Your Ireland 15 (Rugby)

Bounty Hunter

if you were o'sullivan who would you choose as your starting 15 including who would you play at No.10 or whether you would have Dempsey, Murphy or even staunton at full back.

here is mine
Front Row:
Woody-Hayes-Horan (of course thats only once woodys fit otherwise going on current form leinsters mullet byrne)

Second row:Malcolm O'kelly-Paul O'Connel

Flankers+No.8:Gleeson-David Wallace-Foley

Half backs:Stringer+O'Gara

Centers:Brian O'Driscoll,Henderson (though currently it would be unwaranted to take Maggs out)

Full Back+Wings:Dempsey(FB)-Hickie,Murphy

Jilm

O'Connell, Wallace, Hendo & Woody will be out thru injury and/or lack of first class match practice and anyhow the current selection are doing a great job.

Murphy is class (almost in BODs league save for lack of games in the green shirt) and HAS to play for Ireland, think I'd prefer him on the wing.

I'd have to favour Humpheries over O'Gara against the French.

Also it looks like France's captain will be out of it.

Things keep looking up

hallelujajordan

I agree with most of your selection if everyone were fit, but I find it strange that you'd drop Victor Costelloe / Gary longwell ??

. . . methinks you is a Munster man

the fnj

I'd keep Costelloe but Gary Longwell would be fired into the centre of the sun if I was in charge. He brings nothing to the Irish team, the biggest token player since Tyrone Howe.

It wasn't me!

Longwell: BAD
Costelloe: GOOD

Longwell should be replaced but Costelloe is too inspiringly big to lose!

Jodus

Originally posted by The FANJ
I'd keep Costelloe but Gary Longwell would be fired into the centre of the sun if I was in charge. He brings nothing to the Irish team, the biggest token player since Tyrone Howe.

Nonsense. The fact that you don't see him around the pitch, yet he starts ahead of Cullen, O'Callaghan and Davidson, shows that he's doing most of his work in the depths of the ruck, or the middle of the roaling mauls. And he doesn't give away penalties, like O'Kelly still does occasionally, a real bonus for a lock. Like Costello, a great man to have for 65 minutes.

O'Connell will take the spot when fit and playing regularly, but Longwell is in on merit right now.

Current best team (injuries and fitness/form included), and therefore the team for France -

Horan, Byrne, Hayes, Longwell, O'Kelly, Costello, Gleeson, Foley, Stringer, O'Gara, Hickie, Maggs, O'Driscoll, Murphy, Dempsey

Overall best team -

Corrigan, Wood, Hayes, O'Connell, O'Kelly, D. Wallace, Gleeson, Foley, Stringer, O'Gara, Hickie, Henderson, O'Driscoll, Murphy, Dempsey

Bench: P.Wallace (Horan is close, but lacks experience), S. Byrne, Longwell (O'Callaghan may take over), Miller (better impact player for 6 or 8 than Costello), Easterby, Humphreys, Horgan (more capable of playing wing OR centre than Maggs or Kelly)

the fnj

I have never seen Gary Longwell smash into a ruck, I rarely see him arriving first to the breakdown so other than lying into the back of a ruck he doesn't do much. His avergae tackle count has to be one of the lowest on the Irish team.

Actually all I ever see him do is drop the ball, and that's something he does quite alot.

Some people might like him but I don't rate him and I never have.

O' Kelly penalty count was high against Scotland, fair enough, but how many did he give away against Italy?

Bounty Hunter

Originally posted by hallelujajordan
I agree with most of your selection if everyone were fit, but I find it strange that you'd drop Victor Costelloe / Gary longwell ??

. . . methinks you is a Munster man

however did you guess* - although i reside in Dublin i am a born and bred Limerick\Munster man, which to be honest makes following rugby while living in leinster a whole lot more interesting.

currently i would not drop costello he is playing superb, though in my opinion this is his last opportunity wearing the green(*unlike the Talisman of Irish\Munster rugby Mick Galway who just kept coming back) one slip up and costello will be replaced and if he is replaced by a fit David wallace IMO the team will be as it should be and at its best with wallce and gleeson the flankers.

pickarooney

Whatever happened to Dion O'Cantspellhisname?

MarVeL

O'Cuinneagain (sp?) went back to SA to finish his medical studies IIRC. There was some mention of him coming back to play for one of the provinces (Ulster I think) a while back but nothing came of it.

You just inspired me to go a googling and this turned up

Link

Looks like he's doing OK for himself and it's nice to see he's still ticking away in the game