NEW ZEALAND TOUR IRELAND SELECTIONOFTEN, and unfairly, portrayed as an innately conservative selector with undue loyalty to certain players, Declan Kidney cannot be accused of such traits this time. The head coach has fairly shaken up the Irish team for the first of three daunting Tests against New Zealand in Eden Park this Saturday by promoting Fergus McFadden and the uncapped Simon Zebo to the wings, as well as Dan Tuohy in the secondrow.
The ripple effect through the squad, which will be significant, results in demotions for such stalwarts as Andrew Trimble, Gordon D’Arcy and Donncha O’Callaghan, all of whom started all five of Ireland’s Six Nations games.
A fourth change from the team which started the 30-9 defeat to England last time out in Twickenham sees Peter O’Mahony replace the absent Stephen Ferris, and there could well be a fifth change, and a second new cap, if the hamstrung Mike Ross is ruled out and Declan Fitzpatrick is promoted to the starting line-up.
That would in turn mean a promotion for the uncapped Connacht prop Ronan Loughney to the bench, where Darren Cave – twice capped on the tour of the Americas in ’09 – is chosen ahead of D’Arcy and Trimble.
“Three into two doesn’t go,” said Kidney in reference to the new midfield combination of Keith Earls and Brian O’Driscoll. “This is the time to grow and see where we are in terms of everything, that is why I have gone for that combination. Gordon is unlucky.
“It’s important that we see things. That’s why I said it’s a tour. Paddy Wallace, Gordon and Brian are continuing and will continue to give fantastic service over the next year or two, but it would be absolutely remiss of me not to look at a few things. We said we’d keep a small eye on the future too, and both Darren and Keith are playing well, so at what stage do you mix and match.
“It’s certainly a long way from the end for the lads who’ve been there all the time. The younger fellas deserve a little bit of a break there too from time to time.”
Likewise he admitted Trimble had done little wrong, and as regards Zebo’s highly surprising selection given his inexperience, the rawness of his undoubted talent and defensive frailties – “that left wing slot, he has been playing there consistently all the time and there are fairly subtle differences between left and right wing. Even a physical thing like the fact he has a left boot does help. There are a number of reasons why he has been getting a go there and the fact he has been playing left wing regularly and playing there well.”
“Fergus (McFadden) took his opportunities when there were a few injuries provincially and he’s been with us at the World Cup when Andrew was getting the nod over Fergus for big matches. This time we have gone with Fergus.”
This certainly looks like a landmark Irish selection. As well as breaking up the world’s most established midfield pairing, this will be the first game Ireland have gone into without starting either Donncha O’Callaghan or Paul O’Connell (save for the seasonal opener in Edinburgh at the beginning of August, the summer tour games of ’09 in the Americas while the Lions were otherwise engaged and the pre-RWC games of ’07 in Argentina and the Japanese tour of ’05) since the pre-RWC game at home to Italy in 2003.
O’Callaghan had started Ireland’s last 13 matches, dating back to that Edinburgh game, a run of 28 starts in Ireland’s last 29 games going back to the 2010 Six Nations.
Some of the mystery remains, as Kidney was non-committal as to how the new Earls-O’Driscoll midfield partnership will line-up, likewise who would jump in the middle of the lineout, given the in-form Tuohy is partnered by Donnacha Ryan in the second-row and whether Peter O’Mahony and Seán O’Brien would swap positions in the back-row.
Suggesting they would all “mix and match”, with regard to the back-row Kidney said: “They’re both mobile, which is going to be important. Like this is a tour for players to be on their feet. If fellas are lying around here they are going to be of no good to themselves or the team. Being on your feet is going to be 99 per cent of the game here.
“We have to put our best foot forward for Saturday and play the best we can and I believe all the fellas I’ve picked are playing well and deserve a go, but there’s always fall out. It’s fantastic. When you go into sport, no matter what sport it is, you want to play the Rory McIlroys, or the Roger Federers, or the Brazils of this world. It’s one of those ones.”
NEW ZEALAND v IRELAND
Eden Park, Auckland, Saturday (kick-off 8.35am Irish time). Ref: N Owens
(Crusaders) Israel Dagg
15
Rob Kearney (Leinster)
(Crusaders) Zac Guildford 14 Fergus McFadden (Leinster)
(Hurricanes) Conrad Smith 13 Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt)
(Crusaders) Sonny Bill Williams 12 Keith Earls (Munster)
(Hurricanes) Julian Savea 11 Simon Zebo (Munster)
(Crusaders) Dan Carter 10 Jonathan Sexton (Leinster)
(Manawatu) Aaron Smith 9 Conor Murray (Munster)
(Blues) Tomy Woodcock 1 Cian Healy (Leinster)
(Hurricanes) Andrew Hore 2 Rory Best (Ulster)
(Crusaders) Owen Franks 3 M Ross (Lein)/D Fitzpatrick (Uls)
(Hawkes Bay) Brodie Retallick 4 Dan Tuohy (Ulster)
(Crusaders) Sam Whitelock 5 Donnacha Ryan (Munster)
(Hurricanes) Victor Vito 6 Peter O'Mahony (Munster)
(Crusaders, capt) Richie McCaw 7 Sean O'Brien (Leinster)
(Crusaders) Kieran Read 8 Jamie Heaslip (Leinster)
New Zealand Replacements:H Elliot (Chiefs), B Franks (Crusaders), A Williams (Blues), A Thomson (Highlanders), P Weepu (Blues), A Cruden (Hurricanes), B Smith (Otago).
Ireland Replacements:S Cronin (Leinster), D Fitzpatrick (Ulster)/R Loughney (Connacht), D O'Callaghan (Munster), K McLaughlin (Leinster), E Reddan (Leinster), R O'Gara (Munster), D Cave (Ulster)
