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Ireland team for NZ Maori

by

John McMurtry

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Ireland have discarded the bulk of the team that took a pasting last Saturday and selected a whole new starting XV for the game against the New Zealand Maori on Friday morning. 

The game should be memorable enough for us Nordies as I’m sure it’s been a while since five Ulstermen started any Ireland match of any description and even though one of them will be switching to Leinster at the end of the month I think we should celebrate the occasion anyway.

I for one am now looking forward to this game with a renewed sense of excitement as it gives us a great chance to benchmark our players on the international stage for the Maori team is certainly international standard.

We all know what Paddy can do but it’ll be great to see him  play a substantial part of a game with Sexton. Providing Ireland get any sort of ball this could be one of the most exciting combinations for some time if both play to their . . .

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7 responses to “Ireland team for NZ Maori”

  1. admin

    The way the referring of scrums are going I can certainly see them counting for less and less.

    Only about one in three scrums actually goes to completion with free kicks or penalties being the norm after the front rows fail to engage or bind properly. In my day you sorted it out with a few well timed butts and things settled down after the third or fourth scrum anyway as it just took too much out of you to keep up the niggle.

    With rucks now becoming the key opportunity to win or loose ball I’m afraid the days of the “hard scrumming but little else” props are numbered. A great shame that we are presiding over the extinction of such a wonderful beast !!

    Reply
  2. Raging Raven

    The reason there is a non cap match in NZ is because NZ had already agreed to play Wales this weekend and Ireland fuc**d up their date with Australia giving them a spare week in the Southern Hemisphere. Not good planning, piss poor management. The boys need a break.

    Reply
  3. the mote

    Therefore DK at least has the sense to ensure that one match in three is a non cap and a two week break between Internationals

    In the above list I forgot to include another second row MoD I have consistantly stated my view that experience counts for nothing if your a yard off the pace.

    Based on DKs past selections his ranking of second rows would appear to be Po C Do’C Ryan Cullen MoD Tuohy and Ed IMO Cullen is a fine Line out 2nd row but his scummage presence is close to 0— Leinster have struggled at scrum time when he has played and MoD has never impressed at International level . Given Ireland’s ?? front row Cullen should never be considered for International duty because no front row can operate effectively with out the support of the second row

    Then there is the alternative view point that would state a good scrum counts for little eg the English scrum is a great machine but their loose play is a shambles because the forwards are blubber without brains

    Reply
  4. Raging Raven

    Mote

    Excellent we disagree on something ….EOS never played any matches with Ireland that were non cap like this one on Friday. If he had he might well have picked the same team. If the match effected Irelands ranking we would be looking at the same team which DK considers his best.

    Reply
  5. the mote

    Raging

    EOS would have played the same team this friday as last Saturday and would never have played Ruddock

    But while he may take a few risks DK falls into a similiar conservative trap as EOS

    eg Duffy Horgan Hayes and truth be told but for injury neither Tuohy Ed or Henry would be near the squad and like you I think Wallace ( P) may not be the player he was last year

    But then only games against top teams will convince some that Hayes Wallace and Horgan are no longer at International pace and that Buckley Duffy and Jennings can’t raise their game to that level

    Reply
  6. Raging Raven

    Good to see “the mote” is still alive. 🙂
    Whilst I still believe DK is EOS in disguise, you are completely correct in your worries about Duffy and Horgan and it is a disgrace Cave and Whitten have not been given a chance on this tour. Sadly Wallace’s form has started to go into reverse.

    Reply
  7. the mote

    At least DK has not repeated the the EOS mistake of trying to play the same team in three matches .
    My worry is the backline due to the fact the while Duffy has played rugby in the centre his experience in recent years has been at full back and the worry is that there are no centres on the bench thus any injury to one of the centres will bring Horgan infield and his defence as a centre is virtually non existant.

    Thus while Duffy has played well in the ML this year and also for the “A”s it has been at full back thus IMO DKs mistake on this trip has been the omission of either Cave or Whitten in the squad ( unless they have minor injuries which require rest or other committments which made them unavailable)

    It is in most inexperienced ( in International caps ) set of forwards that Ireland have put on a field for a long time and therefore in IMO a win would be an unexpected bonus

    I just hope Ruddock makes good because D Wallace is really no longer an International 7 and Jennings has many ??? to answer and does not appear to able to raise his game to International standard

    Reply

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