Eddie O'Sullivan, in conjunction with the Ireland A management, has selected an intriguing team to play the US Eagles in Saturday's opening pool game of the Churchill Cup. The game will be televised live from the Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sky Sports 3 at 10pm, Irish time.
The potential future of Irish rugby will be on show, especially at halfback where Paddy Wallace and Tomás O'Leary seek to impress.
What makes the Churchill Cup such a valuable experiment is it provides an opportunity to challenge the monopoly that certain senior stalwarts hold in their positions. This is especially true at halfback, where the Ronan O'Gara-Peter Stringer axis needs to be put under pressure for the sake of long-term prosperity.
The management team of head coach Michael Bradley, along with Ulster duo Mark McCall and Allen Clarke, do have an input into selection, but, like last summer's tour to Japan when O'Sullivan selected the Test team from New Zealand, it is expected to be minimal. With Jeremy Staunton deputising for O'Gara in New Zealand and Australia, this is a chance for Wallace to finally step out of the long shadow cast by David Humphreys.
O'Sullivan's decision to send players like Kieran Lewis, Robert Kearney and Jamie Heaslip to North America seems correct, as they would be glorified tackle-bags on the senior tour. Also, Shane Jennings finally gets deserved recognition with selection as tour captain after a magnificent debut season for the Leicester Tigers.
There is a pair of brothers up front in Trevor and Ray Hogan, while former Blackrock College schoolboys David Quinlan and John Hearty form the midfield partnership.
One notable Bradley tactic, seen at Connacht, is the naming of four forwards on the bench and just two backs, in this case Eoghan Hickey and Kieran Lewis. Right wing Simon Keogh will cover O'Leary at scrumhalf.
Lewis is a surprise omission from the starting XV considering he started both A internationals this year, and the starting centres, Quinlan and Hearty, have suffered injury-interrupted seasons.
"We are keen to have a look at John Hearty, as Kieran is more of a known product to Irish rugby," explained team manager Joe Miles. "The same can be said about John Muldoon at wing forward. He has had a good season for Connacht so we want to see him at the next level."
Another interesting selection is former Queensland Reds tighthead prop Tom Court, who makes his Ireland A debut before representing Ballymena or Ulster. Presumably he is rated higher than the other touring Ulster tighthead Declan Fitzpatrick.
If this team clicks there is no reason they can't win the tournament as, looking at the opposing squads, they have nothing to fear. The Maori are crippled by Graham Henry's decision to name a 39-man All Blacks squad. The English A team to face Scotland A on Saturday has plenty of pace but appear understrength.
Meanwhile, McCall has been rewarded for guiding Ulster to the Celtic League title in just his second season in charge with a new two-year contract. Assistant coaches Clarke - working as forwards coach at the Churchill Cup - and Neil Kelly have also been handed similar extensions.
