IRELAND v BARBARIANS PREVIEW:THERE IS an obvious similarity between the teams ahead of this friendly; both are composite sides, the Barbarians a cosmopolitan blend of talent; Ireland an amalgam of senior men heading for the summer Tests in New Zealand and Australia and those being redirected to Churchill Cup duty.
Tradition demands the Barbarians are cast in the role of entertainers, playing with the brio and dash that is their heritage.
Ireland, minus their Munster contingent, won't exactly play a 10-man game, but there will be more structure to their patterns.
The Ireland captain, Brian O'Driscoll outlined his expectations from this contest.
"It's a chance for certain individuals to show their worth playing for Ireland, playing in a senior jersey for the first time," he said. "For others it's a chance to impress and get game time under your belt going into what are going to be two really tough internationals.
"We'll be looking for a good, solid performance, the basics done well and good ball retention.
"There's no onus on us to play their style. We adopt whatever style we need. I've said to the players there are no wrong decisions, just make sure you back up your decision."
Interim head coach Michael Bradley has chosen a youngish team sprinkled with interesting units, none more so than the midfield of O'Driscoll and Luke Fitzgerald, a partnership that could endure through the summer Tests in the absence of the injured Gordon D'Arcy and Andrew Trimble.
O'Driscoll confirmed the two would mix and match between inside and outside centre, then outlined what will be expected of his young Leinster team-mate: "He has bundles of confidence and backs his own ability; that's half the battle. It's about doing the basic things right because his own natural ability will look after the fancy things.
"There's no pressure on him to try anything outrageous or make game-breaking runs. It's our first game playing in the centre together and partnerships take a little time to build and gel but this could be the start of something. We'll look on it that way."
He stressed that this match was an opportunity for several players to lay down markers.
"When you get selected in an Irish team you are the one in control of the jersey. The performance that lies ahead of you is your opportunity to impress and to stake a claim to . . . that jersey.
"Irrespective of names, experience or anything, if you are playing well it's hard to be displaced. That's how a lot of players break into the international team and become stalwarts. There's a void for one reason or another, an injury, a lack of form or some other differential."
Rob Kearney gets to start in his favoured fullback role. Paddy Wallace and Isaac Boss will be charged with releasing a quality back line with strong-running wings in Shane Horgan and Tommy Bowe.
Mike Ross gets a belated chance to demonstrate why he has been a mainstay of the Harlequins scrum this season, and his tussle with the recently-departed Leinster cult hero Ollie le Roux should provide a decent sideshow in itself.
There is a nice balance to the Irish pack, strong at set-piece and also boasting an exciting, athletic backrow that could flourish if the game opens up. The present persistent rain seems the only peripheral that could scupper the best of intentions - though it's expected to be dry come kick-off time.
The Barbarians have included the England wing Lesley Vainikolo in a team containing the gifted Australian Stephen Larkham.
Uncertainty over the current status of the All Black flanker Jerry Collins is deepened by the fact he's named as a possible replacement, just a couple of days after indicating he was about to retire from rugby.
The Baa-Baas will give the ball plenty of air and the match should prove a good blow-out for the Ireland team, many of whom haven't played for several weeks.
Tomorrow morning the Antipodean-bound members of the squad will relocate to the Pennyhill Park and Spa in London to be joined by the Munster contingent.
Criticism from certain quarters of Munster's endgame tactics in the Heineken Cup final drew a decisive response from O'Driscoll:
"I think it's very harsh the criticism they got, very unfair. You get yourself to a final and you do whatever it takes to win. What it took was picking and jamming, and running down the clock. With every pick-and-jam, time was being used up and Toulouse were getting more and more frustrated.
"When they did eventually get the turnovers they squandered the opportunities because of the anxiety created by not having the ball for long periods. It was a knock-on effect . . . I wouldn't give any heed to what's been said. They have medals dangling around their necks. That's answer enough."
IRELAND:R Kearney (Leinster); S Horgan (Leinster), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), L Fitzgerald (Leinster), T Bowe (Ulster); P Wallace (Ulster), I Boss (Ulster); B Young (Ulster), R Best (Ulster), M Ross (Harlequins); B Casey (London Irish), M O'Kelly (Leinster); S Ferris (Ulster), S Jennings (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster). Replacements: B Jackman (Leinster), T Court (Ulster), R Caldwell (Ulster), N Best (Ulster), F Murphy (Leicester), J Sexton (Leinster), G Dempsey (Leinster).
BARBARIANS:P Hewat (London Irish*); S Anesi (New Zealand), M Turinui (Australia, capt), J Pretorius (South Africa), L Vainikolo (England); S Larkham (Australia), M Claassens (South Africa); O le Roux (South Africa), S Bruno (France), C Visagie (South Africa); K Chesney (Saracens*), R Skeate (Stormers*); C Newby (New Zealand), D Croft (Australia), P Wannenburg (South Africa). Replacements: M Regan (England), P Collazo (France), S Dellape (Italy), M Chapman (Brumbies*) or J Collins (New Zealand), A Gomarsall (England), G Jackson (Saracens*), T Smith (Brumbies*) or S Mapusua (Samoa).
Referee:A Small (England).
* Uncapped player.
Ireland v Barbarians
Venue:Kingsholm
Kick-off:7.45
On TV:RTÉ 2, Sky Sp 1
