doing great things for Leinster! At least EOS is finally trying new combinations...and that means not having Easterby always first choice!

obrien_pa

foz_e_bear wrote:

Hickie may have lost a bit of pace, but still able to finish!
Nah I think it's great that stringer has finally got to see what the bench is like, it'll only improve his own game (although he is playing very well at the mo). Frankie...nah! I mean Jerry is the man, but in his absence we need new blood. Still think Heaslip shoulda got a go. As for Murph, what happened to him, two seasons ago I'd have picked Murph over Dempsey every game, but Murph doesn't seem to have any passion in the green, and Dempsey's doing great things for Leinster! At least EOS is finally trying new combinations...and that means not having Easterby always first choice!

..The man speaks sense! Hickie has been playing the rugby of his life, and his pace/skill and finishing ability are still top-class. Trimble has made a real impression on the wing for Ireland, but we're lucky to have a winger of the class of Hickie to take his place.

Boss will make a huge impression this season if he's given the opportunity. He is far more aggressive off the back of the scrum. He can actually tackle and his break will create more space for an already supremely effective backline.

Dempsey is without doubt the best full-back available to EOS. Murphy has been given plenty of chances to perform to his abilities in the Irish shirt, and IMOH just hasn't done it. It can't help that he plays on the wing for Leicester week-in, week-out though.

Neil Best is pretty much a carbon-copy of easterby at 6 - possibly slightly more abrasive - but that's a good thing.

I've got my money on a two-in-a-row against southern hemisphere opposition this weekend..

Sangre

obrien_pa wrote:

Boss will make a huge impression this season if he's given the opportunity. He is far more aggressive off the back of the scrum. He can actually tackle and his break will create more space for an already supremely effective backline.

There are many things I could fault Stringer for but it certainly wouldn't be for his tackling or defensive play.

I've got tickets to the game, score.

il gatto

I'm glad Neil Best has been included. He's abrasive and phsyical and should be able to hold his own against the Aussies.
I don't see why Murphy, whose form has been mediocre of late, has been included ahead of Dempsey. Dempsey's playing better than ever, and so consistant too. I suppose EOS wants to try and get him back to where he was a couple of years ago, but I would've thought winning the match (another big scalp) would be paramount.
I'm sorry to see Stringer dropped. He's done everything right this year. Again, Boss needs to get some game time. Hope he doesn't get caught cold. If he plays for Ireland like he does for Ulster, we'll have a vital position covered with a class replacement (be that Stringer or Boss). No. 10 is the next one to find cover for, and we'll be well set for the World Cup.

Nukem

Heard an interview with Mortlock this morn and he is tryin to play down their backline saying that they have to conteract the weather and the brilliant Irish backline:rolleyes: They are trying to play themselves off as underdogs........would you have ever have thought that.

Think EOS needs to face facts and fast, if we get hammered he needs to blood players in the next test. If he wins he needs to blood players in the next test. Anything short and we will be in trouble for the RWC.

Diamondmaker

Hickie said himself he is a bit faseter this season than previously. he spent the summer working with a sprint coach. having seen him play uo close all season I think he is as fast as ever I dont belive at all he is any slower than of late.

Trimble is 1st choice and rightly so, he has an extra dimension to him Hickie does not have and youth also. Great to have hickie ( missed most of last WC when he was looking at his peak with that ankle injury, keen to prove a point chomping at bit Id say for action ) on the bench for him.

Murphy is obviously getting one last chance to show what he can do and also being used to keep Girv on his toes. Lukes great debut for the As puts pressure on both for the future but he wil not be considered for WC and 6 nations only but for injuries to the aforementioned...we all know this, this is EOS we are on about.

I too have heard from Ulster circles that Humphs is committed to come back for WC only. Man of his stature and considering our alternatives could cut this sort of deal. This is the only explantion as to why no OH has been blooded what so ever to date. He is the only man who you would even consider dropping into a game at WC. He is still clkass and ML top scorer, still on the ball.

daveirl

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foz_e_bear

All good, yep, Hickie said some true things in his interview on Irishrugby, got hit with injury at the wrong time, but he's loking damn class at the mo. Murph's last chance, too right, there are a few good options coming up through the ranks, and lets face it Geordan has been given lots of chances before but EOS is probobly right (did I just say that?), because if Murph can play like the Murph of old it'll be worth it.

And the HUMPH! Long live the HUMPH...the man is class, dunno what the masses think, but I'd say he's played some of the best rugby of his career over the last two seasons...his point scoring record is not one to ignore, it would be great if he was to pop out of retirement for the WC!

We are deffo building a squad ladies and gentlemen...(just hope the bull is as indestructable as he looks!)

zAbbo

Murphy isn't get game time at FB with Leicester (Sam Vesty instead).

LF will have to dislodge Girv at club level before he's a viable starter at International level, that said, it's good to have options. Rob Kearney is another in there, and himself and LF will be battling for FB positions (both can play Wing, Kearney has a huge punt)

All in all, it's looking good, but we'll see Sunday.

shmaido

Sangre wrote:

There are many things I could fault Stringer for but it certainly wouldn't be for his tackling or defensive play.

Too right! All hail Stringer and his holy tap tackle!

Diamondmaker

foz_e_bear wrote:

And the HUMPH! Long live the HUMPH...the man is class, dunno what the masses think, but I'd say he's played some of the best rugby of his career over the last two seasons...his point scoring record is not one to ignore, it would be great if he was to pop out of retirement for the WC!

I remeber Hooke used to compare ROG and Humphs to 2 different types of Quarter back. The good old days when we could intechange between the 2 and the whole game would just pivot on their differeing styles!

In a similar vein Im dead keen to see Boss in for stringer, Hes more likely to cause chaos in the Oz defence while their eyes are on our backs and this guy making his sneaky little darts!

This season is a very very very good chance for a grand slam! Ire is settled and is at a sort of plateua/peak (TBD) that no other 6n team is at in 6N. We came close a few times recently but slipped up just like ( not quite as close or as often in fairness ) as Eng those 4 seasons in a row before they eventually won the GS.

Im touching wood! ( huh huh beavis you said wood!:D )

crybaby

tuquiri and mortlock against o'driscoll and darcy is going to be very interesting and i think the aussies will target alot of their running at O'Gara but I think ultimatley it will backfire and I think it could be where the match tips in our favour

We should have beaten Australia in the summer but we just crumbled when we had the lead exactly like we did against the All Blacks but I think after the SA win and the home advantage we should be capable of holding onto a lead if we get one.

its going to be a lot tougher than south africa but i will be very disappointed just like I was during the summer tour if we do not win this match

il gatto

The Aussies will definately make it more difficult, but if Ireland can control the game in the same way as they did against South Africa, I can see them winning. The one thing we really need is the sort of ruthlessness the All Blacks have. We could have ran over another couple of tries against the Springboks. If we get a lead, I'd love to see them press on to put it out of reach, rather than sitting back on 10-12 points. That said, a win against Australia would probably be narrow. It'd do though:D

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

Chucky the tree

The Scientist wrote:

I'm looking forward to seeing these 2 in action... they sound promising.

Oh btw, paddy power has both teams at 10/11. and 22/1 the draw.

T.Sc.

wow, thats a massive difference compared to betfair. BF has ireland 1.73(10 gets your 7.30) and Austrailia at 2.56(10gets you 15.60). It seems most of the public think Ireland will win, bookies are scared of Austrailia obviously.


I think there will probaly only be 5 points in it.

DeLaTroY

Oi!
Are there any rté 2 live steams of the game?
I dont have a TV!!
If anyone can help me out that would be great.
d

smashey

foz_e_bear wrote:

Hickie may have lost a bit of pace, but still able to finish!

He sure can.:)

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

zAbbo

Half time, and a good performance so far.

rugbug86

Isaac Boss is having a great game.

And it goes to show, you can never write the bull off. he's playing a stormer

Ireland look very promising. Good game to watch too!

KELTICKNIGHTT

good game,enjoyed that:D

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

rugbug86

yeah, they did make it look easy.

horrible conditions though!

KELTICKNIGHTT

good doe
6 nations,here we come:D

KELTICKNIGHTT

even the auusies tryed there usual stuff when not going good
revenge for international gga game last week;)

crybaby

good performance, great revenge for the beating we took during the summer

neil best really deserved that man of the match

Dave!

Good match, Ireland deserved their win.

EdgarAllenPoo

Very good game, the only thing I noticed (and I'm not sure if this is a criticism or not) is that Boss has a tendency to break a bit too much. Fair enough Stringer rarely does and so he's a refreshing alternative if needed but by the end of the game the opposition began to telegraph it and negate its effectiveness.

He can do it and that's great but don't give opponents the chance to say "well he always tries to break," used sparingly and wisely it will be an effective weapon for him.

Trojan

Dominating

rugbug86

Yeah, I saw that too. It was good to see him do well. Maybe lack of international experience, a bit more experience and a few friendly words from team-mates and he'll be sorted.

Still loving strings tho...

And defo Best for MOM.

damnyanks

Love keith woods view on him. He think's he's just a lunatic