Ireland V Georgia build up thread (team announced 12:50 Friday)

jm08

jm08 wrote: »

My point is that the 10 would not matter as (be it Madigan or Jackson), Murray is well able to run the game as he does for Munster from 9.

What an insane post. The 10 doesn't matter, honest to god.

case885

Is the reason Jackson's level is so far off Sexton's because he is not playing in these high intensity test games and learning from it? We all know there is a difference from doing it at pro 12 and even european games and doesn't exactly equate to a player who can perform at test level.
How old was Sexton when he starting lighting it up for Ireland? Jackson is still only 22 and he should improve with time but if he isn't getting game time in these big games how can he improve?
Id say Jackson will be nailed on at 22 for the 6 nations and hopefully will benefit from gametime but at the moment we are hugely reliant on Sexton.
We are still 11 months from the world cup so i wouldnt panic just yet.

case885

case885 wrote: »

Is the reason Jackson's level is so far off Sexton's because he is not playing in these high intensity test games and learning from it? We all know there is a difference from doing it at pro 12 and even european games and doesn't exactly equate to a player who can perform at test level.
How old was Sexton when he starting lighting it up for Ireland? Jackson is still only 22 and he should improve with time but if he isn't getting game time in these big games how can he improve?
Id say Jackson will be nailed on at 22 for the 6 nations and hopefully will benefit from gametime but at the moment we are hugely reliant on Sexton.
We are still 11 months from the world cup so i wouldnt panic just yet.

Doesn't explain why he's been just ok for Ulster this season. He's loads of European rugby under his belt at this stage. Sexton was a bit older by the time he started for Ireland, maybe 25 or so.

vienne86

case885 wrote: »

Is the reason Jackson's level is so far off Sexton's because he is not playing in these high intensity test games and learning from it? We all know there is a difference from doing it at pro 12 and even european games and doesn't exactly equate to a player who can perform at test level.
How old was Sexton when he starting lighting it up for Ireland? Jackson is still only 22 and he should improve with time but if he isn't getting game time in these big games how can he improve?
Id say Jackson will be nailed on at 22 for the 6 nations and hopefully will benefit from gametime but at the moment we are hugely reliant on Sexton.
We are still 11 months from the world cup so i wouldnt panic just yet.

I think there is a huge gap between Sexton and Jackson just on sheer ability and talent. I know that Jackson is very young, and I think Sexton has got better while in France. True Sexton was much older than Jackson when he started coming good for Ireland, but then I think he just developed late; plus he was behind Contreponi at Leinster.

jm08

Tox56 wrote: »

Uh I think it matters a little. Murray is an excellent scrumhalf but he's not so good that it's irrelevant who is outside him

Its not irrelevant who is the 10, but its not uncommon for the 9 to run the game as say in how they operate in France.

Ruan Pienaar is the chief decision maker for Ulster and he takes a lot of the pressure off Paddy Jackson.

Murray is exceptional because he is able to do it both ways - be chief decision maker as he is with Munster or as with Ireland, defer to Sexton.

On the Lions, you may recall he made Stuart Hogg look like an outhalf.

case885

vienne86 wrote: »

I think there is a huge gap between Sexton and Jackson just on sheer ability and talent. I know that Jackson is very young, and I think Sexton has got better while in France. True Sexton was much older than Jackson when he started coming good for Ireland, but then I think he just developed late; plus he was behind Contreponi at Leinster.

You could say that about most of sexton's rivals in the world though, he probably wont hit sextons peak and that would be asking way too much. A capable back-up whos comfortable at international level is what we need.

mfceiling

jm08 wrote: »

Its not irrelevant who is the 10, but its not uncommon for the 9 to run the game as say in how they operate in France.

Ruan Pienaar is the chief decision maker for Ulster and he takes a lot of the pressure off Paddy Jackson.

Murray is exceptional because he is able to do it both ways - be chief decision maker as he is with Munster or as with Ireland, defer to Sexton.

On the Lions, you may recall he made Stuart Hogg look like an outhalf.

That's well and good but I wouldn't like the thought of Keatley facing the aussies from the off even if Murray was beside him.

jm08

mfceiling wrote: »

That's well and good but I wouldn't like the thought of Keatley facing the aussies from the off even if Murray was beside him.

I think Keatley would be no better or no worse than the rest after Sexton. The point is though that Murray is well able to cover up deficiencies in an outhalf. Look over on Munster fans and a lot of people will say that Murray is Munster's new ROG for running the game and that Munster would be f**cked without him.

Neil3030

I think if Sexton is injured we should look to get Madigan somehow into the team, most likely at 12, to play alongside Jackson or Keatley, the latter pair being superior 10s but not proving sufficiently dependable with the boot.

In other words, pray to whatever god owes you one that Sexton stays healthy.

Teferi

Swiwi. wrote: »

Actually, I'm surprised by the muted response on this forum to Sexton's display in the weekend. Much like the worldwide media, most of whom put him in their "team of the week", I thought he was just excellent.

Do you reckon it could be because we just expect that kind of Sexton week in week out at this stage? Sexton was his usual excellent self, I think we might need to start seeing Carter-2005-Lions-Tour like performances to get a reaction now!

vienne86

Neil3030 wrote: »

I think if Sexton is injured we should look to get Madigan somehow into the team, most likely at 12, to play alongside Jackson or Keatley, the latter pair being superior 10s but not proving sufficiently dependable with the boot.

In other words, pray to whatever god owes you one that Sexton stays healthy.

We are lucky to have Sexton, but we're hugely dependent on him. The more I think about it the more I feel we need Madigan at 10 on Sunday, so see how he goes. Our forwards will be kept busy by those big Georgians, so he may not get a free ride. Could be a good test for him.

Ideally this would be A game on the Friday night before a more serious senior game but still its a chance to have a look at a few things.

I have full trust that Joe Schmidt will balance the needs of running the squad out, winning the game comfortably and getting gametime for those who need it ahead of Australia.

Would be good to give gametime to the likes of Kilcoyne, Strauss, Ah You, Foley, O'Donnell, Marmion, Olding etc. but also need to balance that with getting gametime for some players like Mike Ross.

Often we have had these kind of games after a good win where we would come out with a half arsed disjointed performance before eventually making the scoreboard look someway respectable with some late tries. Whether Ireland can display the ruthlessness needed to be consistently among the top teams will be interesting to see in this one.

Losty Dublin

This is the team which I'd like to see.

Of course, injuries and player preferences won't work in favour of my suggested 15. In the real world Hanraran won't get a game and Keatley needs a break as well; Ah You and Marmion will probably will get longer runs on the bench, Copeland won't make the 23 in spite of a strong season while Gilroy needs the run that bit more than Zebo or Bowe.

1. D. Kilcoyne
2. R. Strauss
3. R Ah You
4. D Foley
5. M. McCarthy
6. R. Ruddock
7. T. O'Donnell
8. R. Copeland.
9. K. Marmion
10. I. Madigan
11. T. Bowe
12. G. D'Arcy
13. R. Henshaw
14. S. Zebo
15. F. Jones

16. S. Cronin
17. J. McGrath
18. M. Ross
19. D. Toner
20. G. Heaslip
21. C. Murray
22. JJ Hanrahan.
23. C. Gilroy.

Fireball07

I don't think Copeland or JJ are in the squad at all, are they?


Copeland was good against Cardiff, but hasn't been that great this season and has been firmly behind POM, TOD and Stander in form.

As for JJ, well I think he should be starting for Munster and would possibly be in contention for an Irish place if he had been. But you couldn't expect Joe to pick him since he's not.


Of the players not in the squad, obviously I'd have liked to see Casey start. I do think Gilroy should start. Would have been a great chance for James Cronin.

Losty Dublin

Fireball07 wrote: »

I don't think Copeland or JJ are in the squad at all, are they?


Copeland was good against Cardiff, but hasn't been that great this season and has been firmly behind POM, TOD and Stander in form.

As for JJ, well I think he should be starting for Munster and would possibly be in contention for an Irish place if he had been. But you couldn't expect Joe to pick him since he's not.


Of the players not in the squad, obviously I'd have liked to see Casey start. I do think Gilroy should start. Would have been a great chance for James Cronin.

I don't think they were but I was going purely on utopian ideals as opposed to what will happen. JJ has been very reliable in the last couple of years and is long overdue a chance as well as his teammates. While another fish in the back row pond, Copeland can cover pretty much all of the back five. With the RWC in a years time, versatility will work in his favour.

.ak

Swiwi. wrote: »

At the moment I feel the Sexton situation is like NZ had with Carter a while back: Carter >>>>> everyone else (Donald, Delaney etc etc).

I can't speak for anyone else, but I must say I would have minimal faith in anyone other than Sexton wearing 10 in crunch matches. I don't really have an opinion on the next best 10 in Ireland, they are all light years behind Sexton.

Actually, I'm surprised by the muted response on this forum to Sexton's display in the weekend. Much like the worldwide media, most of whom put him in their "team of the week", I thought he was just excellent.

I'd probably have Sexton as the world's premier 10 if he keeps playing like that, certainly the 2 NZ flyhalves were OK in general play, but their goalkicking was terrible, Cruden running at 43% in his last 2 tests. Carter should be back this weekend, we'll see what he can offer.

He was good on Saturday, but I've seen him play far, far better.

irishbucsfan

He was really really excellent. There isn't another 10 in Ireland who can do what he did on Saturday. And there probably isn't another 10 in Europe who can do it either.

Putinovsky

Sexton is the best outhalf Ireland has ever produced. Certainly the best outhalf I've ever watched in the flesh.

thelad95

"Borders wrote:

Whether Ireland can display the ruthlessness needed to be consistently among the top teams will be interesting to see in this one.

What are you on about? This game will have no bearing on whether Ireland will be among the top teams in the years to come. It will be an experimental line-up and probably a slightly disjointed performance due to lack of chemistry between players.

There's been much debate about 10,12 and 13. I would like to see Henshaw start again with Darcy inside him. This would be a perfect game for him to rack up a few tries and gain confidence in an Irish jersey.

The Lost Sheep

Losty Dublin wrote: »

I don't think they were but I was going purely on utopian ideals as opposed to what will happen. JJ has been very reliable in the last couple of years and is long overdue a chance as well as his teammates. While another fish in the back row pond, Copeland can cover pretty much all of the back five. With the RWC in a years time, versatility will work in his favour.

But is that not pointless with the squad named a few weeks etc. Copeland can cover 2nd row, 6 and 8 but he hasn't been anywhere near convincing enough in his overall play to be involved. Very good some aspects of his game, much to improve on in others. Baring a drastic change in form he wont go to world cup. We already have several players who can play across the backrow and several like Henderson, Ryan, etc who can cover 2nd row and back row.

thelad95 wrote: »

What are you on about? This game will have no bearing on whether Ireland will be among the top teams in the years to come. It will be an experimental line-up and probably a slightly disjointed performance due to lack of chemistry between players.

There's been much debate about 10,12 and 13. I would like to see Henshaw start again with Darcy inside him. This would be a perfect game for him to rack up a few tries and gain confidence in an Irish jersey.

Wouldn't say this is a game where Henshaw will rack up a few tries or the perfect game for him to do so. This is Georgia's only game this month against a 6N/4N side(and last before world cup) so this will be a very tricky affair.

Fireball07 wrote: »

I don't think Copeland or JJ are in the squad at all, are they?

Copeland was good against Cardiff, but hasn't been that great this season and has been firmly behind POM, TOD and Stander in form.

As for JJ, well I think he should be starting for Munster and would possibly be in contention for an Irish place if he had been. But you couldn't expect Joe to pick him since he's not.

Of the players not in the squad, obviously I'd have liked to see Casey start. I do think Gilroy should start. Would have been a great chance for James Cronin.

Neither of them are in the squad. Agree on Copeland but not on JJ. Dont think he should be starting for Munster

Losty Dublin wrote: »

This is the team which I'd like to see.

Of course, injuries and player preferences won't work in favour of my suggested 15. In the real world Hanraran won't get a game and Keatley needs a break as well; Ah You and Marmion will probably will get longer runs on the bench, Copeland won't make the 23 in spite of a strong season while Gilroy needs the run that bit more than Zebo or Bowe.

1. D. Kilcoyne
2. R. Strauss
3. R Ah You
4. D Foley
5. M. McCarthy
6. R. Ruddock
7. T. O'Donnell
8. R. Copeland.
9. K. Marmion
10. I. Madigan
11. T. Bowe
12. G. D'Arcy
13. R. Henshaw
14. S. Zebo
15. F. Jones

16. S. Cronin
17. J. McGrath
18. M. Ross
19. D. Toner
20. G. Heaslip
21. C. Murray
22. JJ Hanrahan.
23. C. Gilroy.

What side would you pick that's likely and not a fantasy completely unrealistic team?

Swiwi.

.ak wrote: »

He was good on Saturday, but I've seen him play far, far better.

Against a top 5 international rugby side, not me. I guess his Lions' displays were good, but in theory at least the quality of the Lions side should be higher, given it's supposed to be the best of the B&I isles combined.

As I've said before, top class displays at provincial level do not necessarily a world-class flyhalf make. Plenty of players have done that and then been pies on the biggest stage.

No, I thought it was an 8-9 out of 10 display in the weekend from Sexton.

rrpc

Am I the only one who thinks Joe won't change too much for Georgia? He has previous from the 6N where people were expecting a lot of changes for Italy and they didn't transpire; reason being that the team couldn't afford to change too much and lose momentum as a result.

rrpc

rrpc wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks Joe won't change too much for Georgia? He has previous from the 6N where people were expecting a lot of changes for Italy and they didn't transpire; reason being that the team couldn't afford to change too much and lose momentum as a result.

Has he not already said he'll be making changes? I really hope he does anyway, no need to play a lot of the front line players.

Buer

Swiwi. wrote: »

Against a top 5 international rugby side, not me. I guess his Lions' displays were good, but in theory at least the quality of the Lions side should be higher, given it's supposed to be the best of the B&I isles combined.

As I've said before, top class displays at provincial level do not necessarily a world-class flyhalf make. Plenty of players have done that and then been pies on the biggest stage.

No, I thought it was an 8-9 out of 10 display in the weekend from Sexton.

I think you're on the money regarding his level of performance against a top 5 side. He has turned in good showings against them previously but never a dominating performance like this one. I think a lot of us had strong faith in him to be able to do that though and aren't hugely surprised.

He has dominated games against England and Wales, for example, previously. If his pack were able to give him the ball he needed, I was confident he could perform against the southern hemisphere sides also.

As good as he has been previously, I think he's become better again since moving to Paris. He has had to learn to take complete ownership of the game there and sometimes looks like a one man back line.

phog

Neil3030 wrote: »

I think if Sexton is injured we should look to get Madigan somehow into the team, most likely at 12, to play alongside Jackson or Keatley, the latter pair being superior 10s but not proving sufficiently dependable with the boot.

In other words, pray to whatever god owes you one that Sexton stays healthy.

If we need Madigan on the field just to score kicks at goal on Sunday then we're doomed, not because he won't kick them but its tries we should be winning by not penalties.

I expect a tough opening to the game but would also expect us to run in few tries especially as the game progresses.

molloyjh

Armando Plain Hoagie wrote: »

Has he not already said he'll be making changes? I really hope he does anyway, no need to play a lot of the front line players.

He'll make some changes but wholesale changes are a meaningless exercise really. It's not a case of identifying 23 guys you want to have a look at and then just chucking them all into the squad together. It's about identifying combinations that allow you to learn stuff about certain players, which will mean partnering them with guys that we're familiar with to an extent. It is also about identifying a game plan and buildig the squad around that as well.

What annoys me about selection discussions is that some people look at who they deem to be the form players and just lash them into a 23. Then when that 23 isn't selected they get all bent out of shape. Even if the 23 are undisputedly the form 23 it really isn't that simple at all. Selection is a far more complicated and considered process. Even for games like this.

bilston

rrpc wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks Joe won't change too much for Georgia? He has previous from the 6N where people were expecting a lot of changes for Italy and they didn't transpire; reason being that the team couldn't afford to change too much and lose momentum as a result.

You can't compare Italy and Georgia though. If it was Samoa or Fiji etc then fine minimal changes it is but really we could make 15 changes for Sunday and expect to win by 20+ points.

wittycynic

We could comfortably put out our third team and win this at a canter. For example:

1. Kilcoyne
2. Cronin
3. Fitzpatrick
4. Foley
5. Stevenson
6. Diack
7. O'Donnell
8. Copeland
9. Marmion
10. Keatley
11. Conway
12. McCloskey
13. Olding
14. Gilroy
15. Jones

Would be genuinely shocked if that team didn't do the business against Georgia. Unfortunately our opponents on Sunday will be poor and, unless our scrum starts jogging backwards, we will comfortably win with virtually anyone on the pitch.

accidentprone1

Players I think we need to get a proper look at at the weekend:

Madigan
Marmion
Foley
Jones


They could realistically be called into an Irish 23 for any match when there's injury to a first choice player. I really think they need a proper shot to demonstrate that they can perform.

crisco10

wittycynic wrote: »

We could comfortably put out our third team and win this at a canter. For example:

1. Kilcoyne
2. Cronin
3. Fitzpatrick
4. Foley
5. Stevenson
6. Diack
7. O'Donnell
8. Copeland
9. Marmion
10. Keatley
11. Conway
12. McCloskey
13. Olding
14. Gilroy
15. Jones

Would be genuinely shocked if that team didn't do the business against Georgia. Unfortunately our opponents on Sunday will be poor and, unless our scrum starts jogging backwards, we will comfortably win with virtually anyone on the pitch.

Not one Leinster player? shocking.

wittycynic

crisco10 wrote: »

Not one Leinster player? shocking.

I had flirted with the idea of including Madigan as the third choice fly-half but feared I'd be met with a chorus of boos.

connemara man

accidentprone1 wrote: »

Players I think we need to get a proper look at at the weekend:

Madigan
Marmion
Foley
Jones


They could realistically be called into an Irish 23 for any match when there's injury to a first choice player. I really think they need a proper shot to demonstrate that they can perform.

The problem is if you make whole sale changes you aren't seeing them in context of the team that normally will play and those systems (not you personally just people wanting a full new 23 listed)

Utah_Saint

wittycynic wrote: »

I had flirted with the idea of including Madigan as the third choice fly-half but feared I'd be met with a chorus of boos.

When PJ is fit and in form he probably will be....;)

accidentprone1

connemara man wrote: »

The problem is if you make whole sale changes you aren't seeing them in context of the team that normally will play and those systems (not you personally just people wanting a full new 23 listed)

Yeah, I agree with you there. That's why I kept the list to a minimum--keeping a strong core to the team is important.

former legend

crisco10 wrote: »

Not one Leinster player? shocking.

Cronin?

molloyjh

I posted this on the Ireland thread but sure may as well post it here too:

Keep units together as much as possible. Ross will need some game time. I expect POM to start against Oz and he took a real hammering on Saturday so I'd rest him. We also need to have the requisite leadership on the park. This isn't what I expect Joe will select, but more what I'd like to see.

Killer Strauss Ah You
Foley POC
Ruddock Henry Heaslip

Marmion Sexton
Fitz Darce Henshaw Bowe
Jones

Cronin, McGrath, Ross, McCarthy, TOD, Reddan, Keatley, Gilroy

EDIT: In the above we're basically getting a look at Killer and Ah You in the front row and Foley in the second row. Ruddock gets another run out and Henry (assuming he's fit) get's some match practice. Marmion will have Sexton to guide him through the game should he need it and the same with Henshaw at 13. We can get a decent look at Jones as well who impressed me in the little game time he got last weekend.

We can then bring on the first choice front-row for game time as needed. Replace POC with McCarthy to keep Paulie fresh, TOD for Henry to get a good look at him. Then Reddans familiarity with Joe should balance out Keatleys lack of familiarity while Gilroy should slot easily enough into that back three regardless of who he comes on for. We should get a good look at everyone there and do so in a way that means something because they are operating in a side that has a good spine, as Joe would say, to it.

wittycynic

connemara man wrote: »

The problem is if you make whole sale changes you aren't seeing them in context of the team that normally will play and those systems (not you personally just people wanting a full new 23 listed)

We're playing Georgia though. It's difficult to make this point without being disrespectful to them, but we aren't going to learn anything meaningful about anyone in any context from this game.

Regardless of who we put out, we'll win easily. When we played Fiji in Autumn 2012, Craig Gilroy and Luke Marshall looked like the destroyers of worlds. Fast forward two years and neither are considered to be close to first choice in their positions for the national side. You don't learn much when the opposition is so poor. It's decent exposure, but not incredibly useful.

.ak

Swiwi. wrote: »

Against a top 5 international rugby side, not me. I guess his Lions' displays were good, but in theory at least the quality of the Lions side should be higher, given it's supposed to be the best of the B&I isles combined.

As I've said before, top class displays at provincial level do not necessarily a world-class flyhalf make. Plenty of players have done that and then been pies on the biggest stage.

No, I thought it was an 8-9 out of 10 display in the weekend from Sexton.

England 6n 2011 I think. They were on for the slam and sexton put them to the sword. Still probably his best performance IMO. He also had a great game against South Africa in croke park. I thought he was better against NZ last year too.

artvandelay48

wittycynic wrote: »

We could comfortably put out our third team and win this at a canter. For example:

1. Kilcoyne
2. Cronin
3. Fitzpatrick
4. Foley
5. Stevenson
6. Diack
7. O'Donnell
8. Copeland
9. Marmion
10. Keatley
11. Conway
12. McCloskey
13. Olding
14. Gilroy
15. Jones

Would be genuinely shocked if that team didn't do the business against Georgia. Unfortunately our opponents on Sunday will be poor and, unless our scrum starts jogging backwards, we will comfortably win with virtually anyone on the pitch.

Yeah, we would probably win but what would it tell us? We need to look at different combinations only. I'd say only about 6 changes will be made. If Payne is fit, I'd start both again in the centre as they need game time together.

vienne86

molloyjh wrote: »

I posted this on the Ireland thread but sure may as well post it here too:

Keep units together as much as possible. Ross will need some game time. I expect POM to start against Oz and he took a real hammering on Saturday so I'd rest him. We also need to have the requisite leadership on the park. This isn't what I expect Joe will select, but more what I'd like to see.

Killer Strauss Ah You
Foley POC
Ruddock Henry Heaslip

Marmion Sexton
Fitz Darce Henshaw Bowe
Jones

Cronin, McGrath, Ross, McCarthy, TOD, Reddan, Keatley, Gilroy

Hmm. I don't think POC would start and I think Sexton will also be rested too. I think Henry should play IF available, though GT is saying in the IT that he wouldn't expect him to be involved anyway. That is the front row I would expect to see - they all could do with a good run. I'd say half backs wil be Madigan, probably with Reddan and I'd say Mike Mac will be in the second row. And I really hope Fitz is on the wing. Is Gilroy in the squad?

Utah_Saint

would like to see Olding involved...

molloyjh

wittycynic wrote: »

We're playing Georgia though. It's difficult to make this point without being disrespectful to them, but we aren't going to learn anything meaningful about anyone in any context from this game.

Regardless of who we put out, we'll win easily. When we played Fiji in Autumn 2012, Craig Gilroy and Luke Marshall looked like the destroyers of worlds. Fast forward two years and neither are considered to be close to first choice in their positions for the national side. You don't learn much when the opposition is so poor. It's decent exposure, but not incredibly useful.

Yeah to a point that's true, but when looking for accuracy and the ability to fit into a system there is a certain amount you can learn from this game. For example we've heard that Joe is big on the angles at which players hit rucks. If someone doesn't do that properly against Georgia then they won't against anyone. However if they are getting their angles spot on then that points to their accuracy levels as individuals.

Sometimes too it can be harder to stay focused against sides like this because it is a bit of a foregone conclusion. However if someone were to stay mentally switched on for the full 80 next to someone who doesn't that speaks volumes too.

Remember there are guys here who will genuinely feel like they are fighting for a place in the 6 Nations and RWC sides. There is a certain amount of hunger, accuracy, discipline etc that you would/should expect to see. We probably won't learn much about overall abilities of players, but we could learn a lot about attitudes and attention to detail.

Mahatma Geansai

The Indo's proposed team:

R Kearney;
T Bowe, G D'Arcy, R Henshaw, S Zebo;
I Madigan, K Marmion;

D Kilcoyne, R Strauss, R Ah You;
D Toner, D Foley;
R Ruddock, J Heaslip (capt), T O'Donnell.

I'm not delighted to see D'Arcy involved at 13, and I think the Olding would me the more progressive form pick. I'd prefer Archer to Ah You too, for previously described reasons. While Murray/Sexton need to be wrapped up in cotton wool for obvious reasons, I think there would be value in starting Marmion with Sexton, and having Murray and Keatley on the bench.

I'm happy with the level of rotation though.

molloyjh

vienne86 wrote: »

Hmm. I don't think POC would start and I think Sexton will also be rested too. I think Henry should play IF available, though GT is saying in the IT that he wouldn't expect him to be involved anyway. That is the front row I would expect to see - they all could do with a good run. I'd say half backs wil be Madigan, probably with Reddan and I'd say Mike Mac will be in the second row. And I really hope Fitz is on the wing. Is Gilroy in the squad?

All of the above is possible alright. As I said it's what I would like to see personally, but this is a Joe selection. You can never, ever tell with Joe.

Gilroy is in the squad but I've a sneaking suspicion we won't see him this weekend. We may see Zebo start with Fitz on the bench or vice versa.

I'd give POC 40 minutes alongside Foley so that we can get a good look at Foley. Bring on McCarthy at half time then to see out the game.

Madigan would probably be a better shout for this game where-as Keatley may have been a better shout last week. But I would like to see Keatley involved in some way. I really want us to look at Marmion though and we're better off doing that with Sexton at 10 IMO.

As I said though I fully expect my selection to be different from Joes. And I'm not sure I'd give a fiddlers one way or another really. In Joe we trust etc.

MattD

There's also the argument that players like TOD, Ah You, McCarthy and Gilroy will realistically not be in the 6N squad or WC squad if we're not suffering another ridiculous injury crisis, so what's the need in giving them games now?

I'd still like to see:

McGrath
Strauss
Ross
POC
Foley
Ruddock
Henry
Heaslip
Marmion
Madigan
Zebo/Fitzgerald
Darcy
Henshaw
Bowe
Payne/Kearney

Best/Cronin
Kilcoyne
Ah You
Toner
POM
Reddan
Keatley
Gilroy

Making sure we do have viable game options at halfback and in the centre and in the back row

vienne86

molloyjh wrote: »

All of the above is possible alright. As I said it's what I would like to see personally, but this is a Joe selection. You can never, ever tell with Joe.

Gilroy is in the squad but I've a sneaking suspicion we won't see him this weekend. We may see Zebo start with Fitz on the bench or vice versa.

I'd give POC 40 minutes alongside Foley so that we can get a good look at Foley. Bring on McCarthy at half time then to see out the game.

Madigan would probably be a better shout for this game where-as Keatley may have been a better shout last week. But I would like to see Keatley involved in some way. I really want us to look at Marmion though and we're better off doing that with Sexton at 10 IMO.

As I said though I fully expect my selection to be different from Joes. And I'm not sure I'd give a fiddlers one way or another really. In Joe we trust etc.

Yes, I agree with your logic. I would LOVE Marmion to get the start, and I would love him to get a run alongside Sexton. And yes, getting Foley in beside POC makes sense too. It's fascinating.....and it's only Tuesday!

wittycynic

Very interesting if that Indo report is true and D'Arcy will be played at 13 rather than 12 to keep Henshaw on the inside.

I seem to recall Joe saying that he likes having a big guy at inside centre. Could Henshaw be our twelve from here on out?

molloyjh

wittycynic wrote: »

Very interesting if that Indo report is true and D'Arcy will be played at 13 rather than 12 to keep Henshaw on the inside.

I seem to recall Joe saying that he likes having a big guy at inside centre. Could Henshaw be our twelve from here on out?

In all honesty I really liked what I saw of the Henshaw-Payne combination. Would be more than happy to see more of that. If that means playing Darce at 13 while Payne is injured then so be it.

vienne86

molloyjh wrote: »

In all honesty I really liked what I saw of the Henshaw-Payne combination. Would be more than happy to see more of that. If that means playing Darce at 13 while Payne is injured then so be it.

I really fancied Henshaw at 13, but he put in a great shift at 12 on Saturday. Either way, I'd expect him to be playing with D'Arcy on Sunday.

Utah_Saint

wittycynic wrote: »

Very interesting if that Indo report is true and D'Arcy will be played at 13 rather than 12 to keep Henshaw on the inside.

I seem to recall Joe saying that he likes having a big guy at inside centre. Could Henshaw be our twelve from here on out?

The problem is that Ulster have a glut of top quality 12's coming through. Our immediate concern at international level is 13. Keep Henshaw there...