There are a few ways of looking at this decidedly new-look Ireland team. On the one hand, they're an inexperienced lot who look ripe for the plucking against the All Blacks, and - on a one-off basis - Brian Ashton might have been a tad more conservative. On the other hand, when was the last time selection reflected current form so accurately?

Taking the rash of injuries into account, you could have few quibbles with this team based on the formbook. Some observers might have been more comforted by, say, the presence of Ciaran Clarke at full-back; or Kurt McQuilkin as a stopgap in midfield with the relatively more experienced Brian O'Meara or Niall Hogan at scrumhalf.

Up front, those same observers made edgy by all this new blood might also have preferred Malcolm O'Kelly's first cap to be delayed, with Gabriel Fulcher instead partnering Paddy Johns. They might have had Victor Costello in the backrow with Eric Miller moved to flanker. But, as the proven Lion, Miller had to be the number eight, rather than elsewhere in the back-row where he would see less of the ball and thus have his greatest attributes diminished.

Few and possibly none of these options, however, would have accurately reflected current form, and this was clearly the criterion the Irish selectors employed: Pick the best guy playing in that position who's not injured. End of story. It's actually quite a novel approach.

It also proves Ashton is true to his word. The slate was wiped clean at the end of last season. The message conveyed to all aspiring Irish internationals is thus very encouraging. You, too, can come from nowhere to be an international within a year. In the case of John McWeeney and Conor McGuinness it has scarcely been six months. Past achievements and reputations count for little under the Ashton regime.

Furthermore, what's the point in picking a oneoff team, in some sort of damage limitation exercise? Even if it were relatively successful in that ambition, what long-term aim does that serve?

This New Zealand game, however imposing it looks, should be taken in its proper light, i.e. a first step toward building a side for the Five Nations Championship, with half an eye on the 1999 World Cup. In some respects, the result doesn't really matter a lot, much like the six defeats out of seven on the Development Tour (already a footnote in history).

In point of fact, these sort of selectorial upheavals have happened fairly regularly in Irish rugby, roughly every decade or so, and they've generally been fairly cathartic. Against England in 1992, there were nine new caps. When Ireland last beat France, in 1972, there were five new caps.

Perhaps the most appropriate recent example was in 1984 when Mick Doyle succeeded Willie John McBride as coach and his first team, against Australia, contained five new caps - Willie Sexton, Philip Matthews, Willie Anderson, Michael Bradley and Brendan Mullin.

Remember the shock and near outrage which followed? Yet the latter four all went on to have lengthy and distinguished international careers, while Brian Spillane and Nigel Carr were introduced for the following game against Scotland.

That radically overhauled team, with Paul Dean at out-half, pushed Mark Ella's vintage Wallabies to a 16-9 win, by some distance their toughest Test in that grand slam tour of Britain and Ireland. Doyle's side duly fulfilled the promise of that game by winning the Triple Crown and championship.

Which is not to suggest that this restructured Irish side will push these vintage All Blacks to a 16-9 win and go on to such immediate Five Nations' glory. But I'd venture that it will be the first of many caps for Malcolm O'Kelly especially, and perhaps for the talented Kieron Dawson as well.

Once Jeremy Davidson was ruled out, it's pretty clear that O'Kelly was deemed first choice and the question was who would partner him. Johns has been playing consistently well in a winning team whereas Fulcher, who needs regularly games, has been troubled by injury. That said, it's a slight shame Fulcher isn't on the bench for the odds are that Johns might struggle to last the 80 minutes against the All Blacks and David Erskine, covering for the back five, is not by choice a lock.

Dawson is a damned good open side flanker, certainly the quickest and probably the best footballing number seven available to Ashton at the minute. Besides, the best alternative in that position on current form is also uncapped, Alan Quinlan.

As for the new St Mary's trio behind the scrum, like much of the rest of this team we'll just have to wait and see. But they're there on merit, even if there is probably only a half-dozen of this team whom Ashton would have picked at the start of the season.

In most cases, that is because of injuries, although it also reflects some instances of lost form but still more cases of good form. Take the fullback slot. There is an argument for Ciaran Clarke's inclusion, with his physique and big left boot, or, at a push, Dominic Crotty. Clarke is probably one of the most under-rated players in Ireland and must be cursing that day in August he arrived 20 minutes late for training due to work commitments.

But, since Nowlan augmented a startlingly positive and prolific arrival in the AIL last season by generally producing more of the good than the bad in Leinster's last seven competitive outings, what was Ashton to do? All the more so after Nowlan's regular inclusion in the mid-week squad sessions.

It would be nice to see Clarke being looked at in the development XV to play the Exiles next Wednesday, but here again the selectors have gone almost purely on existing form for the provinces.

So to McWeeney and McGuinness. Short of repeating the failed experiment of Crotty on the left wing, McWeeney is clearly the best option of the domestic scene. Justin Bishop and Niall Woods clearly haven't been forgiven for their non-tackling New Zealand tour.

Here, I have a minor gripe. Both are playing well, Bishop indeed better than Dennis Hickie (experiencing a temporary loss of enthusiasm redolent of SSS - second season syndrome). Bishop would also have a Geoghegan-like effect on the Lansdowne Road crowd while Woods is a proven, world-class finisher with place-kicking in his armoury. I hope they get their chance for the Exiles and I hope they take it.

The same applies to Niall Hogan, but, on this season's form, McGuinness deserves his chance ahead of Brian O'Meara and the harshly treated Stephen McIvor. Connacht have been the provincial success story of the season, and the half-back pairing of McGuinness and Elwood has been the cornerstone of that.

Here again, the Connacht coach Warren Gatland joins Mike Ruddock as coaching back-up to Ashton - the best trio Irish rugby has had for some time - and takes charge of a Development XV with five Connacht men.

Performance is duly rewarded. It's quite a novel idea really.