Ireland - 6N Squad

[Larno]

Ireland squad's out for those interested:

IRELAND Training Squad (2012 RBS 6 Nations):

Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)
Sean Cronin (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
Shane Jennings (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)
Sean O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)

Additional Players -

Ian Nagle (Cork Constitution/Munster) *
Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster) *
Tiernan O'Halloran (Galwegians/Connacht) *
Paddy McAllister (Ballynahinch/Ulster)*
Andrew Conway (Blackrock College/Leinster) *
Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster) *

O2 IRELAND WOLFHOUNDS Squad (v England Saxons):

Stephen Archer (Cork Constitution/Munster) *
Isaac Boss (Terenure College/Leinster)
Gavin Duffy (Galwegians/Connacht)
Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster)
Denis Hurley (Cork Constitution/Munster)
David Kearney (Lansdowne/Leinster) *
Ian Keatley (Young Munster/Munster)
Ronan Loughney (Galwegians/Connacht) *
Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster) *
Mike McCarthy (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Kevin McLaughlin (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
John Muldoon (Galwegians/Connacht)
Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster)
Eoin O'Malley (Old Belvedere/Leinster) *
Rhys Ruddock (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
Mike Sherry (Garryowen/Munster) *
Nevin Spence (Ballynahinch/Ulster) *
Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Dan Tuohy (Ballymena/Ulster)
Damien Varley (Garryowen/Munster)
Brett Wilkinson (Galwegians/Connacht) *

Not considered due to injury: Brian O'Driscoll, David Wallace, Darren Cave, Felix Jones, Jerry Flannery, Eoin Griffin *, Denis Leamy, Niall Ronan.

* Denotes uncapped player

Much the same as the RWC lot really. Nice that some of the young prospects are getting a chance to train with the big boys, high hopes for Munster's Peter O'Mahony in particular.

Good to see big Dan Tuohy getting a hit out with Wolfhounds as well, he's been in good form for a while now.

 

[Bardon]

Very disappointed if not very surprised by this squad. It's up to the selectors to make the tough decisions to retire older fringe players. Unless a centrally contracted Irish player is retiring completely from the game it makes no financial sense for them to retire from International duty.

D'Arcy, P.Wallace, D'OC & Cullen should be out of the senior squad. There are also plenty of other members of the squad who should be under pressure to make way. Nice to see some of the young guys getting to train with the senior squad. But at some stage that youth has to be included in the squad. If things continue as is then in Ireland we'll be talking about the lost generation after the golden generation.

Would have thought that Fitzgerald's amazing form this season would hav eearned him a recall to the senior squad. But wing is somewhere we don't lack dept.

P.Wallace again as the third Out Half is just stupid. Both himself and ROG are going to retire around the same time so not including one of the young crop of outhalfs in his spot is poor planning.

 

[the plastic paddy]

Agree with you on Wallace, Plug(who is injured anyway and probably out for 2 months) and DOC, but Dorce had to play once BOD was crocked we just have to hope he pulls his finger out and takes on the responsibility of being the senior back, I have my doubts. Selection was always likely to be conservative for two reasons, one building up to three test series V AB so not the time for greenhorns and two, and most importantly, believe it or not the seedings for RWC2015 are done on standings in december of this year, very strange but true!!??!! Feel sorry for the Ulster lads, Marshall and Gilroy who are not involved out of the 54 players called up. Fingers crossed no one injured this weekend.

 

[SuperGrover]

The article below seems to sum up my thoughts (apart from the misleading title, as I couldn't find any of McLaughlin's criticism).

It seems a very conservative selection that neglects (or ignores) present form and misses a great opportunity to inject new blood.

McLaughlin criticises Kidney for leaving in-form Ulster pair out in cold

By Hugh Farrelly
Thursday January 19 2012

DECLAN KIDNEY has come under fire for his conservative Six Nations squad announcement yesterday after the Ireland coach stuck exclusively to the players who last year failed to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time.

Kidney’s 24-man party did not include the in-form trio of Luke Fitzgerald, Chris Henry and Dan Tuohy, who were all selected in the secondary Wolfhounds squad to face England ‘A’ this month, while other impressive performers this season such as Peter O’Mahony, Paul Marshall and Craig Gilroy failed to make either squad. Brian McLaughlin, whose Ulster side are chasing a Heineken Cup quarter-final berth in Clermont this weekend, said he was disappointed by the selections, which he did not feel were a reflection of current form.
“It is disappointing,” said McLaughlin. “Declan has decided he is going to stick with his World Cup squad and give them an opportunity in the Six Nations.

Chris Henry has been exceptional all season and Dan Tuohy has shown in the last two or three games that he’s very capable of playing at that level.”

Second-row Tuohy loses out to Leo Cullen despite reports that the 34-year-old Leinster captain would miss the Six Nations due to an ongoing Achilles problem. Cullen will be monitored next week to determine whether he requires surgery, which would entail a six- to eight-week recovery.

Kidney said there are still opportunities for players outside the senior 24 to force their way into the squad to face Wales on February 5 – due to be picked after the Wolfhounds play England Saxons on January 30.

 

[Lee Grant]

I have written some about the Ireland squad on this thread

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/community/threads/england-6n-squad.10104/#post-321845

... so I don't want to duplicate that stuff here (wish I knew how to move the posts in this new setup).

But agree with comments that the retention of Cullen and P. Wallace is puzzling.

Also: when did ROG renege on his retirement from international rugby? I missed that.

Seedings are done for the 2015 RWC based on standings at the end on 2012???? Whatever for I wonder?? Why not at the end of 2014 or at the very earliest 2013 ??

 

[Bardon]

Lee

RoG was talked out of it almost immediately and he did an interview "correcting" himself saying he meant he'd be done for the season and on holiday soon rather than done with Ireland. But looking at the initial interview and his obvious emotion it's hard to doubt that he initially meant that he was retiring from Ireland duty after the WC.

Again it's another problem with the Irish system. If you're a senior player based in Ireland and you want to retire from International duty the only way to do this is to retire completely. Not that I'd want ROG to retire just yet he's still got a lot of give to Ireland and Sexton can still learn a lot from him. I just wish one of the young flyhalfs was in the squad too to benefit from training around RoG.

 

[Lee Grant]

Bardon,

Who over there is rated no. 3 and no. 4 outhalf, ignoring P.Wallace who is more of an old NZ type no. 12 in my book?

If he's considered a better flyhalf than your no.3, fair enough to have him in the main squad of 30 I suppose, but I don't think he's a good enough player to be in the Ireland 22.

If the 3rd best flyhalf is better than Wallace at 10 I would have him in the squad. Wallace's ability to play 12 doesn't mean a lot when GDA is in the squad and McFadden can play anywhere from 11 to 15.

It's a conservative move by Deccie, as was the retention of Cullen who is playing on one leg, yet he's the same bloke who elevated Conor Murray into the Ireland team against all expectation, then promoted him to start in the RWC.

No I can't figure it out either.

 

[Bardon]

Lee

3rd best Fly Half in Ireland woud be Ian Humphrey's younger brother of David who used to vie with ROG for the 10 shirt for Ireland. He plays with Ulster at 10 where Wallace in 12 and his back up. The fact the Humprey's is knocking on 30 might be a reason he wasn't considered for selection but if you're going to pick an aging player between these two the specialist 10 would seem the more logical pick.

For younger Fly Halfs there's Ian Keatley at Munster who starts when ROG has to be rested per contract. At Leinster there's Ian Madigan who can cover fly half anf full back. Fergus McFadden also takes a lot of the place kicks when Sexton isn't starting. There's also Nial O'Connor at Connacht.

There were plently of players for Deccie to pick if all he was looking for was a 3rd flyhalf. But Ireland still has a lot of sentimentality around the picking of some players. Picking on form and game time at flyhalf in the last year Paddy Wallace is probably about 8th in the pecking order in Ireland.

 

[Larno]

3rd best Fly Half in Ireland woud be Ian Humphrey's younger brother of David who used to vie with ROG for the 10 shirt for Ireland. He plays with Ulster at 10 where Wallace in 12 and his back up. The fact the Humprey's is knocking on 30 might be a reason he wasn't considered for selection but if you're going to pick an aging player between these two the specialist 10 would seem the more logical pick.

I agree with this. Ian would probably have seen a bit more international action by now were it not for his infamous flakiness in defence (not that that ever stopped ROG, mind). Runs in the family, but then again so does the attacking magic.

 

[Lee Grant]

Thanks - I know all about the players mentioned and the deficiencies of the Humphreys brothers, past and present.

Just wondered how folks rated them over there, since nobody but ROG and Sexton gets a start for Ireland and P. Wallace always seems to be the guy in a squad who can play 12 and 10 - and not very well IMO.

Mind you, with a million professional players in their stable, England and France don't seem to have 3rd or 4th ranked no. 10s better than Ireland has.

 

[SuperGrover]

The Irish squads have been tweaked.

Irish call Gilroy, Zebo to Wolfhounds

Ireland have made several enforced tweaks to their senior and Wolfhounds squads following recent action in the Heineken Cup and British & Irish Cup.

Paddy McAllister sustained a knee injury while playing for Ulster Ravens in the British & Irish Cup and has been replaced in the senior squad by Leinster loosehead prop Jack McGrath.

Munster winger Simon Zebo will move up to play for the Wolfhounds as Luke Fitzgerald has failed to recover sufficiently from injury to either be considered for the game against the England Saxons or for the Ireland training camp.

Meanwhile, Ulster winger Craig Gilroy has been called into the senior squad to replace Zebo.
Andrew Conway, who was also due to train with the senior squad in Limerick as one of the six additional players, has had to pull out due to injury, with his Leinster team-mate Fionn Carr replacing him in the senior squad.

Ireland training squad for Six Nations
Rory Best, Tommy Bowe, Tom Court, Sean Cronin, Leo Cullen, Gordon D'Arcy, Keith Earls, Stephen Ferris, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Shane Jennings, Rob Kearney, Fergus McFadden, Conor Murray, Sean O'Brien, Donncha O'Callaghan, Paul O'Connell, Ronan O'Gara, Eoin Reddan, Mike Ross, Donnacha Ryan, Jonathan Sexton, Andrew Trimble, Paddy Wallace.

Additional Players
Fionn Carr, Craig Gilroy, Jack McGrath, Ian Nagle, Peter O'Mahony, Tiernan O'Halloran.

Ireland Wolfhounds
Stephen Archer, Isaac Boss, Gavin Duffy, Chris Henry, Denis Hurley, David Kearney, Ian Keatley, Ronan Loughney, Ian Madigan, Mike McCarthy, Kevin McLaughlin, John Muldoon, Tomas O'Leary, Eoin O'Malley, Rhys Ruddock, Mike Sherry, Nevin Spence, Devin Toner, Dan Tuohy, Damien Varley, Brett Wilkinson, Simon Zebo.

http://planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_7450849,00.html

 

[SuperGrover]

Unfortunately it doesn't change the general conservatism that has already been identified in the squad's selection