Ireland summer review

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OK so between the North American and the Lions tours what did we learn about Ireland this summer? Here's my thoughts prior to Joe Schmidt taking up the reigns:
 
Fullback
 
Kearney had a frustrating Lions tour with injury and Felix jones didn't do much to allay concerns that he's a spent force.
 
Henshaw isn't ready yet but maybe Zebo can add some depth here. 
 
Wings
 
Bowe had a mixed Lions tour, made the test side again and was solid in defence but we didn't see enough of him to see if he is back to his best. Needs more games to get fit but is still a class act and a top footballer.
 
Zebo impressed in his brief Lions display after a poor game against the USA.
 
McFadden scored a hatrick against Canada, where Trimble also stood out as with Gilroy to come back the wings should be very competitive in the Autumn. Bowe and Zebo look like a cut above though.
 
Centres.
 
O'Driscoll despite being dropped for the 3rd Lions test, showed he's still a test quality player if not the force he was in 09 in attack. The body stood up to the tour which is a good sign and he'll be keen to go out on a high.
 
Cave, Olding and Downey all had reasonable summers but probably haven't done enough to leapfrog the injured Earls, Marshall and D'arcy.
 
One of Schmidts biggest challenges is to find a combination that functions in attack and provide some potency with the ball. This won't be easy looking at the options available and BOD is still key which is worrying so close to the RWC.
 
Fly Halfs.
 
Sexton was a key man in the Lions series win and confirmed his status as Europes premier 10. Concerns remain about his goal kicking though were he was deemed surplus to requirements.
 
Madigan impressed over the summer and leapfrogged Jackson as second choice who has time on his side to surpass the other two.
 
Despite ROG's retirement fly half looks a real area of strength although place kicking may be a concern in big games.
 
Scrum half
 
Murray thrived under the Welsh power game but I think will still struggle for Ireland and munster without the big carriers to run off him. Remains first choice though.
 
Boss looked good in America and fits Schmidts tactics well. Not much time for Marshall but looks to be easing into the picture although the aging Reddan will come back into the occaision when fit and Marmion is coming through as well.
 
Although there are question Marks over all the options individually I think we look in decent nick here.
 
Schmidt likes the scrum half to play a smart heads up game and deliver quick ball, in contrast to the quasi backrower favoured by Kidney, so whoever can fit the mould best and adapt to Schmidts style will have the advantage.  
 
Back row.
 
SOB was probably the standout backrow for the Lions despite only playing 1 test, and was excellent at both 6 and 7
 
Heaslip played some of his best rugby in years to start 2 tests before eventually being usurped by the excellent Faletau.
 
O'Mahoney impressed with his leadership for Ireland but the backrow struggled againt the physicality of the Eagles. TOD did well against Canada but Henry and McLaughlin didn't have the best ends to the season, nor did Henderson but given its his first full season that is understandable.
 
Ferris is badly missed with his carrying and power, with only Henderson looking capably of filling the void from the big man.
 
Finding the right balance will be a challenge and getting the best out of SOB is key to getting the best from Ireland.  
 
Lock
 
O'Connell showed he's still the man, when fit, but suffered yet another injury which is worrying.
 
No Ryan but Toner had a decent tour and his partnership with the powerful Touhy looks quite balanced. McCarthy didn't have a great summer to back up his much hyped AI performances.
 
Still an area of relative weakness with some fairly average options, by international standards, behind POC and Ryan.  
 
Prop.
 
Loosehead looks okish. Healy had a bit of a nightmare tour but would have been a test contender if fit. Kilcoyne has some way to go but is a reasonable backup as is Court.
 
TH is a big worry though - Ross looks totally shot and none of the other options look up to much.
 
Hooker.
 
Another area of concern. Best didn't have a great Lions tour and still looks short of confidence and top form. Strauss looks totally out of sorts and his bench place must be under serious pressure from Cronin.
 
Conclusion
 
Overall a mixed bag. The Lions tour showed that we still have a handful of top quality players,albeit some aging ones - Bowe, Heaslip, BOD, O'Connell, Healy, SOB, Sexton - with Zebo and Murray enhancing their reputations too.
 
Depth in key positions particularly in the front 5 and a lack of strike threat and power in midfield for me are the key concerns that Schmidt needs to address if we are to put in a decent 6N showing.

It has that reputation when it's dry a lot of games too- especially from february onwards- but I like it. Makes teams even more apprehensive about coming to our place.

Raving Hell. Looking forward to myself and my fellow fans refereeing more games

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Hagan won't be near the starting line up at LI so long as Aulika is at the club. He was probably their best player last season and has a rediculous try scoring record for a TH.

Hagan will get plenty of gametime though Id imagine.

Reading the LI thread in the club section a lot of guys seem to think that Aulika will be switched to Looshead to see how he goes. They have lost Corbs and their other starting LH and back up is not great quality aparently. Looks Hagan will start the season at TH,

I can recognize this staunch defence of your climate. Christchurch had the least rainfall and the most sunshine of the main centres. Auckland had a higher average temperature but was far more humid and had less extremes between the seasons.

It reminds me of a Kiwi stand up comic who made fun of Dunedin. It really annoys me when people say Dunedin is cold. We had twenty degrees here last week. Yeah but that was all the days added up that made 20. It has to be on one day only.

It's like Billy Connolly said. There's no such thing as good or bad weather. It's just weather. It's what you make of it. Hot weather is great for checking out the local scenery but it's rubbish for going for a run. You just have to make the most of what you have.

TOD at Munster is my tip to have a big season - he was outstanding against Edinburgh at Murrayfield last year. I'd be looking to use him at 7 and shift SOB to 6. Heaslip at 8 with either Henderson or POM (frontrunner) on the bench.

Lock is the biggest worry in my opinion. A fully fit Ryan and POC is a strong boiler room, but I don't rate the reserve options. I thought Touhy was going to step up a couple of seasons back but his progress seems to have stalled.