The UAFC

https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ ... 42286.html

This will not go down well if farrell takes 4-5 front liners out of the leinster game.

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SportsJoe have picked their predicted Emerging Ireland squad for the tour. Ulster players included are Robert Baloucoune, Nathan Doak, Michael Lowry, Stuart McCloskey, James Hume, Ethan McIlroy, Marty Moore, Tom O'Toole, Nick Timoney and Kieran Treadwell. If that turned out to be anywhere near accurate, it would seriously scupper the start of our season.

But I would have thought "Emerging Ireland" means young players just coming through. I don't see how you could justify picking someone like Stuart McCloskey or Marty Moore as "emerging" players. Also, Lowry, McCloskey, Hume, O'Toole, Treadwell and Timoney are supposed to be rested at the start of the season as they were on the New Zealand tour - I don't see how the IRFU could insist we rest them, and then pick them for another tour, after which we'd presumably have to rest them til Christmas.

No doubt there will be some horse-trading going on.

jean valjean wrote: ↑Mon Aug 29, 2022 8:38 am https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ ... 42286.html

This will not go down well if farrell takes 4-5 front liners out of the leinster game.

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It will make a mockery of the league also, which promised more internationals playing and no games during international period to accommodate this. I think the Independent may have gotten this wrong though. From memory Emerging Ireland (thinking Tblisi Cup) is the 3rd choice Irish team after Ireland and Ireland Wolfhounds?

I would hope it will be the likes of Doak, McCann, McIlroy, Moore, Marcus Rea, Tom Stewart, Postlewaithe (would throw Addison in as a wildcard if fit) who could be ready for a World Cup in 14 months time being selected. I don't know what value O'Toole, McCloskey, Timoney and Lowry et al would get from playing Currie Cup teams.

The Wolfhounds playing the South African A team (that's now scheduled to play Munster) would have been ideal for O'Toole, McCloskey, Timoney and Lowry et al.

UlsterNo9 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 29, 2022 11:39 am

jean valjean wrote: ↑Mon Aug 29, 2022 8:38 am https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ ... 42286.html

This will not go down well if farrell takes 4-5 front liners out of the leinster game.

Sent from my SM-F721B using Tapatalk

It will make a mockery of the league also, which promised more internationals playing and no games during international period to accommodate this. I think the Independent may have gotten this wrong though. From memory Emerging Ireland (thinking Tblisi Cup) is the 3rd choice Irish team after Ireland and Ireland Wolfhounds?

I would hope it will be the likes of Doak, McCann, McIlroy, Moore, Marcus Rea, Tom Stewart, Postlewaithe (would throw Addison in as a wildcard if fit) who could be ready for a World Cup in 14 months time being selected. I don't know what value O'Toole, McCloskey, Timoney and Lowry et al would get from playing Currie Cup teams.

The Wolfhounds playing the South African A team (that's now scheduled to play Munster) would have been ideal for O'Toole, McCloskey, Timoney and Lowry et al.

And that scenario would be more in keeping with the original plan of sending the Provincial A teams.

It would indeed make little to no sense to include players who are in, or an injury away from, the autumn squad.

IRELAND ARE SET to bring a squad of fringe players and young prospects on a mini-tour of South Africa late next month.

As first reported by the Sunday Independent yesterday, it is expected that Ireland will bring a group of more than 30 players on the trip.

It’s understood that the squad will not include any of the frontline players who helped Ireland to beat the All Blacks in their Test series in New Zealand earlier this summer, but several of the players who featured in the midweek games against the Māori All Blacks will be involved again.

Ireland also intend to bring a crop of high-potential uncapped young players who have shone for the Ireland U20s over the past three or four seasons but have seen their opportunities in senior rugby limited by the level of competition for places within the provinces.

The Irish team will play three games against the Cheetahs, Pumas, and Griquas in the space of 10 to 12 days and it’s expected that the tour will run from late September until 10/11 October.

The tour is set to clash with several rounds of the URC, meaning the provinces will be without certain players in the early stages of the new campaign, but The42 understands that frontline Ireland international players are set to be available to feature for their provinces by the time the touring squad is in South Africa.

https://www.the42.ie/ireland-south-afri ... =shortlink

No. Just no. Why should Ulster suffer so the IRFU can say they gave youngsters a chance. They should have done this two years ago. Sexton, Murray, earls and a few others have been held on long past their best before date. No one should be arguing that earls deserves a world cup spot in front of ballybeen. But as usual it's harder to lose an Ireland shirt than get it. This tour will destroy the league and nothing at all will be learned. Does anyone really think outside of Leinster that Hume is a lesser player than bloody Ringrose?

Yup !!!

Typical FIRFU farce.

Unbelievable

If this happens I’ll be asking for a season ticket refund

The problem I have with this is that the so called ireland fringe players are not fringe provincial players apart from leinster. You don't weaken leinster by taking frawley and O'brien away but you do weaken ulster significantly by taking Hume and baloucoune out. I expect some clarification from the irfu that this squad will delve below the team that played the Maori.

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There's nothing on the IRFU website or their Twitter account about this. It looks like they've floated this idea via the Irish Independent to gauge the reaction. Provincial rugby fans should let them know we're agin it.

This will completely destroy Ulster's season if it goes ahead. A huge number of the "emerging" squad will come from Ulster first team players and we will be left to try and compete in the URC with basically our academy players and a few veterans. With the level of competition in the league now we just won't be able to recover from the early losses we will be bound to sustain.

Quite aside from that, even looking at it from the IRFU perspective, how much is say Nick Timoney going to learn competing against a cobbled together Cheetahs team versus how much would he learn playing opposite Van der Flier in an interpro. We already have good opposition for our players to test themselves against.

This proposal seems to have been cobbled together because the mooted "A" tournament seems not to have come together. If the games were made up of U20/academy players this would be a semi sensible proposal but to take all our front liners and leave us to compete against a full fat Leinster/Ireland team would be brutal.

Half decent idea, half cocked organisation. Shows they have no real respect for the Provinces or for the URC or for the supporters.
Shambles.

Confirmed by IRFU. Three games over 9 days, so injuries are certain. And I suppose enforced rest period, so missing key players for key matches. It's easy to think conspiracy, but much easier to believe sheer incompetence. We shouldn't be panicking and guessing who will be good for world cup less than a year out.