IRFU sqaud for Argentina

[ildanach]

Ya i thought heaslip had a good game and carney had a good first half. lack of place kicker killed us.That was a brutal attempt at a drop goal by murphy.

[Dinny Breen]

Cracking game, very physical and played to a tremendous tempo throughout. It did lack structure but I thought that added to enjoyment as you hadn't clue what was going to happen next. Ireland played well and were the better team the lack of a quality place kicker as the lads have pointed was the issue. As for World Cup selection I thought Flannery, O'Kelly, Heaslip and Best all laid down markers and will be in the squad. Boss, Carney and Wallace were the pick of our backs. Our inexperience showed at the end when we had them on the ropes and instead of pushing for the try or penalty we opted for a drop goal.

[tyroneboi]

How many players will be taken to the World Cup? Whats the split between backs and forwards? Will there be 3 scrum halfs taken for example? How many back rowers etc etc?

[Dinny Breen]

30 players will be travelling to the World Cup, generally it's done on a 17 - 13 split, 17 forwards 13 backs. The really specialist positions such as scrum-half and hooker will have 3 each travelling.

The expected breakdown will be

5 props,
3 hookers
3 Second-row
6 Back-row (Maybe 6 props and 5 back-row)
3 Scrum-halfs
2 Out-halfs
2 Full-Backs
and 6 centres/wingers

[tyroneboi]

Thanks for that Dinny. If thats the case i think that Steady Eddie will go with this squad of players. Obvioulsy there will be one or two injuries or surprise inclusions but i think he may go with this:

Forwards
Hookers: Sheahan, Best, Flannary
Props: Best, Hayes, Horan, Young, Best
2nd Row O'Callaghan, O'Connell, O'Kelly
Back Row: Easterby, Wallace, Leamy, Best, An Other (Could be two of 4/5)

Backs
Scrum-Halfs: Reddan. Stringer, Boss
Fly Halfs: O'Gara, Wallace
Full-backs: Murphy, Dempsey
Wing/Centre: Hickie, O'Driscoll, D'Arcy, Horgan, Carney, Trimble

[Teeling Gael]

I expect the breakdown as follows :

4 props
3 Hookers
4 second rows
6 backrows
3 scrum halves
2 Outhalves
8 outside backs

Props : Horan , Hayes , Best and Young
Hookers : Best , Flannery and Sheehan
2 Rows : O Connell , O Callaghan , O Kelly , O Driscoll
Backrows : Easterby , Wallace , Leamy , Best , Heaslip and Jennings
Scrum Halves : Stringer , Boss and Reddan
Outhalves : O Gara and Wallace
Outside backs : O Driscoll , Darcy , S Horgan , D Hickie , Dempsey , Murphy , Trimble and Carney

My logic in 4 props is that in a match day 22, you need only 3 props so having 4 in 30 should cover that. If Eddie wants another prop it will be Bracken, and then Carney will lose out with Boss providing additional outside back cover. Only positions in doubt next weekend is O Driscoll/ Cullen and Hogan in second row and 2 from Jennings vrs Ferris vrs Heaslip in backrow.

Consistent rumour has it that overtures to David Humphries will be made and given the lack of a quality after O Gara then this can only be a good development if it happens

[Dinny Breen]

Team for second test named. Don't think that team is capable of winning too many passengers for my liking but with a World Cup place on the line they should put in a performance. Will be interested in seeing how Reddan, Kearney, Carney eile, Jennings and Ferris perform.


15 - Geordan Murphy Leicester
14 - Brian Carney, Munster
13 - Barry Murphy U.L. Bohemians/Munster
12 - Gavin Duffy Galwegians/Connacht
11 - Rob Kearney UCD/Leinster
10 - Jeremy Staunton Wasps
9 - Eoin Reddan Wasps
1 - Bryan Young Ballymena/Ulster
2 - Frankie Sheahan Cork Constitution/Munster
3 - Simon Best (Captain) Belfast Harlequins/Ulster
4 - Leo Cullen Leicester
5 - Mick O'Driscoll Cork Constitution/Munster
6 - Alan Quinlan Shannon/Munster
7 - Shane Jennings Leicester
8 - Stephen Ferris Dungannon/Ulster

Replacements:

16 - Bernard Jackman Clontarf/Leinster
17 - Tony Buckley Shannon/Munster
18 - Malcolm O'Kelly St. Mary's College/Leinster
19 - Neil Best Belfast Harlequins/Ulster
20 - Isaac Boss Ballymena/Ulster
21 - Kieran Lewis St.Mary's College/Leinster
22 - Luke Fitzgerald Blackrock College/Leinster

[AZOffaly]

Interesting to see how Reddan does. He was good for Wasps this season, he might be a better option to replace Stringer in the long term.

[Uladh]

Surely taking three second rows is too skimpy? i suppose O'Driscoll can play here or back row and offers good versatility. They will have to take 5 props.

[CiKe]

anyone see it, was it as bad as it sounds?

from the BBC

Argentina held Ireland scoreless as they grafted to victory over the under-strength visitors in the second and final Test match in Buenos Aires.

Ireland struggled throughout and Jeremy Staunton missed three penalties which would have kept his side in the game.

Federico Todeschini hit two first-half penalties as the Irish failed to make intense pressure count.

Todeschini added another penalty and Manuel Contepomi's late try completed Argentina's 2-0 series victory.

The game offered several Irish players the chance to press their claims for World Cup selection but Eddie O'Sullivan is unlikely to be have been impressed by an error-ridden display.

   
606: DEBATE
Your reaction to Ireland's defeat

Ireland got sucked into a forward battle in the early stages and when the ball did go wide, passes were spilled on numerous occasions.

The home side took the lead in the ninth minute with fly-half Todeschini slotting a penalty from 30 metres after Frankie Sheahan had conceded a penalty.

The Irish responded by charging into the Argentine 22 but scrum-half Eoin Reddan knocked on just as the visitors appeared to have numbers out wide.

Staunton made a reasonably assured start for Ireland and he went close to levelling in the 25th minute when his long-range penalty was inches wide.

Simon Best and his Irish colleagues got sucked into a forward-dominated game
Ireland captain Simon Best is tackled by Rimas Alvarez Kairelis

Ireland had a try-scoring opportunity in the 26th minute after Alan Quinlan had charged down Todeschini's attempted clearance but Mick O'Driscoll lost possession five metres short of the line.

The visitors were camped in the Argentine 22 in the 10 minutes before half-time but amazingly, they failed to register a score.

Staunton's break had the Irish charging at the Argentine line but Bryan Young was held up.

More intense Irish pressure set up a straightforward penalty chance for Staunton from a central position 20 metres out but the fly-half pulled the opportunity badly wide.

To rub salt into Irish wounds, debutant Shane Jennings needlessly conceded a penalty after charging into a ruck from the side and Todeschini slotted the kick to put Argentina 6-0 up at the interval.

Staunton's struggles with the boot continued when he missed another penalty from 35 metres eight minutes after half-time and his opposite number Todeschini extended Argentina's lead to nine points on 56 minutes.

Ireland's play became increasingly ragged in the final 20 minutes with not even the introduction of livewire Neil Best rallying the visitors.

With victory already assured, Argentina put the tired Irish under intense pressure in the closing minutes and Manuel Contepomi broke through Brian Carney's dreadful attempted tackle to seal the home side's victory with Todeschini adding the conversion.

The game suggested that the much-vaunted strength in depth in Irish rugby is not as extensive as touted in some quarters.

[Uladh]

anyone see it, was it as bad as it sounds?

Worser

[thewobbler]

The biggest problem was a lack of cutting edge. A large amount of credit has to go towards Argentina's defence, which was imperious, well organised and disciplined, but Ireland never looked like either having the power or the subtleness required to break through.

This was evident from early on, and then an eagerness spead throughout the backline to force the issue and get involved too quickly, which meant a plethora of forward passes, wrong passes, and dropped passes.

Reddan looked useful, but I doubt we'll see any of Staunton, Murphy or Kearney in an Irish shirt again too soon. Nothing went right for Staunton at all. Duffy looked like a player playing out of position. Carney's only real involvement was a missed tackle and he looks like he could be our answer to Andy Farrell. Murphy was poor as usual.

I thought the pack performed okay, and the front row did nothing wrong at all. Bryan Young looked quite useful in loose. Neither Mick O'Driscoll or Leo Cullen is fit for international rugby, but the rest of the pack all look decent back-up.

[Dinny Breen]

Reddan looked useful, but I doubt we'll see any of Staunton, Murphy or Kearney in an Irish shirt again too soon. Nothing went right for Staunton at all. Duffy looked like a player playing out of position. Carney's only real involvement was a missed tackle and he looks like he could be our answer to Andy Farrell. Murphy was poor as usual.

I thought the pack performed okay, and the front row did nothing wrong at all. Bryan Young looked quite useful in loose. Neither Mick O'Driscoll or Leo Cullen is fit for international rugby, but the rest of the pack all look decent back-up.

Not sure I could agree with all that, Reddan to me was too ponderous and isn't even challenging Boss for the 2nd scrum-half spot. Agree about Staunton and Barry Murphy (Can honestly say I have never seen a worse display in an Irish green jersey) but apart from one terrible knock-on I thought Kearney did OK as did Geordan Murphy. Duffy was the pick of the backs simply because he did nothing wrong. You're very harsh on Carney, again he had little to do and at the end he tried an intercept, looked foolish but they had a man outside (which the fat sh*t Hook failed to point out in his analysis) and were always going to score.

Young was my man of the match and Quinlan and Ferris did quite well, in fairness to MOD he did try and didn't hide unlike the over-hyped Cullen and Jennings.

Can't see many others going to Argentina, not a good day for Irish rugby....