RUGBY:PUNDITS AND punters alike are inclined to call for change, all the more so at the start of a new four-year World Cup cycle. New younger players provide a freshness, something different from the same old faces.

In including five uncapped players in an expanded 32-man squad for the pivotal opening two Six Nations games against Wales and France, Declan Kidney will have satisfied those thirsts for the moment. But most likely only until tomorrow’s team announcement.

The quintet in question are David Kearney, Simon Zebo, Eoin O’Malley, Brett Wilkinson and Peter O’Mahony, the first four of which have been promoted from the Wolfhounds squad along with Denis Hurley, Dan Tuohy, Chris Henry and Rhys Ruddock to the panel who were in camp in Limerick last week.

Wilkinson is the most eye-catching inclusion, and by extension Tony Buckley the most eye-catching exclusion, if allowing for the absence of the recently-sidelined Luke Fitzgerald. Of course, Kidney has merely delayed all the crunch decisions for the moment, namely Donnacha Ryan or Donncha O’Callaghan as secondrow partner for captain Paul O’Connell, the half-backs and, of course, who will inherit the fabled number 13 jersey in the absence of you know who, be it Keith Earls, Fergus McFadden or Tommy Bowe.

Earls has at least been having an extended run there, and while he has still to prove himself a Test quality defender and distributor at outside centre, there’s no doubting his pace or footwork and ability to beat an opponent.

Furthermore, after some less than convincing displays for Munster this season when pressed into the number 13 jersey after his five tries on the wing in the World Cup, Earls tackled well, ran straight and distributed well in the dissection of Northampton a fortnight ago. It was his most compelling argument for the job thus far.

Although Bowe has been tried at outside centre in camp, it’s not a position he has played in for the Ospreys this season, and either way, we’re essentially talking about a winger being converted into a centre, ie a winger playing one or two inside.

Fergus McFadden is quick and an excellent tackler, whose graph continues to rise. His recent run at 13 for Leinster would seem to suggest he is in the Irish management’s thinking, although he hasn’t really produced a compelling case for the job, and he could ultimately be an inside centre. But dropping Gordon D’Arcy looks a bit premature and unfair and McFadden may have to settle for a place on the bench.

Even if Kidney opts for Ryan at lock, and Jonathan Sexton at outhalf, with Andrew Trimble recalled should Earls move to midfield, that could mean as many as a dozen or more of the team that lost to Wales in the World Cup quarter-final in Wellington last October will line-up for next Sunday’s kick-off. But then again, this was also the vast bulk of the side that beat Australia in Eden Park in winning all four pool games for the first time, and that was, after all, earlier this season.

By contrast, England’s interim coach Stuart Lancaster’s 32-man squad heralded more of a fresh broom, with some of his seven uncapped players more likely to appear in the Six Nations. But aside from England having more quantity, whatever about quality, it could be argued England were in more pressing need of change, besides which the Six Nations is not often the best place to pitch callow inexperienced sides, not least when facing the auld enemy first up in Murrayfield.

Of course, Warren Gatland has never been as shy as Kidney of remodelling sides with an infusion of young players, and while his hand was forced to some degree, Gatland’s faith in a crop of relatively untried Wales players under a new 23-year-old captain in Sam Warburton was handsomely rewarded at the World Cup.

It was Gatland too who brought in five new caps for the revitalising 44-22 win over Scotland after the 1999 World Cup, having initially kept faith with many of those who had lost in Lens for the 50-19 defeat in the 2000 opener at Twickenham. But then again the argument for change was far more compelling than now.

The World Cup may have ended in crushing disappointment but it had arguably been Ireland’s best World Cup yet – these things being relative.

And with Wales first up, followed by a daunting trek to Paris (where Ireland have won once in their last 20 visits) just six days later, it would appear not to be the opportune time to heap further alterations on a team without their talisman of the last dozen Six Nations campaigns. Nor, for all the recent deeds of Zebo and the other young tyros included in this squad, are there compelling cases for further change.

However, against all that, as Conor Murray’s elevation for the World Cup demonstrated, an injection of a new player or two can always add a spark to a settled team even of proven quality, and refresh those around him.

O’Mahony – a quick, strong and innate footballer who comes up with big plays – looks to be made of the right stuff, can cover across the backrow and apparently made a good impression in camp last week. It would be tough on Shane Jennings, and Ruddock might even be the stronger contender, but were Kidney to include O’Mahony, say, on the bench this week it would also send out a signal to the young players pushing hard for promotion that the Irish squad is not a closed shop, and that form will be rewarded.

Ireland 32-man squad *Denotes uncapped player

Rory Best (Ulster)

Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)

Tom Court (Ulster)

Seán Cronin (Leinster)

Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster)

Keith Earls (Munster)

Stephen Ferris (Ulster)

Cian Healy (Leinster)

Jamie Heaslip (Leinster)

Chris Henry (Ulster)

Denis Hurley (Munster)

Shane Jennings (Leinster)

Rob Kearney (Leinster)

David Kearney (Leinster)*

Fergus McFadden (Leinster)

Conor Murray (Munster)

Sean O'Brien (Leinster)

Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster)

Paul O'Connell (Munster)

Ronan O'Gara (Munster)

Peter O'Mahony (Munster)*

Eoin O'Malley (Leinster)*

Eoin Reddan (Leinster)

Mike Ross (Leinster)

Donnacha Ryan (Munster)

Rhys Ruddock (Leinster)

Jonathan Sexton (Leinster)

Andrew Trimble (Ulster)

Dan Tuohy (Ulster)

Paddy Wallace (Ulster)

Brett Wilkinson (Connacht)*

Simon Zebo (Munster)*