Ireland Classic XV

leonard7

Time to get a bit nostalgic...a thread dedicated to the best 15 ireland could have in relative terms here goes my team.

1.Peter Clohessy
2.Keith Wood
3.Ray McCloughlan
4.W.J. McBride (C)
5.Paul O'Connell
6.Sean O'Brien
7.Fergus Slattery
8.Eric Miller
9.Peter Stringer
10.Jack Kyle
11.Simon Geoghegan
12.Mike Gibson
13.Brian O'Driscoll
14.Dennis Hickey
15.

15. Girv

cormacjones

I wouldn't have Clohessy near that time. Leaving aside that he was never a great player, the way he played the game was despicable.

.ak

Gotta have big Mal in there...

clsmooth

SOB? I'd have Ferris ahead of him

SARZY

leonard7 wrote: »

Time to get a bit nostalgic...a thread dedicated to the best 15 ireland could have in relative terms here goes my team.

1.Peter Clohessy
2.Keith Wood
3.Ray McCloughlan
4.W.J. McBride (C)
5.Paul O'Connell
6.Sean O'Brien
7.Fergus Slattery
8.Eric Miller
9.Peter Stringer
10.Jack Kyle
11.Simon Geoghegan
12.Mike Gibson
13.Brian O'Driscoll
14.Dennis Hickey
15.

1. Lynch
2. Fitzie
6. Tucker
8. Goodall
9. Moloney
14. Ringland
15. Kiernan.

The changes I would make for the 2nd game of the tour. All your picks are worthy and in the spirit of the modern game my panel would be 30 players.

porterbelly

leonard7 wrote: »

Time to get a bit nostalgic...a thread dedicated to the best 15 ireland could have in relative terms here goes my team.

1.Peter Clohessy
2.Keith Wood
3.Ray McCloughlan
4.W.J. McBride (C)
5.Paul O'Connell
6.Sean O'Brien
7.Fergus Slattery
8.Eric Miller
9.Peter Stringer
10.Jack Kyle
11.Simon Geoghegan
12.Mike Gibson
13.Brian O'Driscoll
14.Dennis Hickey
15.

Eric Miller?

irishbucsfan

Eric Miller...

[Jackass]

I'd have popplewell in the team.

Also think it's far too early to have O'Brien in the team.

Full-back Hugo McNeil.

CatFromHue

[Jackass] wrote: »

Full-back Hugo McNeil.

Hugo was on the RTE panel for the highlights programme of Leinster v Toulouse HEC Semi last year. Hook did seem a little in awe of him it has to be said. Dempsey is one of my favourite players and by far the best of the Ireland full backs I've ever seen (Staples, O Shea, Murphy, and Kearney) but McNeil did play for the Lions which unfortunatley Dempsey never did.

mar-z

clsmooth wrote: »

SOB? I'd have Ferris ahead of him

I'd have neither, I think they both need a few more years to make a classic team.

jacothelad

leonard7 wrote: »

Time to get a bit nostalgic...a thread dedicated to the best 15 ireland could have in relative terms here goes my team.

1.Peter Clohessy
2.Keith Wood
3.Ray McCloughlan
4.W.J. McBride (C)
5.Paul O'Connell
6.Sean O'Brien
7.Fergus Slattery
8.Eric Miller
9.Peter Stringer
10.Jack Kyle
11.Simon Geoghegan
12.Mike Gibson
13.Brian O'Driscoll
14.Dennis Hickey
15.

Tony O'Reilly at 11
Tom Kiernan at 15
Colin Patterson at 9

Stan27

1 Healy
2 Wood
3 Furlong
4 J Ryan
5 POC
6 Ferris
7 Sob (Leavy potentially)
8 Heislip
( Murry
10 Sexton
11 Stockdale
12 Henshaw
13 BOD
14 Bowe
15 Kearney

Tommybojangles

Stan27 wrote: »

1 Healy
2 Wood
3 Furlong
4 J Ryan
5 POC
6 Ferris
7 Sob (Leavy potentially)
8 Heislip
( Murry
10 Sexton
11 Stockdale
12 Henshaw
13 BOD
14 Bowe
15 Kearney

I'm guessing you're similar vintage to me, picking a team I remember, I.e since 2000ish, I'd have D arcy in for Henshaw but not much else

Rockbeast2

No Dion O'Cuinneagain?

Neil3030

From my somewhat Leinster centric formative years:

Poppy
Woody
Hayes
Big Mal
POC
Brennan
Gleeson
Costello
Stringer
ROG
Geoghegan
Maggs
BOD
Hickey
Girv

thebaz

Kearney
Geoghan
D'Arcy
O'Driscoll
Stockdale

Sexton
Murray

Healy
Wood
Furlong
POC
Ryan
O'Brien
Ferris
Heaslip

Gmaximum

No Tom Court ?

salmocab

8 year old thread revived great work

Larbre34

1. Healy
2. Wood
3. Hayes
4. Willie John
5. O'Connell
6. Fez
7. O'Brien
8. Foley
9. Stringer
10. RJR O'Gara
11. Hickie
12. Gibson
13. O'Driscoll
14. Geoghegan
15. O'Shea

The Rape of Lucretia

A lot of people missing some critical elements of a classic Ireland team here.
Essential selections are :

- an Ulster player getting a cap for having been a long time servant to Ulster rugby, but never really making the international grade. He might have had his last previous cap about a decade earlier
- a one cap wonder. Tearing it up for some club, is 20-23, and 'a great propect'. Is never seen again
- a legend of yesteryear who was of international level, but is now about 5 years past it. The 'easier to play yourself onto the team than off it' syndrome will be strong in this one.
- a 'surprise' return for someone people had forgotten about, thought retired, and hasnt even played for his province for about 5 years. But selectors minds go into a time warp when discussing that position and rate his form as it had been 5-10 years previously and that somehow it must still be the same
- a 'balancing' player for provincial carve up where a know tight call between two or three players goes to which ever of the three provinces needs to increase their quota
- no Connaght player
- some bright young thing playing for one of the universities. Usually a speedy back, preferably also setting some national athletics records, but really cant play rugby for nuts
- some Munster player, most typically a scrum half or wing forward, who the rest of the country can see is patently useless (Jaysus, not another scrum half whose best attribute is that he is an 'extra wing forward'), but Munster brethren think is the best thing since sliced bread
- if stuck for a back and in any doubt where to turn, pick a Leinster player from one of the usual five schools, who looks the part, shone in some schools final, but really is more interested in his developing career as a stock broker or solicitor, and is picked to even his own great surprise.