The UAFC

15 - Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
14 - Shane Horgan (Boyne/Leinster)
13 - Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) (capt)
12 - Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
11 - Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
10 - Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College/Leinster)*
9 - Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
1 - Tom Court (Malone/Ulster)
2 - Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
3 - John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)
4 - Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster)
5 - Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
6 - Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
7 - Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster)
8 - Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements:

16 - Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)*
17 - Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
18 - Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
19 - Sean O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)*
20 - Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster)
21 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
22 - Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)

I don't see Horgan being around in 2011, not sure why he's getting a start..

When was there last a connacht player in the Full Inteernational Match-day 22 two matches in a row?

(Apart from last Summer when so many were away with the Lions)

pwrmoore wrote:When was there last a connacht player in the Full Inteernational Match-day 22?

Saturday... Cronin was also on the bench for the Oz game.

Surprised Healy isn't in the squad (unless he is injured) to give him more international experience.

mikerob wrote:

pwrmoore wrote:When was there last a connacht player in the Full Inteernational Match-day 22?

Saturday... Cronin was also on the bench for the Oz game.

Surprised Healy isn't in the squad (unless he is injured) to give him more international experience.

Think you missed my full question mike

Horgan defeats me its not like he is staring for Leinster or had a great match last friday

but bar Earls its the leinster Backline

it looks like a team to do a job but not necessarily a future

I would have thought this was a good match to try out some of last weeks A side again, then follow it up with their match the following week against Argentina A and try and build up a batch of reserves for the next RWC, no point in starting next Autumn ofr a few weeks before like they did last time around.

Surprised Healy isn't in the squad (unless he is injured) to give him more international experience.

Healy took a knock at the weekend and it was not certain that he would recover in a 6 day turnround. Rather than wait and see, the selectors decided to be pro-active and leave him out v Fiji.

Not surprised at Horgan's inclusion.I think I called it out as a possibility on another thread.Long term it makes little sense though but I suspect DK doesn't fully trust Trimble yet and would prefer to see him playing well consistently for another few months yet.

Interesting he is playing D'Arcy.Does this mean the knocks Wallace took were worse than they seemed, that D'Arcy is behind him in the pecking order or that DK has not made up his mind yet which of them he considers first choice?

Hayes and Fla need the game of course.Hayes was out of sorts on Sunday which hopefully was only rustiness and Fla looked very tired but to his credit soldiered on playing quite well.

Leamy in what I consider to be his best position and where I expect him to be playing once Wallace retires, if he proves up to it of course and obviously not to be judged on this game.

Is Kidney giving Sexton the easiest possible introduction to international rugby by playing the Leinster backline? (Earls excepted)

mikerob wrote:Is Kidney giving Sexton the easiest possible introduction to international rugby by playing the Leinster backline? (Earls excepted)

No if he was he would play Wallace so he could take a bit of pressure off with kicking if Sexton is under attack from a fast backrow.

Rooster wrote:

mikerob wrote:Is Kidney giving Sexton the easiest possible introduction to international rugby by playing the Leinster backline? (Earls excepted)

No if he was he would play Wallace so he could take a bit of pressure off with kicking if Sexton is under attack from a fast backrow.

... I don't think thats going to happen however... I think Fiji will get minced up front so their back row will be busy enough just trying to help out their front 5.

Red Hand Hero wrote:Horgan and D'Arcy selections are disappointing to be honest. From this i presume that Horgan is in pole position to replace Fitzgerald. D'Arcy is having a poor season but i fear DK will opt for his defensive solidity instead of Paddy's creativity for the Boks.

I think Horgan is just keeping the No 14 jersey warm for Bowe. Earls is in pole position to replace Fitzgerald.

I also think O'Gara has been given a rest, so it makes sense to use Paddy as the back-up fly-half/centre. And no matter how well D'Arcy plays this week - Paddy will still be the first choice inside centre against the Boks.

Horgan has been playing first choice for Leinster and has been in excellent form. It's just he has been passed out by a better player in Bowe but still worth giving a go. Dempsey, by the way, should not be forgotten even though he is finding it hard to get game time. He is still a great player when he gets cameos.

Dublin4 wrote:Horgan has been playing first choice for Leinster and has been in excellent form. It's just he has been passed out by a better player in Bowe but still worth giving a go. Dempsey, by the way, should not be forgotten even though he is finding it hard to get game time. He is still a great player when he gets cameos.

In a buildup period to the next RWC players like Dempsey, Hayes etc should not be even thought about for these matches, fine having them in squad to help out in training but they are not the future.