Youth has had its fling, Dion O'Cuinneagain has been given the captaincy, a couple of Antipodeans have been given a call-up, and a couple of players have been given the elbow, most notably Rob Henderson and Shane Horgan.

The selection has its contentious points. O'Cuinneagain is a sound, adventurous choice as captain and there will be widespread approval that three of the under-21 brigade - Robert Casey, Jeremy Staunton and Brian O'Driscoll - have been brought along.

However, the selection of the M & Ms, Mike Mullins and Matt Mostyn, is bound to leave a sour taste for some, especially in Lansdowne and Leinster circles given Horgan didn't make the cut.

As expected, the Irish management has taken a slightly experimental approach to the forthcoming Australian tour, with mid-field seemingly their main focus of attention. Four of the five newcomers are three-quarters, and the casualties are Henderson, the unluckiest to be omitted, and Horgan.

Henderson was probably the pick of the mid-fielders when he got going this season, albeit as a replacement in both the French and Scottish games. He was possibly the victim of the new tactic of launching target runners off Ciaran Scally in the Italian game when a rare turnover yielded seven points. In comparison to Henderson, Jonathan Bell had an undistinguished campaign and was particularly culpable in Edinburgh.

As for Horgan, he was the pick of an unexceptional A crop, and, along with Anthony Foley and Allen Clarke, was one of only three players to feature in all four A championship games.

Unfortunately for Horgan, an untimely pelvic injury sidelined him for the last two months and apparently contributed to reduced fitness levels.

Asked which was their most difficult selection, manager Donal Lenihan said that this tour offered the chance to look at players who've come to the fore in the last two or three months. "Leaving players like Rob Henderson out was a difficult decision," he said.

Nonetheless, the selection of Mostyn, a 22-year-old Australian, and Mullins, a 28-year-old New Zealander, ahead of the home-grown Horgan risks angering some of the Irish rugby public.

Lenihan accepted this observation, but countered that they had monitored the two new Antipodeans over a longer period of time than just the A game against a limited Italian outfit, and that both had made a long-term commitment to Irish rugby. Mostyn is believed to be linking up with Connacht, while Mullins may go to Munster.

Mostyn took his two opportunities assuredly in the A game, while coach Warren Gatland expressed the view that Mullins added decision-making and leadership to the Irish mid-field.

"The other side of that," said Gatland, "is the selection of Scally, O'Meara, Staunton, Casey and O'Driscoll, which sends out very strong signals that we are encouraging home-grown players."

In explaining the change of captaincy, Lenihan revealed that the return of Malcolm O'Kelly meant that Paddy Johns was no longer guaranteed his place. "We felt it was best for Paddy that he concentrated on holding down his place without the extra burden of being captain," he said. "Also, if we were to make the change before the World Cup, it's better to do it now than when we announce the World Cup squad on September 1st."

O'Cuinneagain described his new role as the highlight of his career "by a long shot". The 27-year-old Cape Town-born son of Irish parents was particularly pleased that one of the first phone calls congratulating him came from Johns.

He phoned his parents in Cape Town where his father, a dentist, spent day and night on the phone, before requiring a few beers to help him sleep. "I'm sure his patients struggled."

O'Cuinneagain captained his university side, the South African sevens and Western Province, though he hadn't even entertained captaining his country.

"I thought maybe I might captain my next club side one day," he said.

Leaving Sale at the end of this season, O'Cuinneagain says "there is a good possibility" of him linking up with an Irish province, most probably Connacht or Leinster.

Conor McGuinness and Eric Miller were not considered, while recent injury hindered Gordon D'Arcy's hopes of selection.

All the under-21 players in the squad could yet take part in the World Cup at that age level in Argentina, this July.