So POC picked up a knee injury and is ruled out of the remainder of the competition, also Coner Murray with a similar injury will also miss the remainder of the competition.
Several interesting questions arise:
Replacement for POC who like it or not has been excellent.
Obvious choices as i see it are:
Ryan (though he plays 4 normally)
or
Cullen
NOW! wait just a second! For me this is an opportunity! to try something new! ha tho the word new rarely if ever enters the vocabulary bank of Irish rugby!
I say we take this and make it an opportunity to fix the back row balance and indeed try something a little different.
Move either Heaslip or Ferris to the 5 position to replace POC.
Heaslip would be my choice for the move. he is an excelent jumper in the line out.
That would leave the 8 position for O'Brian to fill, because he is NOT a 7 nor never will be and ferris is in 6 because he cant play any other position. O'Brian has been fantastic from the 8 position in the past, and it would give him more time ans space on the ball to make his barreling runs. He made his name playing in the 8 position for Heaslip 3 seasons ago when Heaslip was injured. So don't thin i haven't thought it through.
That leaves the 7 position open and we can FINALLY get O'Mahony in there and start fresh with a player who looks like he could be a natural 7!
---
Ok next interesting question is Scrum half? Reddan clearly the first choice but who gets the bench spot? Boss for my money but you know DK just has a man crush on TOL and i worry he will pick TOL
---
Last question and perhaps the most important!
Who will replace POC as the captain???
The smart money would be on Rory Best, However he is not even the captain of Ulster at the moment, and to be fair, would not be my choice. Tho i do rate him highly as a hooker, i dont see his skills as captain. just not vocal enough for me.
I said it months ago that i was disappointed POC got the job as i felt Jamie Heaslip deserved a shot at it. Not to say i don't think POC has done a bad job, but i think its time for a change, and Heaslip is the goto guy at Leinster when Cullen is not playing.
Paul O'Connell out for the rest of the 6N's
posted on 6/3/12
Interesting ideas DBM, worn myself out trying to fill in for SARS on the predictions front and gotta go get the wee girl now.
I'll think on and give you my glittering insight tomorrow...
posted on 6/3/12
I'd heard suggestion that Ferris could fill in at lock; Heaslip I hadn't considered. That said, I would rather see O'Brien at 8 if someone has to move around, and I'm interested to see how O'Mahony performs at international level.
But it's always easy for me when it's not your team to say 'yeah go on, experiment a bit'.
posted on 6/3/12
Taras,
Just glad to see someone turned up here!
Gecko, been awhile u hiding under a rock? (pun intended)
Fez cant move position, he just cant play anything else but 6. Pity really
Anyway, the competition is over for us unless something extraordinary happens.
France lose to england, wales lose remaining 2 games, and we win by cricket scores against scotland and england gives us a mathematical but totally stupid optimistic chance of winning it hahaha
:D
So ye, the competition is over. So why not experiment a little. and in reality it is only one experimentation. With heaslip moving to lock.
SOB has played a lot of rugby at 8 and even in the green jersey he got his first cap at 8 if im not mistaken.
O'Mahony looks the real deal, but need the experience so with nothing to play for give it to him i say.
The captains rm band is probably the biggest worry for me. I can see a horror movie in the making here. DK starts the england game with ROG as captain! (u heard it here first)
posted on 7/3/12
Well now, this Ferris to lock thing has come up before.
I don't know if he can play there or not but I don't remember him ever doing so.
Haven't heard Heaslip mentioned as a lock before but the above also applies.
If I were forced to put one of those two in the 2nd row I'd probably go for Ferris as he's taller and, I suspect, stronger and therefore more of an asset in the pushing dept.
This would also allow O'Brien to play in what is undoubtedly his best position.
However, as I don’t see either of these guys converting permanently to lock, this would be a short term fix to the problem and probably not worth it. Better in my view to stick with the locks we have.
Ryan usually plays 4 and it’s time to give him a run as O’Callaghan (33 in a couple of weeks) won’t be around much longer.
Tuohy, I believe, plays 5 for Ulster and at 26 is, surely, O’Connell’s heir apparent.
I’d start with these two and have O’Callaghan on the bench for his wise old head towards the end.
I too would love to see if O’Mahony is the real deal. I’m not sure throwing him in at the deep-end against a very good Scottish back row is the best idea in the world but that’s exactly what I would do.
That would be hard on O’Brien, I know, but Heaslip and Ferris have done nothing to merit demotion and O’Brien is, unfortunately, the one who’s playing out of position. Also, of the four probable back rows, O’Brien would make the best replacement as he could come on for any of the three starters with the minimum of disruption.
At scrum half I’d have called up Boss as he offers something extra with his eye for a gap and kicks better than O’Leary who, for me, offers nothing other than a fairly good tackle but as Kidney’s called up O’Leary we’ll have to go with him on the bench. I wouldn’t let him on the pitch unless Redden gets injured and cannot continue.
And now there’s a doubt about Best as well, God, it never rains but it pours.
I think I would have gone with Heaslip as captain anyway as he’s done it with Leinster but now I would certainly go with him. Naming Best as captain if there’s a doubt about him participation doesn’t work for me.
My final thoughts will be aimed at inside centre where I feel D’Arcy is simply not offering enough to warrant keeping his place. I’d put McFadden in here with the bench spot going to Zebo.
So, my XV would be:
Kearney
Bowe
Earls
McFadden
Trimble
Sexton
Redden
Heaslip ©
O’Mahony
Ferris
Tuohy
Ryan
Ross
Best (Cronin)
Healy
With Wilkinson (again, it’s time too have a look and we know what Court can and cannot do), Cronin (Varley), O’Callaghan, O’Brien, O’Leary (God help us), O’Gara, Zebo
But I expect Kidney will go with.
Kearney
Bowe
Earls
D’Arcy
Trimble
Sexton
O’Leary
Heaslip
O’Brien
Ferris
Ryan
O’Callaghan
Ross
Best ©
Healy
Court, Cronin, Tuohy, O’Mahony, Redden, O’Gara, McFadden.
He hasn’t called up Paddy Wallace so I’ll assume he won’t start Sexton at 12 and O’Gara at 10.
posted on 7/3/12
A lot of changes there mate! But im all for it. The competition is over for us. so we should use the last two games to experiment.
BUT.... DK will not do it mate. he just won't.
U know it and i know it and the dog in the street knows it.
Ryan will come in at 5. Tuohy, will be on the bench. the reason i didn mention him in the article was because i just know DK has no intention of picking him. For DK Tuohy, is just a name low on a list ordered alphabetically!
posted on 7/3/12
Good news, O'Leary on the bench.
Poor Dan Tuohy.
Yeah, begins with 'T'
McCarthy beats him hands down, alpabetically...
posted on 7/3/12
LOL miss the point much?
DK defiantly has a man crush on TOL! He shouldn't even cleaning the bench.
posted on 8/3/12
Just heard - SOB is out and O'Mahony is in.
I'm actually more excited to see how O'Mahony goes, rather than see the usual bustling, 6 in a 7 shirt, performance from SOB. Jennings takes the place on the bench.