Emerging Ireland

Just wondering who is even available for this.
Selection could be last men standing.

For Ulster the only players not rested, with Ireland, not eligable, or leaving who are full professionals and are available are:

Black, Lutton, Marshall P, Heaney, Allen, Gilroy, Andrew

I would add academy players - Warwick, Scholes and McCloskey for consideration
McComb and McCormish are full professionals but should be nowhere near the squad

Other than Black, Lutton, Marshall P, Allen and Gilroy I see no one else, at Ulster, who should be on the plane.

I assume other provinces have more to offer.

Main interest for me will be whether Keatley or JJ goes on the tour given Madigan is (as far as I know). Other than that....TOD maybe Copeland,Foley, Duncan Casey, possibly other back rows like Dougal and/or Butler.

Keatley will definitely be 1st choice here now. I would certainly be throwing McCloskey into the mix with Black and Gilroy and possibly Lutton.

Is it only Irish based players that will get to go? Or will the likes of Hart be released for it? Or Sheridan?

Hard to pick a team out of the players left.

Black/Bent
Casey/Harris Wright (cant think of any fit hookers)
White (he has qualified right?)
Foley
McCarthy (injured?)
McCloughlin
TOD
Copeland
Hart/Marshall
Keatley
Gilroy
McCloskey/Sheridan
Madigan
Murphy/Conway
Leader

Include in the squad; Butler, Doughall, John Ryan, Lutton, Boss, Noel Reid, JJ, Allen

Considering its an Emerging side and given the lack hookers available, we could bring young George McGuigan. Newcastle fans are always raving about him.

Also is Furlong fit? He should get the 3 shirt.

I dont think White is eligable - joined same time as Payne.

Leaves Furlong and Lutton for TH

Just realised left Stevenson out of the Ulster contingent - he'll never forgive me   

Emerging Ireland squad (*denotes capped player)

Backs (11): Michael Allen (Ulster), Andrew Conway (Munster), Craig Gilroy (Ulster*), Eoin Griffin (Connacht), JJ Hanrahan (Munster), Ian Keatley (Munster*), Brendan Macken (Leinster), Paul Marshall (Ulster), Luke McGrath (Leinster), Johne Murphy (Munster), Noel Reid (Leinster).

Forwards (15): Niall Annett (Ulster), Rodney Ah You (Connacht), Michael Bent (Leinster*), Callum Black (Ulster), Paddy Butler (Munster), Bryan Byrne (Leinster), Robin Copeland (Cardiff Blues), Sean Dougall (Munster), David Foley (Munster), Mick Kearney (Connacht), Mike McCarthy (Leinster, capt*), Tommy O’Donnell (Munster*), Dominic Ryan (Leinster), John Ryan (Munster), James Tracy (Leinster).

Pretty weak looking squad to be honest. Not sure why Johney Murphy is there and would hardly call McCarthy emerging.

Some exciting young backs and backrowers but a pretty worrying lack of depth in the pack there with guys like Bent, Ah You and Annett elected.

Disappointed for Stevenson and Lutton

Yeah Lutton especially. even Warwick would have got more from this tour than the guys selected.

No Hart, no Furlong and surely young George McGuigan (he has made numerous prem appearances) deserves to be there ahead of Byrne?

Very strange selection and certainly not the best that was available. I imagine they included some senior players to help "guide" the younger ones.

Like I hinted at on another thread.... it seems we might be tested more, and subsequently it might be more fundamentally educational looking at Emerging Ireland (given the opposition they face) than it will be to follow the Ireland team (given the alleged lack of quality players the Argentinians are bringing to their two games against us).

Any mention about a replacement for Ah You joining the senior squad.

I would think Ricky Lutton would be favourite

Reid and Ah You called up to the Senior side and are replaced by McCloskey and Lutton.

McCarthy has been ruled out through injury and is replaced by Billy Holland. Dom Ryan takes over the captaincy.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/international/2014/0603/621372-emerging-ireland/

Crikey Notch, fly and Sin could get called up if this keeps up!

Well Ulster only have 3 full professionals left who are not with Ireland, Emerging Ireland or Injured.

Andrew, McComb, McCormish

Well, apart from the NIQ guys Pienaar and Payne! Although Pienaar is away on international duty. I think Tommy Bowe would be fit to play if we had a big game tomorrow but they want to rest him. Is Stevenson injured?

Wilson is away with the World XV that are preparing to play South Africa

Thats the second time I have forgotten Stevenson (he'll kill me!) - have to say he deserves to go ahead of Holland

52-0 up on Russia and it's not half time yet.Dunno what's going on,I thought Russia would put up a much better fight.

Russia are playing a development team too. They have none of their top pro players.

Why are they doing that,it's a waste of time for everyone involved.

Ireland playing good rugby but they're up against a non existent defense. This Russian team could be the worst any Ireland side has ever faced.

Its a development comp asore just like in Tiblsi last year. None of the teams put out their best or even second sides.

Only two of the Russian players starting, played against Japan in the AIs. Russia are much better than this as proven in the 2011 WC.

If a team like Russia are not prepared to put out their first team these games are a complete and utter waste of time.
Both for them and us.

Simply don't get why they don't take this opportunity to play against half decent opposition.

Don't get injured lads because you re wasting your time rugby wise

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Its a development comp asore just like in Tiblsi last year. None of the teams put out their best or even second sides.

Only two of the Russian players starting, played against Japan in the AIs. Russia are much better than this as proven in the 2011 WC.

Guess I was totally wrong about the level of opposition the Ruskies would put up. But I have to share the disbelief that the lesser sides here would ALSO use this competition to develop? Isn't this all meant to allow their best players to have a hit at higher tiered Nations? Them resting their better players is just a pretty silly exercise for us...and them even moreso.

How bizarre, how bizarre....

This is why people complain about the IRB! Funding these pointless competitions. There is another one in Tiblsi involving Spain, emerging Italy, Georgia and emerging Argentina (Georgia and Spain are sending development squads).

If there is a competition invloving 2nd tier nations you have to make sure it is competitive and worthwhile (like the quad tournament in SA last year) and that all their players are available!

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Its a development comp asore just like in Tiblsi last year. None of the teams put out their best or even second sides.

Only two of the Russian players starting, played against Japan in the AIs. Russia are much better than this as proven in the 2011 WC.

Who is developing in this shambles,last year Emerging Ireland had some decent games against Uruguay and Georgia,they surely didn't have development teams out or the games wouldn't have been close.

Whats the score?? Are we winning?!

Game stopped because of lightning I think,yeah we're winning  

I don't know about Uruguay Asore (though they were without their best player at least in Ortega) but Georgia were not even close to full strength last year. A full stength Georgian pack would have destroyed an emerging Ireland team.

Lightning?

God's bored.  Peoples better get their act together!!  He doesn't like being taken to the cleaners when He pays His money to see a game!!!

IRB feed http://www.rugbytv.ro/player/

Match seems to be stopped for the weather.

Is this game still suspended?

Match abandoned due to lightening after 45 minutes with Ireland 66-0 up.

Best for all concerned it seems.

We were clocking up 1.5 points a minute!! Was the game abandoned due to it being the end of the world?

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Russia are playing a development team too. They have none of their top pro players.

Their star man is Viktor Gresev, he was in the back row so not quite true. Sounds like the game being called off early is the best thing that Russia could have hoped for...

Yeah...maybe the Emerging Ireland outfit are just ready to rumble and want to show what a bunch of second stringers can do?
I'll have to get to see them play before I can say Russia were shyte. Probably were with that scoreline but I'll reserve judgement.

Notch wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Russia are playing a development team too. They have none of their top pro players.

Their star man is Viktor Gresev, he was in the back row so not quite true. Sounds like the game being called off early is the best thing that Russia could have hoped for...

Wouldn't their star man be either Kulemin or Ostrikov given they are regulars in a top pro side in Europe?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q32sdA8GO_Y

Gilroy looked especially sharp. Good to see flashes of his brilliance, even if it is against a weaker team. It will give him confidence, and I do expect to see him back in the Ireland setup soon enough. He is just as talented as Zebo, despite having a bad year.

The players looked a little embarrassed towards the end - the Irish ones!

Keatley was in spolit Heaven with the number of under the post tries his team was scoring to give him an easy kicking stint.

For What or For Who or for When are Russia saving their better players?  For what, for who or for when are they testing out these other players?  I thought they'd want to challenge themselves against a Tier 1 Nation?  Isn't that the idea behind these encounters?    
It makes a joke of all the fine talk in the lead into the New European Champions Cup about it being time to include these teams in a 6N extended competition and the fine talk about the need for more Tier 1 sides to do their duty and play against them.  

Turns out the ones insulting the format this time is the Tier 2 Russians themselves (NOT the poor players that were put up against us - but their bosses).

LeinsterFan4life wrote:

Notch wrote:

LeinsterFan4life wrote:Russia are playing a development team too. They have none of their top pro players.

Their star man is Viktor Gresev, he was in the back row so not quite true. Sounds like the game being called off early is the best thing that Russia could have hoped for...

Wouldn't their star man be either Kulemin or Ostrikov given they are regulars in a top pro side in Europe?

But who could forget the heroics of Gresev in the last World Cup? He's their focal point, he's the man who in the past has got them going forward when they need it. Missed this, so now to catch up with the highlights.

I'd expect that father time would be catching up with old Viktor Gresev to be fair but he is one of their key players.

Emerging Ireland 51 Uruguay 3 - Final Score

It is difficult to rate/grade these players. The scorelines, tries, highlights, defence seems impressive. But they are playing second string teams from tier 2 nations. Though with the first team players rested this summer and squad taken to Argentina this is 2nd-3rd string Ireland options.

As the cliche goes, Yyou can only beat what's in front of you - and they're at least doing that in the manner that reflects the known gap.  
Joe is not exactly hiding his diappointment in the team he was with, that they didn't exactly do the same against their opponents.  So yes, a big enough divergence in the quality of opponents between Ireland and the Emerging Ireland squads, but as a like-with-like experiment, the Emerging Ireland crew are kicking harder at their targets than the Argentina tour guys did at theirs.

True Fly, but a much weaker Argentina side than the one that played Ireland beat Uruguay 65-9 recently. Besides all the guys that missed the series with Ireland that was with no Herrera, Carizza, Macome, Landajo, Sanchez, Amorosino and Montero and Lavanini on the bench. Thats the key players at tight head, lock, 8 and the halfbacks that really stiffened them up against us.

Emerging Ireland won 51-3. So not much evidence of anything except Uruguay are miles off the pace, but the Pumas were capable of dismissing the Uruguayans just as easily without the big guns they recalled for the test series against us suggests its a fairly useless comparison between the Emerging lads and the Argentinean tourists. The opposition the senior tour faced was several times tougher than what Emerging Ireland are facing.

You take positives out.

Playing these sides allows you to put combinations together to try moves etc.

We played there last season and now Eastmond etc is starting v the AB's...so positives can certainly come out of these tours.

Results arent important its the individual performances and the performances of combos.

Ie Ireland are looking for new centres...perfect games to try them out.

Notch wrote:The opposition the senior tour faced was several times tougher than what Emerging Ireland are facing.

Yes... but again that's the point I'm making.  It's already been pointed out that the Emerging Ireland crew are 3rd choicers at best... so against first or second string Tier 2 sides, that's a similar gap to Schmidt's Ireland side (experimental but personel-wise not far off starting potential) against Argentina's first team hopers (but not nailed on).

I want all our sides firing.  So I'm pleasantly content with Emerging Ireland whilst obviously acknowledging the calibre of the opposition being presented to them (especially Russia who treated the exercise as some kind of joke it seems).  
There is always a risk any Ireland side might choose to 'play with' the opposition.  Always a risk that they will get into a fist fight when they don't need to.  But the Emerging Ireland side don't seem to be in that mood.  And I like that.  It's the attitude.
I think we were way off the intensity required to confront Argentina.  And it's true, I originally thought I was alone in that view.  Certainly felt  quite isolated here, but was prepared to stand by my observation.  I was relieved then that Schmidt is of the same opinion when he did his tour summing up interview.  We needed more intensity, Notch.  I'm not being over critical.  Schmidt is of the same view.  We needed more intensity because right up to and including the WC from here on in - that's what we'll meet from all sides.

Oh aye, but Emerging Ireland are coasting. It's just so easy- it means nothing.