NZ V Ireland 3rd Test

[sarah_lennon]

Starting a test thread with good news again

Darce & Heaslip out of test - calf & finger respectively

Paddy Wallace flying in

[Cianostays]

Well there goes my "same again please" selection for next week. Wallace was in excellent form at the end of the season and NZ really struggled when we had 2 playmakers on the field (still can't quite believe how well RO'G and Sexton worked at 10 and 12).

Jamie is a loss but PO'M's best position is at 8 so I'd anticipate (and support) those 2 switches with Henry promoted to the bench.

[suisse]

D'arcy is the bigger loss. Heaslip was immense yesterday but there are options. We don't have real 12's.

Anyone else think given that it is game 3, the series is gone and it's the final game, Kidney will go with ROG at 10 and JS at 12? If Earls is unfit, I can't see too many other possibilities. Wallace is a good footballer but as we've seen so many times, physically he's not big enough. Then again, ROG is hardly a good defender. I think this what Kidney will opt for:

Kearney
Trimble
BOD
Sexton
McF
ROG
Murray
POM
SOB
KMCL
Touhy
Ryan
Ross
Best
Healy

Reddan, Wallace and Zebo as back subs.

**** That's not necessarily the team I'd pick, but I can see DK going for it, whether

[Cianostays]

I can only see DK going with either RO'G @ 10 and Johnny @ 12 or Johnny @ 10 and Wallace @ 12. He won't look at Ferg as an IC option anyway, that's for sure.

[munster#1]

i would like to see sob moved to 8, imo he is a better ball carrier than pom and with heaslip out a back row of kev, pom, sob is our best option. Not that i'd have a problem with pom at 8, just think we need someone like sob at 8.

Hopefully earls is back in time

[lummix]

We really need to try McFadden at 12. Either he's up to it or he's not. The most worrying factor is the fact that we have failed to produce any centres even close in ability to drico and darce and we really need to start looking at this area as the difference in class between earls and BOD was shown yesterday by the wayBOD defended the outside channel.
On the plus side SOB is emerging as a world class 7, even the great rich mccaw hasn't got the better of him. Touhy stood up well yesterday as well. With an eye to the future I'd start.
Kearney
Trimble
BOD
McFadden
Zebo(there's no one else gillroyif he was on tour, earls if fit
Sexton
Muarry
POM
SOB
McLaughlin
Touhy
Ryan
Ross
Best
Healy

[munster#1]

We really need to try McFadden at 12. Either he's up to it or he's not. The most worrying factor is the fact that we have failed to produce any centres even close in ability to drico and darce and we really need to start looking at this area as the difference in class between earls and BOD was shown yesterday by the wayBOD defended the outside channel.
On the plus side SOB is emerging as a world class 7, even the great rich mccaw hasn't got the better of him. Touhy stood up well yesterday as well. With an eye to the future I'd start.
Kearney
Trimble
BOD
McFadden
Zebo(there's no one else gillroyif he was on tour, earls if fit
Sexton
Muarry
Healy
Best
Ross
Touhy
Ryan
Ross
Best
Healy

Strange that you only selected 5 forwards, with the front row covering the back row. Never seen that tactic before.

Mcfadden has been tried at center, and failed to impress is a polite way to put it.

Very harsh on earls, he is not the next bod, but we wont see a bod for a long time, he is a once in a life time player. Also earls was solid in defence, he has been all season at 13.

[berniemac67]

13 channel is too important to have anybody but bod in it next weekend

i'd have earls on the bench unless mcf plays 12

[lummix]

Damn I phones, couldn't see what I was typing, back row POM, SOB, locky. I think earls is a good player just not in BODs class but who is.
I have a Concern in the back row,is there enough ball carrying ability to get us over the gainline. is pom a good carrier, I'm not criticising unlike other Leinster fans I seriously rate him and had been waiting for him to emerge after seeing him at underage level just wondering will he get us over the gainline as the whole gameplan like leinsters involves gettingover gainline and playing from there. We get stopped on gainline and were in trouble. Witness rabo final without o Brien. Key carriers in the team are darce heaslip Healy SOB and we are missing 2 next week end so someone needs to step up

[Oldschool]

We really need to try McFadden at 12. Either he's up to it or he's not. The most worrying factor is the fact that we have failed to produce any centres even close in ability to drico and darce and we really need to start looking at this area as the difference in class between earls and BOD was shown yesterday by the wayBOD defended the outside channel.
On the plus side SOB is emerging as a world class 7, even the great rich mccaw hasn't got the better of him. Touhy stood up well yesterday as well. With an eye to the future I'd start.
Kearney
Trimble
BOD
McFadden
Zebo(there's no one else gillroyif he was on tour, earls if fit
Sexton
Muarry
Healy
Best
Ross
Touhy
Ryan
Ross
Best
Healy

Strange that you only selected 5 forwards, with the front row covering the back row. Never seen that tactic before.

Mcfadden has been tried at center, and failed to impress is a polite way to put it.

Very harsh on earls, he is not the next bod, but we wont see a bod for a long time, he is a once in a life time player. Also earls was solid in defence, he has been all season at 13.

If a player gets 6 consecutive caps in the same position, then he has been "tried". On that basis McF hasn't been tried and he hasn't failed.
As usual you guys will give Murray 11 caps and keep "Trying" him regardless of whether he fails or not.
If you applied the same criteria to Murray as you did to McF, then Murray wouldn't even be in NZ right now.

As for team. That team deserves another crack at NZ. POM for Heaslip in a straight swop. Don't muck the BR up. Henry in for cover.
If Earls is fit, I'd start McF or Cave at 12.
McF probably because a. He's started the other two games and has more experience than Cave and b. He's a Leinster player.
It's also worth remembering too that the non match day players will not have played a rugby match in nearly a month.

[Oldschool]

13 channel is too important to have anybody but bod in it next weekend

i'd have earls on the bench unless mcf plays 12

That pretty much sums it up.

[Twist]

I'd like to see SOB at 8 and Henry/POM at 7, but I don't think we will.

Expect SOB at 7 & POM at 8.

Also expect ROG at 10. He wouldn't bring him all that way then not give him a start.

[tate]

Moving SOB again would be a backwards move I think. Let him play against [one of] the best 7 in the world another game and learn some more. As Emmett Farrell said on Newstalk yesterday 30m runs catch the eye more, but dogged openside play brings more to the team. Put POM in at 8. Would prefer PW to start than ROG-J10 as well. He's in the form of his life though I expect he wont even see the match day 22.

[illthinkofsomething]

i would like to see sob moved to 8, imo he is a better ball carrier than pom and with heaslip out a back row of kev, pom, sob is our best option. Not that i'd have a problem with pom at 8, just think we need someone like sob at 8.

Hopefully earls is back in time

POB is far and away the best 7 out there so yeah he aint a bad 8 but 7 is more important, if POM plays 8 let him at it, he looked lively when he came on. Love to see Earls back and on the wing stick Wallace or Ferg at 12. We dont need to be going down this Sexton at 12 route.

[Dublinner]

i would like to see sob moved to 8, imo he is a better ball carrier than pom and with heaslip out a back row of kev, pom, sob is our best option. Not that i'd have a problem with pom at 8, just think we need someone like sob at 8.

Hopefully earls is back in time

Love to see Earls back and on the wing stick Wallace or Ferg at 12. We dont need to be going down this Sexton at 12 route.

I think playing Sexton at 12 has some potential for the future. Not necessarily with ROG at 10 but with madigan. Sexton is a class 10 but has all the abilities to be a savage 12 also. Madigan runs and passes beautifully but when compared to Sexton wouldn't kick snow off a rope. A Madigan/sexton 10/12 axis could be fairly tasty.

[suisse]

Moving SOB again would be a backwards move I think. Let him play against [one of] the best 7 in the world another game and learn some more.

Agree entirely, SOB is having a blinder of a tour at 7, a position we were unsure if he could manage at this level. Give him that jersey and never take it off him.

I think playing Sexton at 12 has some potential for the future. Not necessarily with ROG at 10 but with madigan.

ROG and future should not be in the same sentence. Thankfully you didn't do it

Madigan runs and passes beautifully but when compared to Sexton wouldn't kick snow off a rope. A Madigan/sexton 10/12 axis could be fairly tasty.

Perhaps, but if Madigan was a Saffer or a French, he'd be a 9 by now, another position we lack depth. Maybe he wouldn't be able to make the change to the highest level, but with Madigan, you sense Ireland have a genuine opportunity to play a 10 who is comfortable at 9; a Yachvilli, Michelak, Parra, Ellisalde kinda guy.

It probably wouldn't have turned out this way, but Matt Berquist's injury might have forced Leinster's hand. Maybe if he stayed fit, Leinster could have blooded IM as a 9 in the B&I Cup, and also some low profile Pro12 games. In saying that, he was superb this season. You feel someone needs to move position ------- or Leinster risk losing a player.

[artaneboy]

i would like to see sob moved to 8, imo he is a better ball carrier than pom and with heaslip out a back row of kev, pom, sob is our best option. Not that i'd have a problem with pom at 8, just think we need someone like sob at 8.

Hopefully earls is back in time

Just when Seanie is starting to play consistently at a world-class level at 7? Don't think so! I actually fancy POM as an 8. Jamie is a definetly a serious loss for next week but in terms of O'Mahony's long-term future, I see him challenging Jamie for the central position. Good for Ireland- I reckon.

[artaneboy]

We really need to try McFadden at 12. Either he's up to it or he's not. The most worrying factor is the fact that we have failed to produce any centres even close in ability to drico and darce and we really need to start looking at this area as the difference in class between earls and BOD was shown yesterday by the wayBOD defended the outside channel.
On the plus side SOB is emerging as a world class 7, even the great rich mccaw hasn't got the better of him. Touhy stood up well yesterday as well. With an eye to the future I'd start.
Kearney
Trimble
BOD
McFadden
Zebo(there's no one else gillroyif he was on tour, earls if fit
Sexton
Muarry
Healy
Best
Ross
Touhy
Ryan
Ross
Best
Healy

Strange that you only selected 5 forwards, with the front row covering the back row. Never seen that tactic before.

Mcfadden has been tried at center, and failed to impress is a polite way to put it.

Very harsh on earls, he is not the next bod, but we wont see a bod for a long time, he is a once in a life time player. Also earls was solid in defence, he has been all season at 13.

Don't agree at all that McFadden has failed to impress at 12. He has never to my memory got sufficient time there for Ireland. Nothing against Earls- but he's still a better winger than a 13. It's certainly no crime that he's not BOD and I think he could in time have almost as much influence on our national team- but from the wing or full-back. Just don't see him being an outside centre as a first choice.... but I'm willing to be proved wrong!

[Leinster Lout]

i would like to see sob moved to 8, imo he is a better ball carrier than pom and with heaslip out a back row of kev, pom, sob is our best option. Not that i'd have a problem with pom at 8, just think we need someone like sob at 8.

Hopefully earls is back in time

That's very big of you...

[munster#1]

i would like to see sob moved to 8, imo he is a better ball carrier than pom and with heaslip out a back row of kev, pom, sob is our best option. Not that i'd have a problem with pom at 8, just think we need someone like sob at 8.

Hopefully earls is back in time

That's very big of you...

Not really, this is an irish team, i don't buy into the provincial bs when it comes to the national team.

I have long been a fan of sob, and believe he is best suited to 6/8 where he can use his strengths more effectively.

Pom has the potential and the brains to be a world class 8, but as things stand he doesn't have sob's power off the back of a scrum. As has been mentioned, heaslip is not the ball carrier he was in 09, but he will still get you over the line. Imo sob could make serious yards off the back of scrums, and playing at 8, he will be at the bottom of a lot less rucks.