While the selection of six players is a reasonable reflection of the positive steps Irish rugby has taken over the past two seasons, I think that an overall view of our representation has to be tinged with disappointment.

While numerous arguments will be forwarded for those not selected, the absence of Denis Hickie is something I find galling. It is difficult to comprehend what merits the selectors saw in Dafydd James and Ben Cohen to ignore Hickie. These two are ordinary; Hickie is of a different standard.

Having suffered a similar disappointment in 1993, I can empathise with the player and from a purist's perspective it would have been brilliant to see what such an exciting player with an expansive approach to the game might have done against the Australians.

Dan Luger has been injured for over two months but I think his selection was inevitable and he would certainly feature in my Test side. Jason Robinson was probably a fair bet as a wild card but whether the brief bursts of speed and power he has demonstrated in his cameos with England actually translate into 80 minutes of substance remains to be seen.

The full back positions were fairly watertight. I remember going against Iain Balshaw at Bath and it was apparent then that he was a marvellously exciting player; inventive and great on the counter. But he still needs to sharpen up on the fundamentals of the game. It must be remembered that playing for England as a fullback means you are essentially protected by a cushion, so strong is the blanket defence. Australia will target Balshaw, he is going to have to cope with a series of bombs as well as abrasive power.

Perry keeps a safer house but brings none of Balshaw's attacking instincts to the team, and his pace is pedestrian.

Looking at the backs overall, I just wonder how they are going to breach the Australians. When defending, they are going to have to soak up a serious amount of punishment. The upper body strength that players like Matt Burke and Joe Roff possess is simply phenomenal.

With that in mind, it will be fascinating to see how they settle on a partnership at centre. There are two obvious international combinations there and I think they will maybe break them with Catt and O'Driscoll and Henderson and Greenwood for the warm-up games. An Irish partnership would, obviously, be marvellous from our point of view but the English duo have performed at a very high level.

I am delighted for Ronan O'Gara but I feel he is slightly fortuitous. That said, he is a young player of tremendous potential and this tour could be the making of him.

At number nine, I would have brought Kyran Bracken as a third option and selected Austin Healey on the wing. Anyone who has seen Healey play scrumhalf for Leicester must be aware that he cannot be deemed as a feasible option at that position against the strongest international side in the world.

I think the fact that the ground in Australia is going to be hard has influenced the balance of this squad. There has been an understandable emphasis on mobility and versatility, on players with strong handling skills. This probably facilitated Jeremy Davidson's passage.

I know Munster fans, in particular, would press the case of John Hayes but while he is undeniably accomplished around the field, he could suffer against the more veteran exponents of the scrum. But David Wallace would have excelled on the hard Antipodean terrain and but for the foot-and-mouth cancellations and his own injury problems, I think he would be travelling.

It is a formidably strong panel of locks and one could foresee a back row selection comprising of all English players for the Test sides. Eric Miller's arguments were probably diluted by his absence from the Irish side of late.

I am slightly sceptical about the absence of Budge Pountney and would have taken Martin Corry. Another player I would have taken, as a wild card, is Geordan Murphy, who I have seen many times at club level this year and who has impressed.

Overall, the squad seems a little bit conservative. However, one old warrior that definitely should be travelling is Peter Clohessy. The Australians don't like him and probably with good reason - he is a bloody tough customer. But he is precisely the man you want beside you when the game is reduced to a raw battle of wills - as must happen in these Tests. Leaving Clohessy behind was a mistake.

Having seen the Welsh play a number of times this season, though, I am at a lost to explain how 10 of their players are on this tour. At least our percentage is on the rise from the dismal days of 1989 and 1993.

A final aside is that I believe Keith Wood ought to be travelling as captain. He brings more leadership qualities to any squad that Johnson and as well as that it would have been a gesture, a tangible attempt to break the overwhelmingly English orientation of this party.

Congratulations to the six Irish lads and those that missed out ought to bear in mind that a lot could happen between now and the Test matches.