Opportunity for squad players to rise to Barbarians challenge

Seven players who started Ireland's last Six Nations Championship match against Wales at Lansdowne Road have been named in the side to face the Barbarians in the Anglo Irish International at the same venue on Sunday (1.15).

The absence of the Munster contingent has allowed Irish coach Warren Gatland to reward several squad players and include a number of promising young players on the replacements bench.

Full back Girvan Dempsey and the three-quarter line en masse have been retained from the Welsh game, while Ulster and Dungannon outhalf David Humphreys replaces Ronan O'Gara and has been honoured as captain.

Humphreys conceded that the players had spoken about the difficulty of playing a match just 24 hours before they leave on a summer tour of Argentina, the USA and Canada.

"It's something we discussed," Humphreys said, "but the players are determined to concentrate on this match and let the tour take care of itself. We'd like to win the match."

Guy Easterby, brother of blindside flanker Simon, wins a starting berth after almost a season on the replacements bench during the Six Nations. He still awaits that elusive first cap as none will be awarded for the Barbarians game.

There is an entirely "new" front row in Justin Fitzpatrick, Shane Byrne and Paul Wallace. It is an appropriate reward for Byrne, the Blackrock College hooker and Leinster's most capped player.

Interestingly, Wallace has been playing the majority of his rugby for Saracens recently at loosehead, but returns to the other side of the scrum where he has won all 35 of his Irish caps.

Jeremy Davidson, fresh from his contract negotiations with Castres, partners Malcolm O'Kelly in the second row. Simon Easterby will be joined in an athletic back row by Eric Miller and Ballynahinch and Ulster flanker Andy Ward.

A relaxed Gatland offered this overview to Sunday's game. "It's not ideal in terms of preparation for the tour, but it does offer an opportunity to several players to impress and stake a claim prior to the trip. It means that all the players in the travelling squad will have a match.

"It has sometimes been suggested that Irish teams don't fare as well without a significant Munster representation in terms of the mental hardness and bottle that they bring to matches," Gatland added. "This will be an opportunity for the players selected to rise to that challenge.

"It is a chance for those who haven't been as fully involved as they would like to impress. Eric Miller has been working hard recently, and Jeremy Davidson and Paul Wallace have not been involved as much as they would like. They have the opportunity to grab their chance with two hands."

Promising young players like Leicester's Geordan Murphy, Jeremy Staunton, Marcus Horan and Robert Casey will undoubtedly receive some game time. Munster replacement hooker Frankie Sheahan may have to curtail the celebrations (hopefully) of a Munster victory in the European Cup Final to once again risk a few splinters on Sunday.

The Barbarians include a glittering array of quality players, but few can see past the name of one Jonah Lomu. The All Black is expected to start the game and could find himself playing alongside Thomas Castaignede of France, Fijian Sevens genius Waisale Serevi and South African centre Pieter Muller. The latter spent a season with Greystones.

Up front the quality is equally pronounced from back row to front row, from England's Lawrence Dallaglio to South African man mountain Os du Randt. The Barbarians will be coached by former Australia World Cup-winning and current Bristol coach Bob Dwyer.

The Barbarians will play three matches - the others are against Scotland at Murrayfield and Leicester at Twickenham - but the New Zealand players listed below will only play in the Ireland game before returning home on June 2nd.

Tickets for Sunday's game are still available from either HMV in Grafton Street or outside the ground on the day of the match.

Ireland XV - G Dempsey (Terenure Coll); S Horgan (Lansdowne), B O'Driscoll (Blackrock Coll), R Henderson (Wasps), D Hickie (St Mary's Coll); D Humphreys (Dungannon, capt), G Easterby (Ebbw Vale); J Fitzpatrick (Dungannon), S Byrne (Blackrock Coll), P Wallace (Saracens), J Davidson (Castres), M O'Kelly (St Mary's Coll), S Easterby (Llanelli), A Ward (Ballynahinch), E Miller (Terenure Coll). Replacements: F Sheahan (Cork Constitution), M Horan (Shannon), R Casey (Blackrock College), T Brennan (St Mary's College), B O'Meara (Cork Constitution), J Staunton (Garryowen), G Murphy (Leicester).

Barbarians (Squad): Backs - T Casteignede (Fra), M Perry (Eng), J Lomu (NZ), K Logan (Scot), J Vidiri (NZ), S Terblanche (SA), D Luger (Eng), V Satala (Fiji), S Gibbs (Wales), W Little (NZ), P Muller (SA), W Serevi (Fiji), H Le Roux (SA), N Jenkins (Wales), R Howley (Wales), A Pichot (Arg), J Preston (NZ). For- wards - L Dallaglio (Eng), Z Brooke (NZ), C Charvis (Wales), R Kruger (SA), K Jones (Wales), D Lyle (US), R Brooke (NZ), I Jones (NZ), J Langford (Aus), J Leonard (Eng), O Du Randt (SA), K Yates (Eng), C Dowd (NZ), A Garvey (SA), R Cockerill (Eng), J Dalton (SA), B Williams (Wales).