With 5 uncapped players being named it leaves me wondering why 3 of them are form Munster. Im not being bias by stating that it is the Leinster conveyor belt from their academy which has fed their success over the past few years, and while on the surface this may look like an anti munster comment i promise its not, hear me out.
Im not anti anybody but im pro Ireland and i dont like DK choosing players based on the stodgy, stuff it up the jumper style he seems to love. I don't care if 90 percent of the players come from Munster as long as Ireland are playing good rugby. And by good rugby i mean modern, fast offloading, passing rugby. if he gets players who look up and attack open space im happy. If he gets players who look up looking for a tackle im not happy.
That style is a relic fron ten years ago. New 'Interpretations' of the laws of the game mean an attacking team get the nod from the ref more often then not. Slow up the jumper stuff is a thing of the past and DK can either get that through his head or ship out.
NOTE: Brian O'Driscoll is still in with a chance to join the squad but its does not look likely and while we know what he brings its good to leave him on the side this year and give some oppertunity to the likes of mcfadden and o'mally... oh wait... O'Mally is not included.... Isn't that interesting... considering he has scored 3 tries in 5 games for leinster and in the Heineken cup no less!
Nevin Spence, Ian Madigan and Eoin O'Malley should be head and shoulders ahead of Zebo! not to say Zebo does not deserv a shot at the big time but red tinted glasses from DK!
WONDERFUL selection choices DK just bloody WONDERFUL!
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The Ireland squad for the 2012 RBS Six Nations.
(*Denotes uncapped players )
Rory Best (Banbridge - Ulster)
Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
Tom Court (Malone - Ulster)
Sean Cronin (St.Mary's College - Leinster)
Leo Cullen (Blackrock College - Leinster)
Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne - Leinster)
Keith Earls (Young Munster - Munster)
Stephen Ferris (Dungannon - Ulster)
Cian Healy (Clontarf - Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Naas - Leinster)
Shane Jennings (St.Mary's College - Leinster)
Rob Kearney (UCD - Leinster)
Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere - Leinster)
Conor Murray (Garryowen - Munster)
Sean O'Brien (Clontarf - Leinster)
Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution - Munster)
Paul O'Connell (Young Munster - Munster)
Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution - Munster)
Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne - Leinster)
Mike Ross (Clontarf - Leinster)
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon - Munster)
Jonathan Sexton (St.Mary's College - Leinster)
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena - Ulster)
Paddy Wallace (Ballymena - Ulster)
Ian Nagle (Cork Constitution - Munster)*
Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution - Munster)*
Tiernan O'Halloran (Galwegians - Connacht)*
Paddy McAllister (Ballynahinch - Ulster)*
Andrew Conway (Blackrock College - Leinster)*
Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution - Munster)*
EDIT:
More from the IRFU.
Now i know where all the promising talent have disappeared to...
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The O2 Ireland Wolfhounds squad includes eight uncapped players: Stephen Archer and Mike Sherry from Munster, David Kearney, Ian Madigan and Eoin O'Malley from Leinster, Ronan Loughney and Brett Wilkinson from Connacht, and Ulster's Nevin Spence.
Kidney added: "The Wolfhounds game gives myself and the other coaches one final chance to give games to players to see possible options before we settle on our match day 22 for the opening game.
"It also gives us the opportunity to have a closer look in training at some of the younger players, rather than bringing in more experienced players, who are very much still in the frame for selection."
O2 Ireland Wolfhounds (22):
Stephen Archer (Cork Constitution - Munster)*
Isaac Boss (Terenure College - Leinster)
Gavin Duffy (Galwegians - Connacht)
Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College - Leinster)
Chris Henry (Belfast Harlequins - Ulster)
Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution - Munster)
David Kearney (Lansdowne - Leinster)*
Ian Keatley (Young Munster - Munster)
Ronan Loughney (Buccaneers - Connacht)*
Ian Madigan (Blackrock College - Leinster)*
Mike McCarthy (Buccaneers - Connacht)
Kevin McLaughlin (St.Mary's College - Leinster)
John Muldoon (Galwegians - Connacht)
Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin - Munster)
Eoin O'Malley (Old Belvedere - Leinster)*
Rhys Ruddock (St.Mary's College - Leinster)
Mike Sherry (Garryowen - Munster)*
Nevin Spence (Ballynahinch - Ulster)*
Devin Toner (Lansdowne - Leinster)
Dan Touhy (Ballymena - Ulster)
Damien Varley (Garryowen - Munster)
Brett Wilkinson (Galwegians - Connacht)*
Irish 6 N's Squad... I'm not impressed
posted on 20/1/12
Is there a touch of "if it works don't change it"?
I'm surprised at just how strongly you feel on this, not that that is a bad thing, as I thought Kidney was highly rated following the end of Eddie O'Sullivan's reign, and was almost beyond reproach given his success at Munster and with Ireland
posted on 20/1/12
Well SARS i like DK but i dont attribute alot of success to him and there has been a lot of failure under DK not least our longest losing streak in the history of irish rugby while he's been in-charge. Did you know that?
Also, his selections have been well and truly questioned by the media here, and while he has been given the benefit of doubt more often then not, right now hes under pressure. We won the Grand Slam under DK in the first few months of his tenure but far from it were many of us convinced that he was the reason. Even he himself said it was down to the work of those before him, and mostly down to the players just wanting it more then anything else.
Many have commented that the team needed it desperatly because several years had gone by where we came so close and were denied by france. In Fact looking at that GS with clear open eyes we only played one good game. the rest we scraped by, and i do mean scraped... 12 v 13 against england... Barely beat scotland and wales... it was a year where we only played well against the french.
Now As i said things have changed with the ruck changes and so on and fast, passing rugby is to the fore with attacking teams getting the nod from the ref more often then not.
We are fully capable of playing that style and even further i can say that Leinster are hands down the best in europe at playing this way... In responce to this DK picks a conservative team. Stuff it up the jumper boys and a captain in POC who will demand just that. (POC one of my favourite players ever) but his appointment as captain was the first tell tail sign of another year playing 'just enough' rugby.
I said it in the other article and i will repeat it here.
Its time the IRFU gave Connor O'Shea a call aout a job interview. And i straight up mean that, despite the fact i like DK a lot. Really nice man. Too nice
posted on 20/1/12
Blimey!
I don't remember the Grand Slam Scotland and Wales games, but the one against England certainly flattered England hugely, the fact that England kicked the ball into touch when trailing at half time and around half way I think said it all!
This may be going against your point but I'm surprised their is no Peter Stringer, whilst he's no Blanco or anything I'm always impressed by his want - almost his need to win. Ireland could be 50 pts up or 50 pts down and he'd still play like his very life depended on it and I think he passes that on to certainly the scrum and possibly the backs (maybe he's just not afraid of losing his looks?)
posted on 20/1/12
Strings is still the best passing scrum half we have ever produced. But he's over there with u lot these days ;-D Sarries got a good'on but he's been out of favour for the last 2 years here, DK preferred Tomas O'Leary to Strings with Reddan on the bench. Anyway thats neither here nor there now, DK's loyalty to Tomas O'Leary was well and truly misplaced but lucky for DK Munster unearthed a very good scrum half in Conor Murray and thats the last we will see of Strings in an Irish shirt me thinks. He's been a wonderful servant to us.
The wales game came down to a last second missed penalty from stephen jones... we won by 2 points....and the scots ran us all the way to the end. oh and we didn't break free of italy until the 65 minuet mark either. We scored less tries then most other teams in that competition also. In short, apart from the France game we dogged our way through it and won a GS but just about won a GS. True DK style.
I think its fair to say no one would take it away from us as our form since the turn to professional rugby deserved some reward and plenty would say we under achieved even counting the GS.
that was 2009 and DK is desperately hanging on to as many players from that time as he can.
posted on 20/1/12
Just listened to Eddie O'Sullivan talking about the selections.
That man does not say much that im ever to interested in listening to but he did say one thing.
The reason for the conservative squad is a mirror of what EOS did 4 years ago and is a direct result of a mandate by the IRFU.
Apparently the IRFU say the 6 Nations is the bread and butter of irish rugby and its a competition we MUST do well in. Its our main revenue stream. Without success in the 6 Nations and a bucket of cash generated all the provinces will suffer as a result.
So there u have it. Perhaps im too harsh with Declan Kidney. Seems his back is against the wall and success is demanded. So he logically has to chose the tried and tested, proven players over the up and coming players.
posted on 20/1/12
Thats a bitter pill for me to swallow
posted on 20/1/12
I doubt Michael Noonan is phoning Kidney up, but all the taxi drivers and publicans I've ever spoken to talk abotu the importance to the economy of the Six Nations and especially the visits of Scotland, Wales & England whose fans tended to come for a long weekend. I've often heard this frequently ends up becoming a long week - especially for Welsh fans
posted on 20/1/12
Yes there is a bit of a tradition among the welsh when they visit ireland to have a long weekend :D to be fair its usually a good laugh :D but thats also a compliment to our sport and the attitude rugby fans have as its usually a good laugh with any and all supporters who come here following their team. including england
But thats on a more national scale, it seems that its just mathematics with the IRFU as the 6 nations is there main source of income each year.
posted on 20/1/12
Looking forward to Dublin this year, it's the first time I'm going. Shame the game's on a Sunday, I have to get a flight back at 6am on Monday to make work!!!
Have to be honest I'm incredibly disappointed in the squad Ireland have chosen. If Wales' performance in the world cup highlighted anything, it was that you must give the kids a go. Declan (whether pushed by the IRFU or not) has clearly not done this.
Why is DOC in the squad? I know he's starting tomorrow but I'm sure he's been on the bench more times than not this season. (Please correct me if I'm wrong).
Fitzgerald, Henry, McCarthy, Touhy, Wilkinson and Duffy can all count themselves very unlucky.
posted on 20/1/12
Well DOC is in the squad out of merit, hes not playing bad at all but hes under serious pressure from the other Donnacha, Donnacha Ryan who is GREAT. But like we have been saying DK is far too conservative.
Fitzgerald will be the only player to make it out of the wolfhounds squad, he just took a small injury a few weeks ago and i think the wolfhounds inclusion is just to give him game time.
But other then that your preaching to the choir mate. This squad is pathetic in terms of forward thinking.