Irish Centre and No.7 Issues

First topic message reminder :

So with the season well underway have we learnt an awful lot regarding these issues?

At the world cup it was proved to us that we need an out and out seven for the next and that we preferably need to start this Six Nations. I suggest we drop Heaslip and move O'Brien to 8 as i think Heaslip is out of form.

That leaves the seven slot open with the main candidates being:

Leinster;

Shane Jennings. The most experienced but never proved himself on the international stage. Should he be given another chance and if he is and is successful, will he last until 2015 where he will be 34. Also, he has to start for Leinster, which I think he should, so hopefully Schmidt will bring him back in.

Dominic Ryan. Whenever i have seen him he has looked really good but probably isn't getting as much game time as he has hoped for. I thought by now he might have broken into the first team or even the bench. Hopefully he improves and gets more opportunities, Six Nations is definitely coming too soon for him.

Ulster;

Willie Faloon. I some really good things about him last season but isn't in the first team yet. Also, I don't think he has played for the Wolfhounds even.

Munster;

O'Mahoney. Looks to be the only candidate making serious progress and looks very good. If he's good enough i'd give him a run out in the SN. He also seems to have that Munster fighting spirit in him.


I would give Jennings and O'Mahoney run outs during the Six Nations and wait until Ryan and Faloon break in their first teams.



With O'Driscoll out injured and D'Arcy coming to end I believe we should play a totally new partnership/s in the SN.

For twelve you have

McFadden
Fitzgerald
Trimble

For thirteen

McFadden
Bowe
Spence
Cave
Earls
Griffin
O'Malley

At the moment i would go for either 13 Bowe 12. McFadden/Fitzgerald or 13. McFadden 12. Fitzgerald.

I know Cave, Spence and Earls would be right up their but I think that Earls is best on the wing and I haven't seen enough of Cave or Spence.


On an ending note, seeing as O'Callaghan as he is getting on and that he did not start against Northampton and the recent good form of Ryan and Tuohy, is O'Callaghan's place up for grabs?

The same was true of Tony Buckley -

Tuohy's never that bad

Ah few were on Tony Buckleys level. I remember when I heard that we tricked Sale Sharks into signing him. Best day ever.

I used HATE to see:

01 Marcus Horan
02 Denis Fogarty
03 Tony Buckley

lining out for Munster. None of them ever did a forwards work. They would sit on the wing get a try and the media would fawn over them. Buckley couldn't scrummage, Fogarty couldn't throw, Horan couldn't give a toss.

red_stag wrote:Ah few were on Tony Buckleys level. I remember when I heard that we tricked Sale Sharks into signing him. Best day ever.

I used HATE to see:

01 Marcus Horan
02 Denis Fogarty
03 Tony Buckley

lining out for Munster. None of them ever did a forwards work. They would sit on the wing get a try and the media would fawn over them. Buckley couldn't scrummage, Fogarty couldn't throw, Horan couldn't give a toss.

That is rubbish.

And I would prefer to have Tony Buckley sitting on the Munster bench than John Hayes. (Fogs isn't the only hooker who can't throw, he is a year younger than Rory Best and look at him now).

If Best couldn't throw as you imply he would not be Ireland's number 1 hooker.

He also had rather a good World Cup you know - many pundits saying he was the top hooker in the tournament.

He suffers, like most hookers, from the blinkered view that ever missed lineout is the throwers fault when in fact poor lifting, poor calling, poor jumping and bad handling all are likely causes of a lost line out.

Geoff, read my post again and note the last few words "look at him now".

That meant that his throwing has improved. His throwing WAS a major flaw in his game (just like Fogs) and he has now rectified it and is now playing great rugby and if there was a Lions next summer I've no doubt that he would be on it this time.

Whoops...thanks for the clarification.

My error