Ireland V All Blacks - Teams Announced and Matchday Thread

[clivemcl]

IRELAND TEAM

15 - Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
14 - Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
13 - Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) (capt)
12 - Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
11 - Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster) *
10 - Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
9 - Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)
1 - Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
2 - Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
3 - Declan Fitzpatrick (Dungannon/Ulster) *
4 - Dan Tuohy (Ballymena/Ulster)
5 - Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
6 - Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)
7 - Sean O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
8 - Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements:

16 - Sean Cronin (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
17 - Ronan Loughney (Galwegians/Connacht) *
18 - Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
19 - Kevin McLaughlin (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
20 - Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
21 - Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
22 - Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)


NZ Team

15 Israel Dagg,
14 Zac Guildford,
13 Conrad Smith,
12 Sonny Bill Williams,
11 Julian Savea,
10 Dan Carter,
9 Aaron Smith,
8 Kieran Read,
7 Richie McCaw (capt),
6 Victor Vito,
5 Sam Whitelock,
4 Brodie Retallick,
3 Owen Franks,
2 Andrew Hore,
1 Tony Woodcock.

Reserves: Hika Elliot, Ben Franks, Ali Williams, Adam Thomson, Piri Weepu, Aaron Cruden, Ben Smith.

Tour Previews:
http://www.v2journal.com/irelands-summer-tour.html
http://www.v2journal.com/new-zealands-june-tests-preview.html

[Mickado]

Disappointed that Ross is out but. Any really argue with the selection.

Fair play to Dekkie for picking that team, now let's beat the fuggin ABs already!!

[munster-abu]

im delighted with the team, about time kidney started to pick the form players. Bod will play 12, even doh he will wear 13??
and would o brien be better at 6 and Pom at 7?
cant wait for the game now, pitty ross didnt make it.
EIRE ABU

ps ireland by 3

[red_stag]

Simply chuffed to bits with that selection. I never expected him to drop Trimble and Darcy and O'Callaghan. Cave and McLaughlin are super calls too.

[Guest]

Good stuff, sounds like you guys got the team you wanted from those available and so did we. No regrets. Here's hoping for a cracking game and may the best team win, good luck!

[Guest]

BOD pre-game comments. Very respectful and no trash talk, thats why we like the Irish.

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10811450

[Mickado]

im delighted with the team, about time kidney started to pick the form players. Bod will play 12, even doh he will wear 13??
and would o brien be better at 6 and Pom at 7?
cant wait for the game now, pitty ross didnt make it.
EIRE ABU

ps ireland by 3

Welcome back to the boards pal!

[AsLongAsBut100ofUs]

I thought Tuohy was too short?

[rodders]

Well strike me down with a thunderbolt!

Its game on folks! In Deccie we trust! .....

[clivemcl]

Pretty psyched for this game now i must say!

[maestegmafia]

Earls at 12????

Not sure about this selection at all. I know there are injuries but this team does not look capable of beating the ABs in NZ.

I hope I am wrong..!

[ME-109]

Love it....nice one DK...at last BOD and Earls...

[red_stag]

BOD pre-game comments. Very respectful and no trash talk, thats why we like the Irish.

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10811450

He obviously learned what will happen if he disrespects the Silver Fern (cough cough Mealamu and Umaga)

[Mickado]

Earls at 12????

Not sure about this selection at all. I know there are injuries but this team does not look capable of beating the ABs in NZ.

I hope I am wrong..!

He'll be switching with BOD for most of the game.

[maestegmafia]

I don't fancy his defending against Sonny Bill though...!

[rodders]

I don't fancy his defending against Sonny Bill though...!

I actually think Earls is a much better defender than D'arcy, certainly a better tackler at least so I'm not too concerned on that one.

If we are vulnerable defensively it will be in the wide channels where McFadden and Zebo aren't great...but what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts. Trimble would have been much stronger in defence but Zebo brings real gas, elusiveness and finishing ability and McFadden is a good footballer so we shall see.

[clivemcl]

I can see earls going to back three and cave getting time off the bench.

[RubyGuby]

Clever Deccie has put himself in a win win situation here - I think it will be a 20 points plus defeat but at least I can see Ireland scoring a couple of trys and taking the game to the AB's who just seem to have too much power and pace all over the park. Then again, after Scotlands win anything is possible.

[rodders]

I can see earls going to back three and cave getting time off the bench.

That will happen at some stage clive.

Delighted because those are the centre combinations I've been itching to see: BOD/Earls, BOD/Cave and hopefully some day Cave/Earls.

Personally I don't give a monkeys who plays 12 or 13... I'm not a big believer in 12 being specialist position..the best midfield i.e. the AB's, Wales, France have guys who can play either, its not a big deal and the 2nd 5/8th type 12 is soooo noughties in my opinion, not really needed under the new laws.

What matters is getting the right combination of pace, strength, footballing ability and vision in there and the combinations above are potentially much better than the ones we've used in the recent past in my opinion.

[Pot Noodle Miner]

If Ireland defend well and keep up with the pace of the ABs it will be a close game and i would'nt be suprised if you sneaked it in the last 5 minutes

[clivemcl]

Not sure Miner, whilst i'd love a win, and its what I hope for, i will settle with seeing some encouraging signs in terms of the brand of rugby we play and performances from the new players.

I'm rather fearful for Fitzpatrick! Hope Rory looks after him and keeps talkin to him.

[Gretgael1]

Not sure Miner, whilst i'd love a win, and its what I hope for, i will settle with seeing some encouraging signs in terms of the brand of rugby we play and performances from the new players.

I'm rather fearful for Fitzpatrick! Hope Rory looks after him and keeps talkin to him.

Clive, you've hit the nail on the head. I don't thing we'll win but if this is the start of Kidney finally changing, playing a different brand and giving new players a chance, well, then I'm happy. No one thought Kidney would pick such a team, hopefully we'll have a good performance to accompany it.

[George Carlin]

Holy crapola.

An entire team chosen on form. Andy Robinson, take note. Declan has grown a massive pair for this selection and good on him. All of the newbies are entirely justified. O'Mahony is very good indeed and will hopefully get a chance to show how good he is. He's far more of a link man than SOB, but the numbers on their backs don't matter.

Best of luck my paddy brothers. Be proud.

[asoreleftshoulder]

Delighted Deccie has seen the need for change and acted on it.Only small criticism is I'd prefer Trimble instead of McFadden but that's nitpicking.Tuohy starting is brilliant as well.I just hope the scrums hold up and we get to see what the team can do as a repeat of the England game would mean they won't get a chance to play much rugby.

Just looking at that backline and other than BoD there is serious gas in every position and we have good kickers in every single position.It's tough to know what the tactics will be but I doubt he would drop Trimble and D'Arcy if he was going to play defensively.

Excited for this game now.

[Pete330v2]

15 - Rob Kearney - Will be as stunning as ever.....and will play some good rugby too
14 - Fergus McFadden - Not his best position but will make the big hits if only he can catch Julian Savea.
13 - Brian O'Driscoll - Will be switching to 12 and doing his usual best
12 - Keith Earls - Will be switching to 13 and hopefully will find BOD is a useful foil.
11 - Simon Zebo - Like many others I remain unconvinced but will let the lad do his talking on the pitch.
10 - Jonathan Sexton - Will be solid as ever but needs Reddan with him to really perform IMO.
9 - Conor Murray - Reddan should have started but I've always liked how Murray plays so I'll be hoping he performs well.
1 - Cian Healy - Nothing I can say here, he's brilliant
2 - Rory Best - See Cian Healy
3 - Declan Fitzpatrick - If he starts Decky Fitz won't let us down, he won't do anything spectacular but he'll be solid.
4 - Dan Tuohy - He's earned this start and his pace and athletisism will be awfully useful all over the park.
5 - Donnacha Ryan - See Dan Tuohy.
6 - Peter O'Mahony - I've liked what I've seen from POM so I'm excited to see what he can offer.
7 - Sean O'Brien - Nuff said, no need to heap anymore praise on him
8 - Jamie Heaslip - Needs to not knee anyone in the head

Replacements:

16 - Sean Cronin - Fastest hooker on earth, stick him on the wing
17 - Ronan Loughney - A great chance for him to prove himself
18 - Donncha O'Callaghan - Old workhorse who will relish a chance to make a cameo.
19 - Kevin McLaughlin - Nice to have this kind of quality on the bench.
20 - Eoin Reddan - Should have started with Sexton but will make his impact.
21 - Ronan O'Gara - Plan B.....kick it to the ABs ? Good lord
22 - Darren Cave - Darren's big day and I hope he isn't there just to get 5 minutes. He's better than that.

Ireland by 5

[disneychilly]

Really glad that you guys are stoked with the Irish team. Both have a few out with injury but I think both coaches would have gone for a bold youthful approach anyway.

Would rather have had Ben Smith in for Guildford due to his fullback experience and prowess in the air as a result but pretty happy from an AB point of view. Will be good for Retallick to see how much mongrel he needs in tests without O'Connell hounding him-that's a plus for NZ. Let's hope the weather isn't like Dublin right now. Dagg vs Kearney looks a beauty.

I'm expecting SBW to run at BOD a bit-BOD's prowess at the breakdown is well known but if SBW can get him to tackle him and then offload, then BOD is taken out of the phase and can't pilfer if it's away from the forwards. BOD is brilliant but will not stop the offload. Noone can. I like Vito more than Thomson-though I'd like him to have a bit more bulk and mongrel. Very skilled footballer though. Picking us to win the scrum but I hope we don't make too much of a point of it as we have too much firepower elsewhere that needs to be used.

[clivemcl]

Good assessment Pete.

The wings are the only area that concerns me (apart from the unavoidable prop crisis). But it could work fine. Its just because its an unknown. I will be watching the performances of McFadden and Zebo anxiously.

Interesting how if we had just been told the names of

Rob Kearney Fergus McFadden Brian O'Driscoll Keith Earls Simon Zebo Jonathan Sexton Conor Murray

and asked to guess the positions. most of us would have assumed mcfadden was the 12 and Earls on the wing.

I'm still a little shocked by kidney. Did he finally end a media fast in his life and start reading up on the opinion of the people? I'm bamboozled as to why now, why all of a sudden? But hey, lets just be happy!

What do folks think about this whole idea of BOD wearing 13 just because he kind of 'owns' it. Most people are suggesting he will be playing 12 for most of the match.

[clivemcl]

disneychilly, the offload is one areas where the SH teams are far superior than us. Its high risk though, and we have some fast young guys who will not need an invitation to capitalise on a loose ball!

[disneychilly]

Yeah it is high risk Clive-dead right there. Though what's been really impressive this year is that SBW is taking better and better options. He almost seemed a bit tentative last year, and using the offload more than he needed to. Now he's running to the line. The guy is a monster. If he runs at Sexton and Sexton tries to choke tackle him he may well get bumped off the guy's that strong. It's his offloads when he is past the gain line that kill you and with Carter given more time by finally having a halfback with a bullet pass, man this is exciting for us too. McCaw and company should be right up his bum anyway if NZ break to hopefully pick up any dropped pill.

Getting a bit excited now! Though the Tom Petty gig tonight has something to do with it.

[rodders]

Correction...it is high risk when Fergus McFadden attempts to offload out of the tackle....when SBW does it, its a no brainer.....

[Pete330v2]

Yeah the offloading game is still a little alien to the Irish side but with DK's new thinking on team selection (selecting on form) perhaps there'll be a few new thoughts about the gameplan i.e. actually playing the rugby we all know the players can play. We have a lot of talent in our ranks I believe to take this game to the All Blacks and really make a game of it. If we play how we did in the 6 nations we're sunk. I don't think however that we will.

[disneychilly]

To be honest Pete it's relatively new to the All Blacks. It's taken the best exponent of the skill in either code to play for our best team to make us aware of how devastating it can be in union. A coach was quoted as saying "Offloading destroys defences". Bang on. It's funny as the teams SBW plays in are modifying their game-lines etc, to take advantage of the new skill set he brings. Other people are obviously catching on but it isn't new it's just been taken to a way higher level with SBW than has been. No 50/50 passes was a mantra I'd hear always. But SBW turns those into 80/20 passes and that is brilliant. Even though I don't like Zac Guildford, he is a tracker much like Chris Ashton, and he will be running off SBW all day. His pace off an offload will mean tries galore.

[rodders]

In fairness I don't think SBW is the norm when it comes to offloading.

[Gretgael1]

Yeah the offloading game is still a little alien to the Irish side but with DK's new thinking on team selection (selecting on form) perhaps there'll be a few new thoughts about the gameplan i.e. actually playing the rugby we all know the players can play. We have a lot of talent in our ranks I believe to take this game to the All Blacks and really make a game of it. If we play how we did in the 6 nations we're sunk. I don't think however that we will.

The offload is alien to this Irish side, but I can remember Shane Horgan was brilliant at it. He'd commit a defender, or maybe two, and still manage to offload it and keep the attack going. That's the thing with big backs like Horgan SBW, try take them down at the knees but the still have their upper body free to release it on an oncoming player. The only problem with this Irish team is that the player makes the break gets isolated and there's no one on their shoulder to offload it to!!!

[Pete330v2]

Yeah the offloading game is still a little alien to the Irish side but with DK's new thinking on team selection (selecting on form) perhaps there'll be a few new thoughts about the gameplan i.e. actually playing the rugby we all know the players can play. We have a lot of talent in our ranks I believe to take this game to the All Blacks and really make a game of it. If we play how we did in the 6 nations we're sunk. I don't think however that we will.

The offload is alien to this Irish side, but I can remember Shane Horgan was brilliant at it. He'd commit a defender, or maybe two, and still manage to offload it and keep the attack going. That's the thing with big backs like Horgan SBW, try take them down at the knees but the still have their upper body free to release it on an oncoming player. The only problem with this Irish team is that the player makes the break gets isolated and there's no one on their shoulder to offload it to!!!

Here here!!!
If you're a Kiwi and you see one of your players making a break from an offload you get excited, we Irish tend to get scared and think 'flip where's he off to'

[disneychilly]

Man imagine if Jonah had SBW's offloading skills.

Rodders you're right. The guy is a freak and a one off. The only guy who came close to his skill I saw was Ali Lauititi-an old league player with the Warriors.

[KiaRose]

The only problem with this Irish team is that the player makes the break gets isolated and there's no one on their shoulder to offload it to!!!

I think though we have seen much less of that at provincial level. Remember Leinster v Bath (HEC at Lansdowne), lots of players running supporting lines so that the ball-carrier was not isolated. We have seen it with the other provinces as well. If this team can bring the same ethos on Saturday then ... That plus getting in the faces of the ABs just like the youingsters did on Monday against the Baby Boks, then anything can happen.

Our 6Ns campaign fell apart this year because everyone stood off Wales and allowed their players to get momentum - much harder to stop once those big guys were motoring. So stop them before they get running.

[clivemcl]

I have to say I think the Irish provinces do offloading a lot more at provincial level and don't internationally. The reason for this is because of the management. IMO there is an atmosphere of 'fear' (for lack of a better word) in the Irish setup. I honestly believe players are too 'careful' because they have had to work damn hard to get Kidneys attention in the first place. They know if they throw an offload and it doesnt go to hand, that will be a negative mark written down on their performance.

[Gretgael1]

The only problem with this Irish team is that the player makes the break gets isolated and there's no one on their shoulder to offload it to!!!

I think though we have seen much less of that at provincial level. Remember Leinster v Bath (HEC at Lansdowne), lots of players running supporting lines so that the ball-carrier was not isolated. We have seen it with the other provinces as well. If this team can bring the same ethos on Saturday then ... That plus getting in the faces of the ABs just like the youingsters did on Monday against the Baby Boks, then anything can happen.

Our 6Ns campaign fell apart this year because everyone stood off Wales and allowed their players to get momentum - much harder to stop once those big guys were motoring. So stop them before they get running.

The provinces have improved, notably Leinster, but I agree with you, it needs to be converted to the international scene. I don't know how many times Kearney kicked in the air and collected only to be isolated in the 6 nations. Now, I hope we don't kick as often but the same thing applies if we break, we need to support our runners with good lines.

That drift defence killed us against Wales, I'm not sure why they played that way knowing how big the Welsh backs are, but playing a blitz defence against the AB's brings it's own problems because their players are more elusive and as we mentioned their offloading abilities will cause us huge problems.

[Pete330v2]

"Our 6Ns campaign fell apart this year because everyone stood off Wales and allowed their players to get momentum"

Ah now we all know it was Wayne Barnes that derailed us that day

True though, we need to put their offensive line under pressure with an aggressive defensive structure like Leinster do at their best. Mow em down before they get a chance to get moving and increase the chances of them throwing that panic offload. We need to be in their face offensively and defensively for a full 80 minutes, no taking a breather, no standing off and expecting the game to come to us.
Will DK have the nuts to impliment such a gameplan?

[rodders]

Man imagine if Jonah had SBW's offloading skills.

Rodders you're right. The guy is a freak and a one off. The only guy who came close to his skill I saw was Ali Lauititi-an old league player with the Warriors.

Well I suppose it is a very League specific skill, combined with the fact SBW is such a huge and powerful guy... its almost basketballesque.. our own Shane Horgan was very good but SBW is something else, a freak and BOD and Earls will have their hands full..but in terms of defenders they are as good as we've got so.....

[kiakahaaotearoa]

Look to Smith to get a quick pass out wider to SBW and for Carter or Guildford to be running the inside channel and Smith on his right. The problem with SBW is that if you don't wrap him up he often looks like he has the ball tucked under his arm and then he can pass quite late and it's very difficult to pick out from the defenders around him.

Even though I'm a Cantab, I'm not 100 per cent convinced about Guildford. But I do admire his workrate and his ability to go looking for the ball and he has a good combinator with Carter. To me it's a positive move from Hansen because it says to the Irish bomb away, we're going to be running it back at you. They don't like it up 'em sir... they love it.

[ME-109]

I have to say I think the Irish provinces do offloading a lot more at provincial level and don't internationally. The reason for this is because of the management. IMO there is an atmosphere of 'fear' (for lack of a better word) in the Irish setup. I honestly believe players are too 'careful' because they have had to work damn hard to get Kidneys attention in the first place. They know if they throw an offload and it doesnt go to hand, that will be a negative mark written down on their performance.

Yes I can see it now...BOD is breaking through with the chance of an offload and stops because he is afraid....tosh...

[Mickado]

I have to say I think the Irish provinces do offloading a lot more at provincial level and don't internationally. The reason for this is because of the management. IMO there is an atmosphere of 'fear' (for lack of a better word) in the Irish setup. I honestly believe players are too 'careful' because they have had to work damn hard to get Kidneys attention in the first place. They know if they throw an offload and it doesnt go to hand, that will be a negative mark written down on their performance.

I agree, and it shouldn't be. Leinster players have spoken about their offloading and they say that when they're in a position to do it, they do it, it's up to the support player to be in the right place at the right time. It makes descision making a lot easier for the ball carrier because they don't have to be aware of the support, they know that if the support is where they are supposed to be then the offload is on. That's the attitude that should be drilled into players at all levels, I don't see why it would be any easier to support the carrier at international level than at provincial...

[1F'sgonnagetya!]

Really excited about this. I still think we'll lose but at least Deccie has done what we've all been praying for, giving people a chance.

Not sure about Zebo and Guilford is in cracking form but at least it's going to be exciting!

[asoreleftshoulder]

Does anyone know of a list of all the tv channels showing this game,I'm having trouble getting round the firewall at work but I might be able to get onto some really obscure channel if I knew the game was on it.

[clivemcl]

I have to say I think the Irish provinces do offloading a lot more at provincial level and don't internationally. The reason for this is because of the management. IMO there is an atmosphere of 'fear' (for lack of a better word) in the Irish setup. I honestly believe players are too 'careful' because they have had to work damn hard to get Kidneys attention in the first place. They know if they throw an offload and it doesnt go to hand, that will be a negative mark written down on their performance.

Yes I can see it now...BOD is breaking through with the chance of an offload and stops because he is afraid....tosh...

DOD, clearly BOD is not in the same camp as Trimble Earls Zebo Fitzgerald McFadden etc... So don't be ridiculous. Trimble openly admitted to the press that being dropped for the World Cup opener reduced him to tears. If you think that psychology doesn't play a part, you are deluded. These guys are not robots. They work hard and do well, and dont get selected. Then when they eventually get a shot it feels like eyes are watching to justify why they werent already selected prior to their opportunity and that every mistake might be analysed by those who have seemed so hard to impress in the past.

[1F'sgonnagetya!]

Does anyone know of a list of all the tv channels showing this game,I'm having trouble getting round the firewall at work but I might be able to get onto some really obscure channel if I knew the game was on it.

I know SkySports are showing it on Saturday morning

[Cotupina187]

Havent been this happy with one of Kidneys team selections in a long time. Delighted to see D'arcy finally moved from the 12 jersey with Earls pairing BOD in the centre. And O'Callaghan dropped from second row with Touhy finally given a proper chance.

[asoreleftshoulder]

Does anyone know of a list of all the tv channels showing this game,I'm having trouble getting round the firewall at work but I might be able to get onto some really obscure channel if I knew the game was on it.

I know SkySports are showing it on Saturday morning

It's sky sports 2,I can get sky sports 1 but can't find a working link to 2 yet

[Sponsored content]