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Ireland Team Talk/Gossip/Rumour Thread VIII - MOD NOTE POST #4781

Steve

Continuing on from the previous thread....

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Burkie1203

Rattlehead_ie wrote: »

Im assuming Tyler Bleyendaal isnt available till 6N for selection right?

He has no business near the squad on current form regardless

aloooof

Easy to say this after the fact, but the timing of Zebo's announcement now makes a lot of sense...

[Deleted User]

I don't know if I can handle a backline with Stockdale, Aki, Adam Byrne (going forward), Carbery and McCloskey. It may just be too much.

thomond2006

arsebiscuits1 wrote: »

Props: Furlong, Healy, Kilcoyne, McGrath, Porter, Ryan
Hookers: Best, Herring, Tracey
Locks: Dillane, Henderson, Ryan, Toner, Treadwell
Back rows: Conan, Leavy, SOB, TOD, POM, Ruddock, Stander
Scrumhalves: Marmion, McGrath, Murray
Outhalves: Carbery, Keatley, Sexton
Centres: Aki, Farrell, Henshaw, McCloskey
Back 3: Byrne, Conway, Earls, Kearney, Kearney, Stockdale, Sweetnam

No Rory Scannell, TOH or Cronin a big shock.

Both Kearneys probably fortunate to feature. Presume this is them shoed in to start the next 2 weeks at Leinster

I'd still have picked Zebo until RWC and then re-assess after that. Message. Sent.

Healy, Best, Furligind, Henderson, Toner, POM, SOB, Conan;
Murray, Sexton, Stockdale, Henshaw, Aki, Earls, Conway

Tracy, McGrath, Ryan, Dillane, Stander, Marmion, Carbery, Sweetnam

Otherwise I'm glad to see TOD's current form is recognised. He's been fantastic and hopefully will add another cap over the three matches.
The Dave Kearney selection...meh. He's going to be holding tackle bags.

awec

No Bowe and Trimble, thank goodness.

No Cooney too is good news for Ulster.

Buer

Former Former wrote: »

Injury for Zebo? He's playing tomorrow

Sorry, have been off the radar today and the Irish squad was the first piece of rugby news I'd seen in a few hours. Was having withdrawal symptoms.

swiwi_

Quint2010 wrote: »

No Sean Cronin?

Him and Tracey faced off in a darts selection contest. Tracey hit the board more than Cronin, neither got the bullseye. Tracey selected.

Hooker is weakest position on the island of Ireland. Neither of the kiwi project players have convincingly stuck their hand up which hasn’t helped with potential depth. Once the Munster lad gets back from injury he should be back in. Hard to see Best being in the starting XV by 2019.

FellasFellas

McCloskey either starts or doesn't make 23, unfortunately. I really rate him, but he might only get the game time against Fiji.

arsebiscuits1

thomond2006 wrote: »

I'd still have picked Zebo until RWC and then re-assess after that. Message. Sent.

Healy, Best, Furligind, Henderson, Toner, POM, SOB, Conan;
Murray, Sexton, Stockdale, Henshaw, Aki, Earls, Conway

Tracy, McGrath, Ryan, Dillane, Stander, Marmion, Carbery, Sweetnam

Do you mean until the 6 Nations? Because there is no way he will still be picked when he goes to France. But there is a strong argument to still picking him while he is here

Buer

thomond2006 wrote: »

I'd still have picked Zebo until RWC and then re-assess after that. Message. Sent.

If Zebo is gone on a 2 year deal that would mean he would basically miss the 2020 6N, make a tonne of money and come back to Munster in the summer of 2020. People would be lining up to jump ship. I'm surprised they culled him now but at the absolute latest it should happen after the 6N.

[Deleted User]

Feel genuinely bad for Tiernan O'Halloran.

Wonder is Carbery viewed as a 10 / 15 or a 15 / 10?

We only have 2 outhalves outside of him so I'm going 10/15.

Who are our fullbacks though. Kearney x 2? Is Henshaw maybe going to get a look at 15?

Despite missing guys like Heaslip, VDF, Zebo, Ringrose this is one of the strongest squads we've seen in terms of real depth and quality of replacement.

thomond2006

arsebiscuits1 wrote: »

Do you mean until the 6 Nations? Because there is no way he will still be picked when he goes to France. But there is a strong argument to still picking him while he is here

No, I mean pick him until the RWC. I think he's good enough to be picked while in France. When you look at the other options selected he comfortably starts in Ireland's back three and definitely makes the RWC squad.

Buer wrote: »

If Zebo is gone on a 2 year deal that would mean he would basically miss the 2020 6N, make a tonne of money and come back to Munster in the summer of 2020. People would be lining up to jump ship. I'm surprised they culled him now but at the absolute latest it should happen after the 6N.

I get it from the IRFU's point of view but given the other options I wouldn't be so quick to discard Zebo.

arsebiscuits1

Deleted User wrote: »

Feel genuinely bad for Tiernan O'Halloran.

Wonder is Carbery viewed as a 10 / 15 or a 15 / 10?

We only have 2 outhalves outside of him so I'm going 10/15.

Who are our fullbacks though. Kearney x 2? Is Henshaw maybe going to get a look at 15?

Despite missing guys like Heaslip, VDF, Zebo, Ringrose this is one of the strongest squads we've seen in terms of real depth and quality of replacement.

I'd be gobsmacked if Robbie was anything other than a 13 this series.

The 4 centres picked have a combination of 30 caps for Ireland. And 29 of them are Henshaws. Need experience in the centre

[Deleted User]

arsebiscuits1 wrote: »

Do you mean until the 6 Nations? Because there is no way he will still be picked when he goes to France. But there is a strong argument to still picking him while he is here

What benefit do we get from playing him? There are no ranking or seeding issues between now and the world cup so it's all about building depth, continuity and squad cohesion.

Dropping Zebo is 100% the right choice. It's disappointing because I think he's played his best rugby the last two seasons and he is a nailed on starter for me, but dropping him is absolutely the right thing to do.

arsebiscuits1

thomond2006 wrote: »

No, I mean pick him until the RWC. I think he's good enough to be picked while in France. When you look at the other options selected he comfortably starts in Ireland's back three.

I don't agree he is good enough to be picked while he was gone at all. But I think that discussion has been discussed to death over the last few days

irishbucsfan

I’m genuinely shocked at no Zebo.

Banjaxed82

I only have a passing interest in select rugby matches, so pardon my ignorance, but why does Zebo moving to France affect his Ireland place?

Utopia Parkway

Not really sure how TOH doesn't make that squad. Especially with Zebo now excommunicated. TOH has been really good for quite a while now.

awec

arsebiscuits1 wrote: »

Back 3: Byrne, Conway, Earls, Kearney, Kearney, Stockdale, Sweetnam

Earls, Stockdale and Kearney for the bigger fixtures I presume.

Not much choice at full back really, I presume it's whatever Kearney is fit.

Buer

thomond2006 wrote: »

No, I mean pick him until the RWC. I think he's good enough to be picked while in France. When you look at the other options selected he comfortably starts in Ireland's back three.

Nah, that would be madness. Any player who is a starter for Ireland would consider rolling the dice and moving then.

Zebo was a guaranteed starter for Ireland at this stage but he wasn't indispensible especially with the form of guys like Earls and Stockdale along with lads like Carbery, Kearney and TOH all having played 15 for Ireland in the past year.

thomond2006

Banjaxed82 wrote: »

I only have a passing interest in select rugby matches, so pardon my ignorance, but why does Zebo moving to France affect his Ireland place?

Unless your name is Jonathan Sexton, you don't get picked by Ireland unless you are playing in Ireland.

errlloyd

Would it be fair to say that other than Sexy, Keatley and Carbery none of those backs are particularly good at passing the ball.

I really hope Carbs gets a run at 15, otherwise we're here for Warren Ball.

[Deleted User]

Dropping Zebo is the right call. We need to continue the push to see the best Irish players playing for the provinces. The lack of players moving abroad and players like Beirne moving back shows that its working quite well.

[Deleted User]

thomond2006 wrote: »

he comfortably starts in Ireland's back three and definitely makes the RWC squad.
.
.
.
I get it from the IRFU's point of view but given the other options I wouldn't be so quick to discard Zebo.

The message is clearly that it doesn't matter what the other options are. If you leave you're out. I think it's the right call personally.

[Deleted User]

arsebiscuits1 wrote: »

I'd be gobsmacked if Robbie was anything other than a 13 this series.

So would I, but then we can play slightly differently if we have a bunch of battering rams in the backline with aki, mccloskey and the two big lads on the wings in Stockdale and Byrne and Henshaw making big carries from fullback.

I'd vary it up a bit by having Earls in there and Ringrose at 13 and keep one of the lads inside but it's not without potential.

Don't see it happening, but we've plenty of options. Exciting times.

thomond2006

Buer wrote: »

Nah, that would be madness. Any player who is a starter for Ireland would consider rolling the dice and moving then.

Zebo was a guaranteed starter for Ireland at this stage but he wasn't indispensible especially with the form of guys like Earls and Stockdale along with lads like Carbery, Kearney and TOH all having played 15 for Ireland in the past year.

I get you. I probably see Zebo as a better option relative to other players more than other posters.

molloyjh

LH: McGrath, Healy, Kilcoyne
HK: Best, Herring, Tracey
TH: Furlong, Ryan, Porter
LK: Toner, Henderson, Dillane, Ryan, Treadwell
BS: POM, Ruddock, Leavy
OS: SOB, TOD
N8: Stander, Conan

SH: Murray, Marmion, McGrath
OH: Sexton, Carbery, Keatley
IC: Henshaw, McCloskey
OC: Aki, Farrell
WG: Earls, Kearney, Stockdale, Sweetnam, Byrne
FB: Kearney, Conway

Best guess at the first choice 23 from that:

McGrath Best Furlong
Toner Henderson
POM Stander SOB

Murray Sexton
Henshaw Aki
Stockdale Kearney Earls

Herring, Healy, Ryan, Ryan, Ruddock, Marmion, Carbery, D Kearney

aloooof

errlloyd wrote: »

Would it be fair to say that other than Sexy, Keatley and Carbery none of those backs are particularly good at passing the ball.

I really hope Carbs gets a run at 15, otherwise we're here for Warren Ball.

I've only just realised that Rory Scannell hasn't been picked either?

irishfan9

Zebo made his choice, he knew there would only one decision Joe would make in order to protect irish rugby.

Former Former

thomond2006 wrote: »

No, I mean pick him until the RWC. I think he's good enough to be picked while in France. When you look at the other options selected he comfortably starts in Ireland's back three and definitely makes the RWC squad.

Ah, Zebo was never going to be the player for whom the rule would be broken. He has never (never) been a first choice player for Ireland and not remotely in the Murray/Sexton league of importance to the team.

So the question becomes, when does he get dropped? If these AIs are about building for the future, then you drop him now. He is no more a long term option than Trimble or Bowe.