Ireland And O2 Ireland Wolfhounds Squads Announced

[Conal]

he bloody better pick players from both squads

from that id say the wolfhounds ar'nt far off beating the full team

 

[psychic duck]

looks like Kidney is stupid enough to play Earls at 13, Roberts, Rougerie, Tuilagi will be delighted

 

[dullonien]

Since the game went pro, Ireland have had 5 full time head coaches and three of them have been foreigners. New Zealanders Murray Kidd and Warren Gatland and Englishman Brian Ashton have coached the national team. Australian Tony (I think) D'arcy was involved with Ireland at the 2003 World Cup while South African Gert Smal and Ozzie Les Kiss are the current forwards and defence/backs coaches respectively. I think the kicking coach Mark Tainton is English. The backs coach at the last World Cup, Alan Gaffney, is Australian.

I do agree that the international setup needs some new voices though. I'd have parted company with Gaffney and Smal and brought in a new forwards and backs coach. In my opinion, Anthony Foley is getting more out the Munster forwards than Gert Smal is getting out of the Ireland pack. Likewise, Jono Gibbes has his Leinster pack playing at a more consistently high level than the Ireland pack. It's not that Smal is bad at his job, it's just that a new voice might stimulate the pack more than hearing the same voice for the last 3 years.

Kidney is a good coach for the type of rugby that was en vogue 3 or 4 years ago. Right now his 10 man game is a relic of the past and Ireland won't improve until it changes. Either Kidney adapts to the game as it's now played or he's in danger of losing his job.

Somehow forgot about Gatland and Ashton coaching Ireland, not sure how, especially Gatland. Honestly can't remember Kidd though. My comment on Irish coaches may have been wrong, but I think the conclusion was still right.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Honestly can't remember Kidd though.

I have the opposite problem- I wish I could forget his tenure. He resigned after a drubbing at home to Samoa. His sole qualification for the Ireland job was having a Nw Zlnd accent.

 

[coonor]

If i'm being honest the wolfhounds squad is almost better then the full squad!!

- DOC and Cullen are now in serious decline and we must look for more options. We have a lack of clear successors but we have many locks on good form including Ryan, Toner, Touhy and McCarthy (obviously ryan is in) Toner and Touhy should both be ahead of DOC and Cullen
- Jennings should not be in the squad, he should be fighting it out in the wolfhounds with the others and Mahony should be in the wolfhounds to
-Marshall should be in the 6 nations squad and anyone scrum half in ireland should be ahead of O'Leary

 

[Peat]

I can understand picking a large squad and trimming it down after asessing the players in training. I can understand picking a small squad to keep things competitive, but that's still a minimum of ~ 30 players. I can't understand this however. Maybe he simply wanted to make Peat smile.......

I'm laughing, but I ain't smiling. Gilroy's a mile ahead of O'Halloran, Zebo and Conway and I'd say he was better than Hurley and Kearney too. Small Paul has been Ireland's form scrum-half. There's a number of other marginal calls floating around where an Ulsterman's come off worse, but those two are absolute wtf moments.

Maybe Kidney thinks Ulster need some additional motivation down in Clermont?

 

[munstermuffin]

Well lads been busy and well havent been on in a long time

On this squad I'm disappointed as well we doing same mistakes over. Have seen alot of guys keep me busy here in Munster with injuries but Irish management seem to forget some guys need gametime to find form and well others just are past it.

On squad I delighted D.Ryan has justified his spot and well I think he is good enough to start. I think Cullen is finished at this level and heard he could be out for 8-10 weeks so why flog the man and well DOC just is past it like we can't keep making this a John Hayes scenario and hoping they return to form when they physically not up to it.
Another IF we were picking on form is Earls who is lucky. He's not a 13 and well this leads to his poor form and then he can't just flick a switch and be good he needs games in 11 shirt and well a 6 nations game isn't a game to be trying to find feet in.

 

[profitius]

I'm laughing, but I ain't smiling. Gilroy's a mile ahead of O'Halloran, Zebo and Conway and I'd say he was better than Hurley and Kearney too. Small Paul has been Ireland's form scrum-half. There's a number of other marginal calls floating around where an Ulsterman's come off worse, but those two are absolute wtf moments.

Maybe Kidney thinks Ulster need some additional motivation down in Clermont?

O'Halloran has been the young winger of the year I think. There are areas he needs to be more consistent in but himself and Griffin have been superb for Connacht. So he deserves his place.

Conway could be Irelands answer to Vincent Clerc so I don't mind seeing him there. I don't know what Zebo is doing there. He has only played a few games for Munster and hasn't performed as well as Gilroy for Ulster. I also don't know what Denis Hurley is doing there. Decent player but not international class. Dave Kearney has had a decent season though.

 

[Luimneach18]

wow !! more young players better be put into the main squad come the six nations im pi**ed off with the squads totally.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. The worst squad that could have been picked. Sure why not see if the Bull Hayes will step out of retirement for it? Jack Kyle looked fairly sprightly in those 09' grand slam interviews too.


Kidney you ****ing spoofer.

 

[Luimneach18]

Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. The worst squad that could have been picked. Sure why not see if the Bull Hayes will step out of retirement for it? Jack Kyle looked fairly sprightly in those 09' grand slam interviews too.


Kidney you ****ing spoofer.

lol...

 

[Feicarsinn]

Oh, it'd be in the interest of Irish rugby for this team to have a terrible 6 nations. Then perhaps a bloody non-moronic coach could be appointed.

 

[big ginger 8]

****!!!

 

[big ginger 8]

The wolfhounds better be called in are else.

 

[Amiga500]

Not impressed with sticking with some of the older guys.

2015 starts now. If we keep the old guys through the 6N, we're already a step behind the rest.

 

[Luimneach18]

also im sick to the sight of D'Arcy getting picked first choice in every squad guy is total rubbish and is past it need to see new young players giving chance in that position.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I'm actually happy that Buckley wasn't named - he's on vaguely decent form and we don't have much cover due to injuries



Odd squad for Ireland, think it's all been covered above though!
Biggest mistake, imo, is not having a new flyhalf in the mix in the main squad: ROG is nearing the end of his career (international at least) and there's no one waiting in the wings with int. experience - took long enough for Sexton to get any!

 

[Luimneach18]

I'm actually happy that Buckley wasn't named - he's on vaguely decent form and we don't have much cover due to injuries



Odd squad for Ireland, think it's all been covered above though!
Biggest mistake, imo, is not having a new flyhalf in the mix in the main squad: ROG is nearing the end of his career (international at least) and there's no one waiting in the wings with int. experience - took long enough for Sexton to get any!

Ian Keatley should be giving the chance i think personally.

 

[big ginger 8]

Happy Madigan's in the squad think he's still Leinster's top try scorer in all competitions and if he plays a match it could be a very good thing. Young out -half who plays very flat and forces McFadden into 12 instead of D'arcy, so that we have a kicker.

 

[Feicarsinn]

The 10 situation is an interesting one tbh and not one I'm overly angry about. Some would call for Ian Humphreys but I have absolutely no faith in him. Sublime at times, but prone to the odd massive brainfart. Keatley can't get into the Munster team, Niall O'Connor out in Connacht is useless and Ian Madigan is still a bit raw. It's quite conceivable that ROG will go to the next WC, considering he has no physical side to his game that could deteriorate in the next 4 years.

I'd say Madigan or Paddy Jackson will be Ireland's second 10 come 2015, but they're both at least two years away from being ready for international rugby. Madigan may have to move in order to find starting rugby, but that shouldn't be a problem considering he has the best distribution game of any Irish outhalf. Jackson is younger than me, which is very annoying. I have no doubt he'll take over from iHumph in the next 2 or 3 seasons. Quality players both of them.