A combination of DK needing a utility back row/second row and DKs Munster bias. I would have brought McLaughlin but it wont matter as all he’ll really be doing is carrying a tacklebag.
I had a wank in Donnachas shower in rochestown 2 weeks ago while he was away in france.
He plays regularly enough, and is a fine player for them. He got to go as the 5.5 in the squad. a player who can play both lock and no 6. Their isn’t much between him, McCarthy and McLoughlin the 3 players in contention for that spot. He got the nod in the end.
I am both happy and sad at Tomás O’Leary’s omission.
Happy that Ireland has finally dispensed with a scrum half that possesses a terrible pass and a horrible trait of slowing down play at the base of rucks.
Sad that it’s taken our incompetent coach 3 years to have the guts to do it.
Now he needs to go with Conor Murray instead of that useless and feeble little prick Eoin Reddan.
Ah Kev I think they’re your blinkers. Trimble from last summer on has been far better than Earls on the wing. Earls may be talented but that’s fuck all use if he keeps putting in performances like he did on Saturday. A World Cup squad isn’t a place for potential or talent reserves. It’s about picking players who will deliver the most. At the moment Trimble is streets ahead of Earls in that regard.
I don’t understand why Jones should have been ahead of anyone. I’m not arguing with whether he was likely to be included or not, just don’t think Jones was anywhere near good enough in his games so far and looks too shaky for an international full back. Great potential though. I’d agree with Hayes for Buckley and Jennings for Leamy is a tight call that I wouldn’t argue either way.
I think Ryan is a decent second row but he’s not an option in the back row at all. I don’t think he’ll play there as if there are injuries then we’ll call out specialist backrow cover. Ryan is too slow and defensively naive to play at 6.
Happy enough with that squad I suppose.
If I was to have one criticism, it would be that there are too many props on the team. I’s have brougt one less and replaced him with a night watchman
Firstly Kev I couldn’t care if players came from Cork or Cavan and want the best players on the pitch. if you seriously think Earls deserves a start ahead of Trimble then I think the blinkers are firmly over your eyes. It isn’t bias to say Trimble has been better than Earls not just on Saturday but for a good while now. Outrageous to suggest otherwise quite frankly.
Disappointed Fitzgerald isn’t in the squad and that the likes of Dan Tuohy never even got a shot at making it. Selection of Buckley tells us more about lack of alternatives than anything else I suppose.
Outrageous comments by Kev about Andrew Trimble.
+1. Buckley is only average but he’s the best we have in that position.
I fear for him at the breakdown, especially when we’re going through the phases
Gavin Duffy can feel very hard done by
Why? Did he miss out on some big investment opportunity with the Rugby squad?
Hadnt realised it but this is Leo Cullens first World Cup.
You ok Runt?
He passed up the chance of playing for Mayo to play this shite instead, he made his bed. Still an All-Ireland Minor runners-up medal is worth infinitely more than anything you could ever achieve in a game of push and pull.
I saw a lovely billboard for the new Irish Jerseys there at lunch time featuring TOL :lol:
Would it be fair to say if O’Leary was out with a small injury at the weekend he’d still be going to NZ?
I think your presumption is correct Julio. Actually while he had a really poor game I though he was at least trying to get ball out quicker and went out there with a good mindset.
Lukey getting left out is a travesty
Wallace, Earls, Darcy all ahead of him
Ryan & Leamy going in the pack (Munster)
Jennings and Locky staying at home (Leinster)
3 weeks out from the world cup and Kidney drops his number 1 scrumhalf from 1st to 4th position- the right decision but 18 months too late- at this late stage does he know what’s going on, what our game plan is, who his best team is, what players are on form?
Yep, looks like you were never going to play yourself on to the plane, but you could play yourself off it over the warm up games.
Hopefully Feek and Smal can work their magic on Court and Buckley, Mushy has always saved his best scrummaging performances for the green jersey.
O’Leary and FitzGerald were given ample opportunity to demonstrate they had some semblance of form, both failed. Says a lot about previous coaches that we’re surprised they weren’t selected.
Earls and Trimble are vying for opposite wings, doubt they were ever competing for one spot. If Bowe doesn’t recover they could both start against the Aussies.
Not sure Earls deserves all the abuse heading his way, he saved us when switched to fullback and generally had a decent 6 nations in a misfiring team. Luke talked himself into fullback and was a disaster. Hasn’t been right since, not sure he’s ever really rediscovered his form of 09, bit like TOL in that regard. Injured at the wrong time, both have to re-evaluate their games now. Would Luke be better switching to centre if that pace isn’t coming back?
Delighted for Murray. Now he needs to at least get time to make his case against England, and possibly the US and Russia. Really think he could have a huge impact, especially since he’ll be an unknown quantity to pretty much everyone else.