Earls was one of our better player in the 6N’s which is only a few months ago and more of a basis than any pre season friendlies. I just hope the 2 of them can hit form, but all things being even i would pick Earls over him every time. POssibly both play on either wing with Bowe in the centre next year. Thats obviously not going to be attampted this time.
Anto - McLoughlin is a better back row probably, but can’t play 2nd row, so thats probably what got Ryan there
You hope Trimble can hit form Kev? Have you watched any of our games over past few weeks? He has been pretty much regarded by everyone as being our best player.
Hit form at WC Larry, as thats all hat matters. I only saw 1st French game and bits and pieces of Scottish game.
Trimble is a good runner, but sometimes just runs at traffic when he should look for an offload maybe, if there was one criticism of him I had.
Surprised about the Fitzgerald exclusion, thought he was coming back to form at the right time. Wallace is taking up a bloody seat on the plane where one of the lads could have their feet up instead.
We need to win against England, for a bit of momentum at least. I’d like to see a team something like below.
1 Court
2 Flannery
3 Buckley.
4 Cullen
5 POC
6 Ferris
7 Wallace
8 Heaslip
9 Murray/ Boss
10 O’Gara
11 Earls
12 Darcy
13 BOD
14 Bowe
15 Murphy/ Kearney.
16 Cronin, 17 Ross, 18 Ryan, 19 Leamy, 20 Reddan, 21 Sexton, 22 McFadden
In the frontrow, Healy and Ross need to be rested, we know what they can do. Court and Buckley need to be tested and this should be a great test. Neither of them inspire confidence in their scrumaging. Flannery needs a match from the start, if he is our starting hooker ast the WC.
Cullen could do with some time playing with POC. I’m sure DOC will be the player to make way if a change is made.
Ferris needs a full match as we need him up to pace as our impact man of the bench. Wallace needs the match as well.
I’d go with Murray as 2nd choice scrumhalf, but i’m sure Kidney has Boss as his. One of them has to start, Reddan in pole position for the starting WC spot.
I think outhalf is still 50-50 and he will start O’Gara, if he goes well, i can see him starting at the WC.
Bowe needs game time and Earls needs the game on his wing.
BOD and Darcy need time together as well, as it could become a problem area.
Fullback, Murphy need game time, but if Kearney is fit, i’d start him as he needs more time as well.
Is Bowe fit for this game?
I’d agree with your team mostly. Think I’d start Murray ahead of Boss and think Kidney will too. I wouldn’t expect O’Gara to be first choice out half at all.
I’d like to see Ferris at seven for a part of the game. I think he could do a job there for us with Heaslip and O’Brien in their best positions. Wallace should start though as he needs game time.
Anto, why leave o brien out altogether?
Mac, at the present time he’s our one true world class player, rest the fucker.
I know - but Anto said a win is important for momentum but then leaving out our best player is hardly going to help us win.
No, thats absolutely true, but, and this is a massive caveat. England are SHIT.
True enough - but we’re not setting the world alight at the moment.
O’Brien is injured so he’ll get plenty of “rest.” Probably a bit too much. He’s out for 3 weeks or so.
Fair enough - didn’t know that.
didn’t know that either.
O’Brien major doubt for World Cup
Knee injury rules flanker out of England clash
WITH just over two weeks to the start of their World Cup campaign, flanker Sean O’Brien has emerged as a major injury concern for Ireland.
The European Player of the Year is understood to have sustained a heavy knee injury in training which places him in doubt for Ireland[/url]'s opening clash with the [url=“http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/United_States_national_football_team”]US[/url] on September 11 and rules him out of the final warm-up international against [url=“http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/England_national_football_team”]England at Lansdowne Road on Saturday.
Declan Kidney names his side to face the English today, seeking a first win this month after defeats to Scotland and France (twice). The Ireland coach could make several changes to the side that lost 26-22 to the French at home last weekend, with Stephen Ferris, impressive on his return off the bench on Saturday, ready to slot into O’Brien’s No 6 jersey.
Ronan O’Gara could get the nod for the No 10 shirt alongside scrum-half Eoin Reddan, while openside David Wallace and winger Tommy Bowe are set to make their delayed returns to action.
Geordan Murphy[/url], called up to the World Cup squad after injury to replace Felix Jones, is in the mix for the No 15 jersey, while Keith Earls may be considered for a midfield role next to [url=“http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Gordon_D%27Arcy”]Gordon D’Arcy.
If Cian Healy has recovered sufficiently from his bruised foot, he could start at loose-head next to hooker Jerry Flannery, who has been impressive off the bench this month following his lengthy absence with a calf injury.
An exciting bench could feature the likes of Jonathan Sexton, Fergus McFadden and Conor Murray, who was selected as one of three scrum-halves this week ahead of Tomas O’Leary, as Ireland seek the victory they need to send them to New Zealand with confidence.
IRELAND (possible) – G Murphy; T Bowe, K Earls, G D’Arcy, A Trimble; R O’Gara, E Reddan; C Healy, J Flannery, M Ross; D O’Callaghan, P O’Connell; S Ferris, D Wallace, J Heaslip.
- Hugh Farrelly
Pity we couldn’t have had Bowe back from injury earlier as it would have been nice to try him at #13 (with O’Driscoll at #12) in one of these games. We’re lacking a bit of cover there and are far deeper in strength on the wings.
Agreed, I am a big fan of Earls but I don’t think he up to playing 13 at this level at the moment, far more suited to the wing. Given Trimble’s good form & strong running on the right wing it wouldn’t really weaken us to shift Bowe inside and you would feel that it would offer us so much more from an attacking point of view compared to D’Arcy in the centre
England will certainly take it to us. They play that mess-up game in the ruck area. Hopefully they don’t destroy our ball with that choke technique because I have a feeling it would disjoint us a fraction.