DESPITE training with an extended 28 man national squad, Munster and Ireland rising star, Keith Earls, missed out on selection for either the senior or ‘A’ side this week. Declan Kidney has stuck with the same starting 15 and replacements that beat France for this weekend’s RBS Six Nations battle with Italy in Rome.
Both Paddy Wallace and Jerry Flannery have been passed fit after picking up injuries in the France game and take up their positions at centre and hooker. Captain Brian O’Driscoll will be earning his 90th cap in the Italy game and prop John Hayes will equal the Irish cap record of 91 appearances of his fellow squad member Malcolm O’Kelly.
The Ireland A team to play Scotland A this Friday night in the RDS shows two changes to the squad that was due to play England Saxons in the recently cancelled game. Donnacha Ryan starts at blindside flanker with Ulster’s Ed O’Donoghue coming into the replacements. Isaac Boss has recovered from illness and is also among the replacements instead of Chris Keane.
Ireland Team v Italy
15 – Robert Kearney (UCD – Leinster) 14 – Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
13 – Brian O’Driscoll (UCD – Leinster) Captain
12 – Paddy Wallace (Ballymena – Ulster)
11 – Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College – Leinster)
10 – Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution – Munster)
9 – Tomas O’Leary (Dolphin – Munster)
1 – Marcus Horan (Shannon – Munster)
2 – Jerry Flannery (Shannon – Munster)
3 – John Hayes (Bruff- Munster)
4 – Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution – Munster)
5 – Paul O’Connell (Young Munster – Munster)
6 – Stephen Ferris (Dungannon – Ulster)
7 – David Wallace (Garryowen – Munster)
8 – Jamie Heaslip (Naas – Leinster)
Replacements:
16 – Rory Best (Banbridge – Ulster)
17 – Tom Court (Malone – Ulster)*
18 – Malcolm O’Kelly (St.Mary’s College – Leinster)
19 – Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution – Munster)
20 – Peter Stringer (Shannon – Munster)
21 – Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne – Leinster)
22 – Geordan Murphy (Leicester)
Ireland A Team v Scotland A
RDS – Friday 13th February, 19.30hrs
15 – Gavin Duffy (Galwegians – Connacht)
14 – Andrew Trimble (Ballymena – Ulster)
13 – Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins – Ulster)*
12 – Keith Matthews (Buccaneers – Connacht)*
11 – Mark McCrea (Malone -Ulster)*
10 – Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College – Leinster)*
9 – Eoin Reddan (Wasps)
1 – Cian Healy (Clontarf – Leinster)*
2 – Sean Cronin (Buccaneers -Connacht)*
3 – Mike Ross (Harlequins)*
4 – Bob Casey (London Irish) Captain
5 – Ryan Caldwell (Dungannon – Ulster)*
6 – Donnacha Ryan (Shannon – Munster)
7 – Shane Jennings (St. Mary’s College – Leinster)
8 – John Muldoon (Galwegians – Connacht)*
Replacements:
16 – John Fogarty (Leinster)*
17 – John Andress (Exeter)*
18 – Ed O’Donoghue (Instonians – Ulster)
19 – Sean O’Brien (Clontarf – Leinster)*
20 – Isaac Boss (Ballymena – Ulster)
21 – Ian Humphreys (Ballymena – Ulster)*
22 – Barry Murphy (U.L. Bohemians -Munster)
