My Ireland team to face the All Blacks

JustinDee

forlorndonkey wrote: »

I copy and pasted the guy at the top of the pages selection and made 3-4 changes as it's so close to what I'd pick.

Was just saying you've one too many in your list.

Diom

Re: Cronin being part of a bad scrum (Irishbucsfan).
Cronin came off at the same time as Hayes, allowing Court to switch to his stronger side, and Healy to come on with fresh legs. Cronin is a very good in the scrum.

My side:

Healy
Cronin
Court
Ryan/Cullen
DOC
Ferris
Heaslip
Wallace

Stringer/Boss
Sexton

Fitz
D'Arcy
BOD
Bowe
Duffy/Murphy

Bench:
Cullen/Ryan, SOB, Ross, Best, P.Wallace, ROG, Boss/Stringer


I'd start Duffy but I know Murphy has the experience. Duffy as I often point out has been the outstanding Irish full back over the last two seasons. He offers more in attack and defense than Kearney. I don't know enough about Murphy's recent form to comment, but Murphy is a class act.
Whichever one does not start would not bench... Paddy Wallace for me... I think that him outside of Sexton would be a nice pairing.

WeleaseWoderick

The team I'd go with probably has zero chance of being selected, however.....

Healy
Best
Ross
DOC
Cullen
Ferris
SOB
Heaslip

Stringer
Sexton
Fitzgerald
D'Arcy
BOD
Bowe
Murphy

Subs: Court, Cronin, Ryan, Leamy, Boss, ROG, Trimble/Earls(depending on how he gets on tonight)

irishbucsfan

Diom wrote: »

Re: Cronin being part of a bad scrum (Irishbucsfan).
Cronin came off at the same time as Hayes, allowing Court to switch to his stronger side, and Healy to come on with fresh legs. Cronin is a very good in the scrum.

Personally I've seen nothing to prove that so far. I've seen Cronin as part of a powerful scrum for Connacht, but I've also seen them beaten. It's impossible to make a judgement given that he was selected beside Hayes.

I would definitely start Best, he's shown his quality. We're playing the best team in the world tomorrow, and if there's any chance that Cronin was part of our problems last week, then we should go with what we know, or we could be embarrassed. I don't think Cronin has been overlooked by Kidney/Smals for so long for no reason.


BTW, Court was blown up constantly for infringements on the loose side. He's an experienced LH, who doesn't normally have anything like that kind of trouble for Ulster playing beside Best and Botha. People who say that TH is Court's "stronger side" are just plain wrong! That would lead me into thinking that Cronin may have been weak, allowing the TH to push in on him which would explain some of our difficulties.

Next week, against Argentina, I'd like to see 1) Healy 2) Cronin 3) Ross in the front row, and if we can compete against their scrum then I'd be more inclined to start Cronin in future.

padser

9 pages of team suggestions later, something like 25 different players suggested - (one bright spark even suggested Girvin Dempsey) but this quote still sums it up best for me......

pithater1 wrote: »

Having said that I cannnot see anything other than New Zealand doing us prison style

Nuigforce

pithater1 wrote: »

Having said that I cannnot see anything other than New Zealand doing us prison style

:D:D

My shot at it
1.Healy
2.Best
3.Court
4.DOC
5.Toner
6.ferris
7.SOB
8.Heaslip
9.Stringer
10.Sexton
11.Earls
12.Drico
13.Bowe
14.Fitz
15.Murphy

My guess/fear
Healy
Best
Hayes:(
Doc
Toner
Ferris
Wallace
heaslip
Stringer
Rog
Fitz
Darcy
Drico
Bowe
Kearney

Otacon

Kidney's Selection [I think]
1. C. Healy
2. R. Best
3. T. Court
4. D. O'Callaghan
5. M O'Driscoll
6. S. Ferris
7. D. Wallace
8. J. Heaslip
9. E. Reddan
10. J. Sexton
11. L. Fitzgerald
12. G. D'Arcy
13. B. O'Driscoll
14. T. Bowe
15. R. Kearney

16. S. Cronin
17. J. Hayes
18. D. Toner
19. D. Leamy
20. P. Stringer
21. R. O'Gara
22. K. Earls

My Selection
1. C. Healy
2. R. Best
3. T. Court
4. L. Cullen
5. D. O'Callaghan
6. S. Ferris
7. D. Wallace
8. J. Heaslip
9. P. Stringer
10. J. Sexton
11. K. Earls
12. G. D'Arcy
13. B. O'Driscoll
14. T. Bowe
15. L. Fitzgerald

16. S. Cronin
17. M. Ross
18. D. Toner
19. D. Leamy
20. E. Reddan
21. R. O'Gara
22. A. Trimble

Front-Row: I think it has to be Court needs to start at TH. Even with Ross coming into my team, I don't think its fair on him to go straight into the starting 15 against the ABs.
Locks: We need Cullen for the lineout and scrum, and we need DOC in the loose for his defense.
Back-Row: SOB did not do enough to merit inclusion IMHO. I wish he had as I would have preferred a 7 in his mold, but Wallace gets the nod in that case.
Half-Backs: I think Stringer needs to start. He will give Sexton some more time to hopefully get the backline into the game, taking some pressure off.
Backs: We cannot afford to kick away possession and the ABs are not going to kick it to us, so picking Kearney is redundant for this game IMO.