INTERNATIONAL RUGBY: DECLAN KIDNEY'S Ireland squad for next month's Tests against Australia, Fiji and South Africa will provoke a debating point or two, but it would be stretching matters to describe it as contentious.
There are a number of players who will feel disappointed, and a handful are out due to injury or suspension, but for the most part Kidney has juggled the criteria of form, a medium-term vision and rewarding summer excellence pretty effectively.
To attend to the housekeeping first, Geordan Murphy and Rory Best won’t be fit to participate at any stage next month, while Shane Jennings is suspended.
Unlike Murphy and Best, the Munster triumvirate of Jerry Flannery, Tony Buckley and Marcus Horan, who are also under medical supervision, are expected to have rehabilitated in time for the November series.
In pure selection terms, Ulster halfbacks Isaac Boss and Ian Humphreys, Leinster hooker Bernard Jackman, team-mate and flanker Kevin McLaughlin and the Munster duo of secondrow Mick O’Driscoll and hooker Denis Fogarty would be able to offer a variety of evidence in support of inclusion. Alan Quinlan and Malcolm O’Kelly might sue on the grounds of ageism.
Boss has played in all eight matches for Ulster this season – as has Humphreys – and his man-of- the-match accolade against Leinster at the weekend merely highlights his excellent form. The New Zealand-born scrumhalf probably lost out to Peter Stringer in the battle for the third slot on the basis that the latter offers a different style.
Tomás O’Leary, Eoin Reddan and Boss would share many characteristics in the manner in which they play, whereas Stringer’s speedy, pass-driven service is appreciably different.
Kidney’s decision to pick only two outhalves in Ronan O’Gara and Jonathan Sexton means Humphreys was always going to miss out. His consolation should come in the A internationals against Tonga and the Argentina Jaguars.
The Irish coach will be hoping Flannery recovers in time for the Australia match as there is precious little experience in supporting Munster and Ireland’s first-choice hooker. Seán Cronin, the 23-year-old Limerick-born Connacht hooker, is rewarded for his exploits with Ireland A during the summer in winning the Churchill Cup tournament.
So too is Leinster’s John Fogarty. The 32-year-old Cork-born forward has muscled past Jackman in terms of the starting role (six in eight matches) with the European champions.
Cronin and Fogarty are two of nine uncapped players, a list that includes Fergus McFadden, Sexton, Connacht prop Brett Wilkinson, Cian Healy, Seán O’Brien, Devin Toner and Ulster number eight Chris Henry.
It’s interesting to note Kidney’s 41-man squad ahead of the 2008 November Tests included players like Girvan Dempsey, Ian Dowling, Barry Murphy, Ryan Caldwell, Bob Casey and Roger Wilson.
Twelve months on the core is the same but Darren Cave, McFadden, Gordon D’Arcy – his broken arm was not fully healed – Wilkinson, Cronin, Fogarty Leo Cullen, Toner, Neil Best, O’Brien and Henry have been promoted. Donnacha Ryan and Toner represent a medium-term view as neither is a front-line player for their province. Cullen is promoted on form while Casey is unfortunate to miss out on the same basis.
In the backrow, Neil Best undoubtedly benefited from captaining Ireland in the Churchill Cup. McLaughlin can be considered slightly unfortunate. He started seven of eight matches and in the other match, against Brive, came on and scored two tries.
“We had an opportunity to work with most of the players selected in this squad over our three camps during the summer,” Kidney said. “Those sessions were about giving chances to as many players as possible following last year and, after a third of the season gone so far, this squad gives the majority of those players a chance to put their cases forward for selection.
“November represents a challenge on several fronts with three full internationals and two A games against quality opposition, so it will mean that the strength of our resources will be tested.
“There were some hard calls made in selection, which is what you want, and players not included today will come into the reckoning for the two games against Tonga and Argentina Jaguars.
“We now have to try to come up with the combinations to not only win against some of the best teams in the world, but also continue to develop the international experience for some of those players.”
IRELAND 39-MAN SQUAD
Backs
T Bowe (Ospreys), D Cave (Ulster), G D'Arcy (Leinster), G Duffy (Connacht), K Earls (Munster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster), S Horgan (Leinster), R Kearney (Leinster), *F McFadden (Leinster), B O'Driscoll (Leinster), R O'Gara (Munster), T O'Leary (Munster), E Reddan (Leinster), *J Sexton (Leinster), P Stringer (Munster), A Trimble (Ulster), P Wallace (Ulster).
Forwards
N Best (Northampton Saints), T Buckley (Munster), T Court (Ulster), *S Cronin (Connacht), L Cullen (Leinster), S Ferris (Ulster), J Flannery (Munster), *J Fogarty (Leinster), J Hayes (Munster), *C Healy (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster), *C Henry (Ulster), M Horan (Munster), D Leamy (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), *S O'Brien (Leinster), M Ross (Leinster), D Ryan (Munster), *D Toner (Leinster), D Wallace (Munster), *B Wilkinson (Connacht).
*Denotes uncapped player
