Irish Squad

[ciaran]

From the munster site (http://www.munsterrugby.ie) and other places
Brian O’Driscoll has been named as captain of Ireland for the 2004 Royal Bank of Scotland Six Nations Championship. The five players who have been named as vice-captains are,Reggie Corrigan, Anthony Foley, David Humphreys, Paul O’Connell and Ronan O’Gara.
The Ireland squad of 34 to take part in a preliminary RBS Six Nations championship training camp in Dublin from February 2nd to 6th, is: -

Forwards (17): Simon Best (Ulster – Belfast Harlequins), Shane Byrne (Leinster – Blackrock College), Reggie Corrigan (Leinster – Greystones), Victor Costello (Leinster – St. Mary’s College), Simon Easterby (Llanelli), Anthony Foley (Munster – Shannon), Keith Gleeson (Leinster – St. Mary’s College), John Hayes (Munster – Shannon), Marcus Horan (Munster – Shannon), Bernard Jackman (Connacht – Clontarf), Gary Longwell (Ulster – Ballymena), Eric Miller (Leinster – Terenure College), Donncha O’Callaghan (Munster – Cork Constitution), Paul O’Connell (Munster – Young Munster), Malcolm O’Kelly (Leinster – St. Mary’s College), Frank Sheahan (Munster – Cork Constitution), David Wallace (Munster – Garryowen).

Backs (17): Paul Burke (Harlequins), Gordon Darcy (Leinster – Lansdowne), Girvan Dempsey (Leinster – Terenure College), Neil Doak (Ulster – Belfast Harlequins), Gavin Duffy (Harlequins), Guy Easterby (Rotherham),Rob Henderson (Munster – Garryowen), Anthony Horgan (Munster – Cork Constitution), Shane Horgan (Leinster – Shannon), Tyrone Howe (Ulster – Dungannon), David Humphreys (Ulster – Dungannon), John Kelly (Munster – Cork Constitution), Kevin Maggs (Bath), Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster – Blackrock College), Mike Mullins (Munster – Old Crescent), Ronan O’Gara (Munster – Cork Constitution), Peter Stringer (Munster – Shannon).

Not considered due to injury: Jonathan Bell (Ulster – Dungannon), Emmet Byrne (Leinster – St. Mary’s College), Leo Cullen (Leinster – Blackrock College), Denis Hickie (Leinster – St. Mary’s College), Geordan Murphy (Leicester), Alan Quinlan (Munster – Shannon).

The following players are currently injured and their availability is subject to medical clearance: Simon Easterby, Marcus Horan, Eric Miller, Brian O’Driscoll.

The squad of 34 will be reduced to 22 on Thursday next and the team to play France in Paris on February 14th will be named from that panel on Tuesday, February 10th.


Great to see Mikie Mullins finally getting into the squad, there's a few I'd question in there though [Guy Easterby?!]

[pablo]

Any ideas when Quinlan is due back ?

5 people for the role of Vice Captain, a bit excessive non ? Is that the order of preference ?

Gavin Duffy ? Bernard Jackman ? Who ? Maybe I just don't recognise the names.
Its another 2 weeks and a bit 'til the first game anyway, I'd say there might be a few changes.

[ciaran]

apparently Gavin Duffy plays for Harlequins [in England], I must say I've never heard of him before though- Jackman is the Connacht hooker and a very good player he is too, good to see him getting his name in there too...

Presumably only one of them will be acting as vice-captain in any match, they need someone to lead the forwards as well...

[neil jung]

There's a flanker at Wasps as well who was playing for Connacht last year (I think his name's O'Connor), Warren Gatland rates him really highly but claims he isn't picked for Ireland because Gatland is the coach.......

The thing I can't understand though is how Brian O'Meara can't even make the training squads? Was there a bust up or something?? A 34 man squad (with no Ulster players in it because of the Celtic Cup Final) went to Spain training before Christmas, even Jeremy Staunton was on it but no sign of O'Meara. He's one of the better scrum halves in the European Cup and is prob. our third best place kicker so why???? What he do, well I know abandoning Munster was pretty low but still forgive and forget and all that.

[ciaran]

Not a chance, I'll hate O' Meara until the day I die... well maybe that's a bit strong - actually I think he's a bit overrated, as a scrumhalf anyway, he just doesn't have a good pass! Mind you he can kick and he's good defensively...

[pablo]

well this is what the squad looks like now anyhow.
Forwards: Shane Byrne (Leinster – Blackrock College), Reggie Corrigan (Leinster – Greystones), Victor Costello (Leinster – St. Mary’s College), Simon Easterby (Llanelli), Anthony Foley (Munster – Shannon), Keith Gleeson (Leinster – St. Mary’s College), John Hayes (Munster – Shannon), Marcus Horan (Munster – Shannon), Donncha O’Callaghan (Munster – Cork Constitution), Paul O’Connell (Munster – Young Munster), Malcolm O’Kelly (Leinster – St. Mary’s College), Frank Sheahan (Munster – Cork Constitution).

Backs: Gordon Darcy (Leinster – Lansdowne), Girvan Dempsey (Leinster – Terenure College), Guy Easterby (Rotherham), Shane Horgan (Leinster – Lansdowne), Tyrone Howe (Ulster – Dungannon), David Humphreys (Ulster – Dungannon), Kevin Maggs (Bath), Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster – Blackrock
College) Captain, Ronan O’Gara (Munster – Cork Constitution), Peter Stringer (Munster – Shannon).

No place for Wallace..because Gleeson is very much an 80 minute player. If you have a flanker on the bench, it's ideally someone who can play 6 and/or 8, like Miller, Easterby or Costello. Hopefully the latter, I want Simon to start.
Wouldn't be surprised to see D'Arcy start on the left wing, he's quite Hickie-ish in his play. If BOD doesn't make it, expect Kelly to be drafted in.

Shane Byrne to start, as well as O'Kelly. The rest is obvious.

[daveirl]

Idiotic selection decisions all round.

He left Mike Mullins out! David Wallace?? And leaving Girvan Dempsey in the side.... jeez

[ciaran]

Guy Easterby over O' Meara [not that I'm a fan of O' Meara but I'm very much not a fan of Easterby]

Check out http://www.guinnessfantasyrugby.com/ - anyone want to set up a league? Prize is a fridge + a year's supply of Guinness :eek:

[ciaran]

The final team:
G Dempsey, S Horgan, G Darcy, K Maggs, T Howe, ROG, P Stringer, R Corrigan, S Byrne, J Hayes, M O'Kelly, P O'Connell (Capt), S Easterby, K Gleeson, A Foley Reps : F Sheahan, S Best, DO'C, V Costello, G Easterby, D Humphries, A Horgan

O' Connell as captain!! I'd worry about some of those choices though, particularly the 3/4s

[neil jung]

Yeah the backs don't look the best espec for a match against de French. Could see Gordon D'Arcy doing a bit of a Dick Spring on it. And how is Tony Horgan in ahead of Mullins and Henderson, really in all fairness.

PS. ciarán how do you paste text in from another site and make it appear as a quote but then the text isn't there when you want to reply?

PPS Has anyone solved the conumdrum of blind optimism for Ireland to do well V wanting to win that year's supply of Guinness in de fantasy rugby?

[ciaran]

Just put quote and /quote around it if that's what I think you're asking.

As for the blind hope in Ireland, some of the Irish [well, Munster] players are very cheap for what they might do, so pick all the good [expensive] French players and then fill in the rest with cheap Irish players!

Well that didn't work but you get the idea, those are square brackets around the quote bits.

[neil jung]

The other thing is are you better off with players who won't play or guys who'll play and lose and get negatvie points.

[neenee]

Where's this fantasy rugby game?

[ciaran]

http://www.guinnessfantasyrugby.com/

[pablo]

there is talk that Kidney will leave the coaching team very very soon, and take up a job in england .
http://www.rte.ie/sport/2004/0210/kidneyd.html

re :Paul O'Connell i think its great and he will do a great job.

neil jung : have a look here to learn how to format your posts : http://www.feckthat.com/rant/misc.php?do=bbcode

[neenee]

Can anyone spot me a better back than Howe for 6 stars or less?

[ciaran]

Shane Williams for Wales is handy enough...

[ciaran]

Right, I created a mini-leaguename: feckthat
password: munster
if anyone wants to enter their team.

[neenee]

I have him. And that Rhys Williams chap. It looks like I'm just going to have to give Howe a run...or if I swop Elissalde for Stringer then I could afford Maggs instead...

Joined the mini-league, but I don't seem to be showing up on the list.

[ciaran]

Yeah I must adjust my team a bit, I picked it at half four last Friday trying to waste some time before I went home! You can change it up until Friday anyway.

[pablo]

I'll do mine tomorrow . *mental note*

[daveirl]

My sources have Kidney becoming Ulster coach with current Ulster coach Alan Solomons going to the UK. Then when that idiot Eddie gets the boot, Kidney will be Irish coach

[ciaran]

We live in hope... Kidney is wasted in the current Irish setup, to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if he went across the water for a while, Leicester are looking for a new coach, and there's one or 2 others leaving at the end of this season [Borders, Sale, Northampton]

[ciaran]

From here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/international/3486407.stm)
Irish plans go up in smoke

Ireland were forced to evacuate their team bus in Paris on Friday after it began to fill with smoke. The squad were returning to their Versailles hotel following their final training session ahead of Saturday's RBS Six Nations clash with France.

"There was a sinister rubber-related smell which filled the bus with smoke," said a team spokesman.

"We drove back with the windows open but were unable to ascertain the source of the smell."

[neenee]

A sinister smell, eh?