Declan Kidney has stripped down the Irish squad to 27 players in the face-off against France on Saturday the 7th of February. Kidney's new line up has seen key players axed from the Irish line up including Eoin Reddan, Shane Jennings, Bernard Jackman, Ian Dowling, Jonathan Sexton, Gaven Duffy and Andrew Trimble.
Kidney's strategy has included promoting upcoming new talent like Stephen Ferris, Luke Fitzgerald, Rob Carney and Keith Earls, who will more than likely partner Brian O'Driscoll.
The surprise selection has left pundits and punters alike wondering if he has made a fatal mistake by having no recognised replacement number 10 in the even anything happens to O'Gara. The exclusion of Ian Humphries from the original squad of players was a pre-cursor to creating this situation. Ian Humphries has showed great form in the Magners league and the Heineken Cup for Ulster. We hope this risky move doesn't come back to bite him.
The selection of perennial favourite Peter Stringer over the in form Eoin Reddan, who is having an outstanding season with London Wasps, is yet another disappointment for the younger, future players. By not picking Reddan, is Kidney dangling a carrot to the young scrum-half by trying to entice him to come back and play with a province in his native country.
28.1.09
The Devil's Advocate
Ireland has been a passionate and interesting - if sometimes lacklustre- contributor to the game of rugby, none more so than Limerick, at whose heart lies Thomond Park which is at the centre of the modern Irish game into the 21st Century. Read the thoughts, rants and rambling nonsense of those at the coal face.
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