Widespread reports this morning suggest that Declan Kidney is about to make one of the biggest calls of his career and opt for Paddy Jackson ahead of Ronan O’Gara at out half against Scotland this weekend.
With Jonathan Sexton out of the Murrayfield encounter and probably the clash with France a week later, conventional wisdom suggested that Kidney would go with 127 times-capped O’Gara despite below par outings against England when introduced as Sexton’s replacement and for Munster against Scarlets at the weekend.
Speculation mounted late last night that Kidney would throw caution to the wind and select Ulster out-half Paddy Jackson at out-half alongside Conor Murray, which will raise further questions about O’Gara’s future at international level given his age (36 next month) and Sexton’s elevation to first choice in the number 10 jersey.
The rumoured inclusion of Jackson is not the only big call made by Kidney, who has also reportedly decided to give Luke Marshall his debut alongside Brian O’Driscoll at centre and opted for the experience of Tom Court in favour of Dave Kilcoyne in place of the suspended Cian Healy in the front row.
Many of the changes have been forced on Kidney due to the injury crisis in the Irish camp, but even then it is a very bold selection by the Irish coach, who has come under increasing pressure since the limp defeat to England at the Aviva Stadium ten days ago.
Nothing has been officially confirmed as yet, of course, but reports of the rumoured changes have surfaced in all of the papers this morning and it seems likely that they will come to pass.
All will be revealed when Kidney reveals the team around 1.30pm this afternoon.
Ireland probable team to play Scotland: Kearney; Gilroy, O’Driscoll, Marshall, Earls; Jackson, Murray; Court, Best, Ross, O’Callaghan, Ryan, O’Mahony, O’Brien, Heaslip (captain).
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