There are a few notable omissions but Declan Kidney has picked a strong squad for the November internationals, and the front and back row options leave me very optimistic.
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First off, Ireland head coach Declan Kidney has picked a very strong squad for the four November internationals. There is massive competition all over the park, none more so than the back row where Ireland have a host of world-class options. It will be interesting to see which way he goes when it comes to picking his starting line-up, with Jamie Heaslip, Stephen Ferris, Seanie O’Brien and Denis Leamy all having started the season in fine form and David Wallace and John Muldoon also in the mix.
It just shows you the strength in depth when people like Shane Jennings don’t get a look-in. Jenno isn’t the only one who played the last game and doesn’t get in the squad now – his colleagues in the back row against Australia in June were Niall Ronan and Chris Henry, who are also excluded.
It’s harsh on Jenno, because he hasn’t put a foot wrong this season. At international level, you’re looking for a high-impact ball carrier, and for all the skills that Jenno possesses, he wouldn’t be as explosive in that regard as some of the other lads. Still, I really rate Shane as a player and I don’t think he’s played his last game for Ireland. He’ll be back at some stage.
My old haunt in the second row looks a little bit light with Paul O’Connell absent and Leo Cullen not back at full tilt yet. The two Munster boys, Donnacha O’Callaghan and Mick O’Driscoll, look odds-on to start with big Devin Toner and Donnacha Ryan in reserve. Micko and Dev are the only two who would be comfortable controlling the line-out, so one of them has to start. My money would be on Micko at this stage.
Dev is the one for the future. He’s such a big guy so physically it will take a bit longer to get to his absolute peak, but he’s very resilient. He soaks up the punishment, takes knocks well and he’s getting games and experience now so he’ll be around for the long haul. I’d love to see Leo involved at some point. When he’s fit he’s the best replacement for Paulie. He just has to concentrate on getting some games for Leinster and if that happens the rest will fall into place.
Front row options
The Irish front row is an area that has been seen as a weakness for a while but I’d be a lot more upbeat about it now, even with Marcus Horan missing out through injury and a doubt over Jerry Flannery.
Looking at the options, I’m very optimistic. Tony Buckley has really pulled his socks up over the last few months. Okay, Munster were under pressure in the scrum against Toulon, but Toulon have Carl Hayman, the best tight head in the world by a country mile. Tony has been really good this year, and he’s so good around the park that he’s always a threat.
The best alternative at tight head at the moment looks to be Mike Ross, who’s just so reliable. He’s getting games at Leinster now and while he mightn’t be as explosive around the park as someone like Buckley, he won’t let you down in the scrum.
It looks as though John Hayes has slipped a bit over the last few months but he’s been incredible for Ireland for many years and he won’t be giving up the jersey without a fight. There’s a school of thought which says he should be concentrating on Munster at this stage of his career, but if he does that there’s a danger he’ll go from one end of the season to the other without getting a game. He’ll be putting his hand up for Ireland right to the end, and fair play to him.
With Buckley, Ross and Hayes, there’s plenty of competition at tight head so things look good. This time last year Hayes was suspended and we didn’t have a tight head to come in. The situation looks a lot better now.
If the tight head position looks good, it’s the same at loose-head and hooker too. Cian Healy looks to be the one in position and he gives a lot of value around the park. Tom Court can play on either side and he’s more aggressive in the scrum than Cian, so it just depends on which way Deccie wants it to go.
At hooker, even with Flannery injured we have three good options in Rory Best, Damian Varley and Sean Cronin. Sean did well Down Under in the summer but the other two will put up a big fight for the jersey and if Jerry can get fit he’s right back in the mix too, so it’s all good there. All in all, with the options we have in the front row now there should be no scrummaging issues. There’s enough artillery there now.
Murphy’s turbulent career
There were a few notable omissions in the backs, none more so than Geordan Murphy. Geordan has had a turbulent international career, constantly in and out of favour with coaches. It’s not that long ago that he was starting at full back and captaining the team, but a few months on he’s not even part of the 34. To be honest, I feel he’s done remarkably well to hang in there for so long, one of the few players not based in Ireland to play regular games at international level. And I wouldn’t write him off yet.
The other one who I’m a bit surprised to see miss out is Fergus McFadden. He’s had a fantastic start to the season with Leinster and I thought he’d be in with a shout for a place among the backs. Johne Murphy from Munster is the one who got the call instead. He wouldn’t have been my pick because I just wouldn’t see him as being incredibly potent, but he’s played a lot of games for Leicester and now Munster, so he obviously has a lot of the attributes required.
Where Fergus McFadden is concerned, he just has to be patient. Like everyone else, he’s up against it in the short term because everyone knows Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy are incredible operators. You have Keith Earls as another option for the centre, Luke Fitzgerald can play there too when he’s fit and Paddy Wallace and Andrew Trimble are also in the mix. But rugby is such an attritional game, and Fergus will get his chance before long.
O’Gara v Sexton: too close to call
It was interesting that Declan Kidney apparently requested that Paddy Wallace play at out half for Ulster against Edinburgh at the weekend. I wouldn’t see that as anything other than Deccie just keeping all his options open. The battle for the 10 jersey is sure to be between Ronan O’Gara and Johnny Sexton, who have both started the season in exceptional form. It would be a brave man to call that one at the moment – Ronan might have his frailties defensively but he’s a huge leader in the dressing-room, whereas Johnny has been brilliant this season. I’d say they will play two games each in November, but whichever way it goes, I’m sure Deccie would love to have Paddy Wallace on the bench so that he could cover 10 and 12.
Rob Kearney’s a certainty at full back with the way he’s started the season and Tommy Bowe and Earlsy look to be in pole position on the wings. It’s not as clear at scrum half. With Tomas O’Leary injured, the three stand-outs were Eoin Reddan, Peter Stringer and Isaac Boss, and they all offer something different. Stringer offers exceptional delivery whereas Boss is more of a threat. Eoin Reddan is probably a combination of both – he might not be as big a threat as Boss and his delivery might not be just as good as Stringer’s, but it’s still pretty exceptional. If I was a betting man I’d say Eoin will start.
After a fortnight of big Heineken Cup matches it was back to the Magners League at the weekend. The big game from an Irish point of view was the meeting of Connacht and Leinster in Galway. Connacht have been improving at a rate of knots and took a famous win over Leinster at the Sportsgrounds last season. There seemed to be a pretty intense atmosphere there on Saturday evening so everyone involved with Connacht will be disappointed at the outcome.
The game was in the balance right until the last minute but Connacht were unlucky to get picked off for the intercept try when they were attempting to build through the phases for a match-winning try of their own. It also denied them a losing bonus point on the day. They’d done enough to get one and it wouldn’t have been that big a surprise if they’d even sneaked a win at the finish, so they’ll be sorely disappointed to come away with nothing.
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