Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown & Dublin Duel
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@Tregaskis wouldn't you?
I preferred spending time at Girls High.
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I'll be interested to see who Schmidt picks for the four matches in November.
The target set by Nucifora/IRFU is to have three test quality players in every position for 2019.
So there has to be some new caps handed out along with further development of the ones given during June against SA.
There's six newbies nominated in the above squad. Of those, the scummies and the hooker are the most important as it's where there's least depth. Murray is first pick, but there's not much in the queue behind him. Marmion and Luke McGrath need more gametime. Rory Best won't be around for 2019, and Cronin (30) is next in line, with Richardt Strauss the same age. James Tracy at Leinster is possibly the next to step up.
One other player of possible interest is young Joey Carbery, a second-year academy player at Leinster who has broken into the first team this season at out-half. He turns 21 at the end of the week. Carbery's dad played rep rugby in NZ until he was 21 then moved to Ireland, married and returned to Auckland a few years later. Joey was born in NZ, and the family moved back to Ireland when he was 10/11 to his mother's hometown, played GAA for a while, then lined out for Athy RFC, got a rugby scholarship to Blackrock, and was handed his first start for Leinster at the beginning of the season after a good performance in the U20s last year. He's since featured in the European Cup matches, keeping the more senior back-ups out of the running. Graham Henry, when he saw Carbery play during his month-long advisory stint with Leinster is reported to have said that Leinster didn't have any worries when Sexton hangs up his boots. And Schmidt has now put him in the training squad for Chicago match. Not a bad 21st birthday present. Good luck to him.
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@reprobate said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:
@Pot-Hale any interesting new fellas in the squad mate? i don't watch a whole lot of NH rugby outside of the internationals, probably a few of us on here in that boat.
In addition to the newbies I outlined above, the developments in midfield are getting interesting. Whilst there's a working assumption that Aki will get called up in November 2017, the likes of Henshaw, Olding, Marshall will be pushing for a spot, along with Leinster's new 13, Gary Ringrose, who is showing well last season and this. Henshaw and Ringrose are going to be the Leinster midfield for the foreseeable future it looks like - and Schmidt does like his partnerships to be settled. There's another centre coming through at Munster, Darren Sweetnam, who is starting to catch the eye - he got called into national camp a couple of weeks ago.
Van der Flier got his start against SA in June and he has been easily holding down first team spot in Sean O'Brien's absence. I can see him starting in one of the NZ tests in the back row - most likely at 7.
Ultan Dillane, another Connacht player who has stepped up in June is likely to partner Toner in the second row as Iain Henderson is injured and won't be available for the first test .
Finally, Mike Ross, has been dropped for the first time in Schmidt's time. McGrath, Furlong, Healy, Bealham and Ryan are the likely match-day props in that order. -
@Crucial said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:
Will be funny when they eventually release one of these alphabetical lists and Bundee Aki is at the top.
Except that Connacht's winger, Niyi Adeolokun, is likely to get a chance in the squad at that point as well. I think he has a great future. My kids knew him from schooldays, and I saw him play once or twice at a young age. Great pace, great finisher.
He's part of a back three at Connacht that are all going to get caps in the future - here's a clip of them in the PRO12 final taking Leinster apart last May.
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I agree with nzzp. No Brodie and Sam is a big loss. Losing one is OK but both of them in a game like this is not good. As if the Irish won't be pumped up enough as it is. They showed how to push us last time we played and we still haven't really learnt how to combat it that well.
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So do Romano and PT start?
Balance doesnt look right with them there, but can we afford to start one of Barrett or Fifita?
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@taniwharugby said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:
So do Romano and PT start?
Balance doesnt look right with them there, but can we afford to start one of Barrett or Fifita?
When was the last time we toured without a lock above two.metres? Getting clean lineout ball could be an issue.
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My guess is the locking combo v Ireland will either be Romano and PT because of their experience in the ABs, or Romano and Barrett, because they've played together regularly for the Crusaders (due to rotation of Whitelock, esp early in the season).
Romano and PT have never started as a combo for the ABs, have they?
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@Stargazer said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:
My guess is the locking combo v Ireland will either be Romano and PT because of their experience in the ABs, or Romano and Barrett, because they've played together regularly for the Crusaders (due to rotation of Whitelock, esp early in the season).
Romano and PT have never started as a combo for the ABs, have they?
Romano and PT have only ever been selected in the same test once and that was earlier this year in the Wales test. And PT replaced Romano.
I can't see them starting together.
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@akan004 said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:
@taniwharugby said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:
So do Romano and PT start?
Balance doesnt look right with them there, but can we afford to start one of Barrett or Fifita?
When was the last time we toured without a lock above two.metres? Getting clean lineout ball could be an issue.
Thrush and Tuipulotu against the US a few years back and they went pretty well, albeit against a tier 2 team. Good thing is I think Pat is better now than he was back then, bad thing is I don't think Romano's ever been as good in a black jersey as Thrush was in 2014.
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Could Luatua be a roughie to start. Fifita would be there for insurance.
Hansen seemed pretty bullish on Scott Barrett getting game time.
Is Coles in doubt also?
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@Stargazer said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:
My guess is the locking combo v Ireland will either be Romano and PT because of their experience in the ABs, or Romano and Barrett, because they've played together regularly for the Crusaders (due to rotation of Whitelock, esp early in the season).
Romano and PT have never started as a combo for the ABs, have they?
PT is miles ahead of Romano nowadays so I'd far prefer PT and Barrett to start with Romano on the bench as cover. Not too worried about our own lineout, we have plenty of options so height is not really an issue, but I can't see us stealing much ball without Brodie and Sam who excel in that area.
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I think there are reservations about whether both Romano and TP can go the distance of 80 minutes at a high level. Plus both play the same role it seems.
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@ACT-Crusader said in Ireland v NZ - Chicago Showdown:
I think there are reservations about whether both Romano and TP can go the distance of 80 minutes at a high level. Plus both play the same role it seems.
Could we see 3 locks in the 23 ?
Losing these 2 could have wider ramifications than just losing our 2 best locks , could affect our impact off the bench too .
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They'll go with the much superior Romero over Romano, and Tuipolotou to start. Barrett on the bench probably, Luatua an outside chance. Read takes so many lineouts for us these days that our own lineout will be fine - much harder to replace the motors those two giants have, in my opinion. opposition lineout ball gets tougher - could try throwing read up, or just accept we're getting less this game.
whoever they choose, those 2 blokes are a massive loss at the same time. best in the world, both of them, and their replacements wouldn't be in the conversation.
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@kiwiinmelb i'd be picking a straight lock on the bench, and a loosie who can cover lock. i think whoever starts they're both likely to need replacing before our loosies.
