Italy v Ireland

[TerenureJim]

I think if Earls was in the running for a start on the wing he would have played there for Wolfhounds
Lukes upset tummy has worked against him
Not sure DK has been playing enough/well enough this season

Luke or Earls have to be in 23 somewhere to provide centre cover as RK, Zebo and DK dont do that and Joe has never seen T Bo as a centre

agree with Flash that we'll see a no frills gameplan to give France nothing to analyse

I think that he might have played there during the match were luke not sick. Perhaps Schmidt felt the need to audition two OCs as we have decent wing options. I'd probably pick Earls for the 23 as he covers full back and wing better than Luke.

I'll give you full back but no way is Earls a better winger than Fitz. Defence wins games, passing wins games, Earls is has the gas but he's behind Fitz on both of the key points for me.

[Tonic Wine]

I think if Earls was in the running for a start on the wing he would have played there for Wolfhounds
Lukes upset tummy has worked against him
Not sure DK has been playing enough/well enough this season

Luke or Earls have to be in 23 somewhere to provide centre cover as RK, Zebo and DK dont do that and Joe has never seen T Bo as a centre

agree with Flash that we'll see a no frills gameplan to give France nothing to analyse

I think that he might have played there during the match were luke not sick. Perhaps Schmidt felt the need to audition two OCs as we have decent wing options. I'd probably pick Earls for the 23 as he covers full back and wing better than Luke.

I'll give you full back but no way is Earls a better winger than Fitz. Defence wins games, passing wins games, Earls is has the gas but he's behind Fitz on both of the key points for me.

Earls
Games
munster 101 tries 29
Ireland 39 tries 12
Wolfhounds 8 ties 5
Total 148 tries 44
1 try in every 3.3 games

Fitzgerald
Leinster 133 games tries 31
Ireland 27 tries 2
Wolf hound 3 tries 1
163 games tries 34
1 try in every 4.8 games

The statistics don't lie.
Earls is a lot more prolific

[Tonic Wine]

The team is
McGrath
Best
Moore
Toner
POC
POM
Heaslip
Soft J
Murray
Madigan
Zebo
Henshaw
Payne
Bowe
Kearney

[johng]

Quite possibly. But why are you calling tommy odonnell soft J? Is it a little personal ailment?

[paddyor]

Earls
Games
munster 101 tries 29
Ireland 39 tries 12
Wolfhounds 8 ties 5
Total 148 tries 44
1 try in every 3.3 games

Fitzgerald
Leinster 133 games tries 31
Ireland 27 tries 2
Wolf hound 3 tries 1
163 games tries 34
1 try in every 4.8 games

The statistics don't lie.
Earls is a lot more prolific

He has 19 games in the 6N (16 + 3) and 4 tries. With 5 games in the RWC and 5 tries, 1 in the quarter final, 2 against minnows Russia in a 62-10 romp with a further brace against a well beaten Italy. The remainder are in friendlies not tests. His last try was in the 2012 6N against Italy nearly 3 years ago. Yeah prolific!

McFadden OTH has 28(14+14) overall for Ireland and 9 tries.....the stats don't lie! McFadden for the 23 jersey!

[CiaranIrl]

I'd start O'Brien I think. We'll need him match fit against France, and Murphy/Henderson is enough cover on the bench to replace two back rows if needed.

[Tonic Wine]

McFadden
Leinster
101- 17 tries

Wolf hounds
10 games- 0 tries

Ireland
28 games- 9 tries

139 games- 26 tries

A try every 5.36 games.
The stats don't lie about him either.
Earls scored 5 tries in the world cup.Thats the biggest stage of all.

[All Blacks nil]

Earls
Games
munster 101 tries 29
Ireland 39 tries 12
Wolfhounds 8 ties 5
Total 148 tries 44
1 try in every 3.3 games

Fitzgerald
Leinster 133 games tries 31
Ireland 27 tries 2
Wolf hound 3 tries 1
163 games tries 34
1 try in every 4.8 games

The statistics don't lie.
Earls is a lot more prolific

He has 19 games in the 6N (16 + 3) and 4 tries. With 5 games in the RWC and 5 tries, 1 in the quarter final, 2 against minnows Russia in a 62-10 romp with a further brace against a well beaten Italy. The remainder are in friendlies not tests. His last try was in the 2012 6N against Italy nearly 3 years ago. Yeah prolific!

McFadden OTH has 28(14+14) overall for Ireland and 9 tries.....the stats don't lie! McFadden for the 23 jersey!

Incredible to think that such a good player as Luke has only ever scored in one of his 27 international matches, both his international tries coming in a 5 try 38-9 victory v Italy.

Six years and and nineteen tests without scoring!!! Could soon be earning the nickname "Aldo" after Ireland's legendary goal scorer who had a similar barren spell in his early international career

Ireland have won every test in which Luke Fitzgerald has scored. I

[paddyor]

McFadden
Leinster
101- 17 tries

Wolf hounds
10 games- 0 tries

Ireland
28 games- 9 tries

139 games- 26 tries

A try every 5.36 games.
The stats don't lie about him either.
Earls scored 5 tries in the world cup.Thats the biggest stage of all.

He played most of his career up to 12/13 at IC but has actually scored 329 points for Leinster. The stats don't lie!

Also in purely international terms(where most of his games have been on the wing) his strike rate is 3.111 tries per game as opposed to Earls 3.25! Earls(16+3 6n- 4 tries) also has more starts than McFadden(4+9 6N - 3tries) making McFaddens strike rate all the more......prolific.

Earls is a bit yesterday. Hasn't scored in nearly 3 years and with so little game time is unlikely to feature in this years 6N unless there's an injury crisis.

Re the World cup, yes it is a big stage but it's hardly the high watermark of competition given some of the mismatches in the early rounds.

[tricktreat]

If ireland needed a try, I don't think anyone in their right mind would want McFadden with the chance over Earls.

[Tonic Wine]

McFadden
Leinster
101- 17 tries

Wolf hounds
10 games- 0 tries

Ireland
28 games- 9 tries

139 games- 26 tries

A try every 5.36 games.
The stats don't lie about him either.
Earls scored 5 tries in the world cup.Thats the biggest stage of all.

He played most of his career up to 12/13 at IC but has actually scored 329 points for Leinster. The stats don't lie!

Also in purely international terms(where most of his games have been on the wing) his strike rate is 3.111 tries per game as opposed to Earls 3.25! Earls(16+3 6n- 4 tries) also has more starts than McFadden(4+9 6N - 3tries) making McFaddens strike rate all the more......prolific.

Earls is a bit yesterday. Hasn't scored in nearly 3 years and with so little game time is unlikely to feature in this years 6N unless there's an injury crisis.

Re the World cup, yes it is a big stage but it's hardly the high watermark of competition given some of the mismatches in the early rounds.

Mcfadden was consistently rolled out in the Churchill cup against weaker sides and in the autumn internationals.
Any self respecting fan would keep him well away from the debate as he is not in it.
His very low try scoring strike rate of 17 in 101 leinster games is true.The rest of his points were from Kicks.
Earls has played alot of rugby at 13 too.
Fitzgerald hasn't scored in almost 5 years for Ireland and was not deemed suitable to go to the last world cup.Take the blue goggles off and give them a clean

[hugonaut]

McFadden
Leinster
101- 17 tries

Wolf hounds
10 games- 0 tries

Ireland
28 games- 9 tries

139 games- 26 tries

A try every 5.36 games.
The stats don't lie about him either.
Earls scored 5 tries in the world cup.Thats the biggest stage of all.

Some bogey numbers there.

McFadden has scored 5 tries for the Wolfhounds/Ireland 'A' [sources: http://www.irishrugby.ie/rugby/fixtures ... ef=dynamic and http://www.irishrugby.ie/rugby/fixtures ... 9&team=751 ] and another 2 for the Ireland XV that played against Fiji in November 2012 in Thomond [source: http://www.irishrugby.ie/rugby/fixtures ... s/5303.php ] ... so it's more like 7 tries in 13 Wolfhounds/Ireland 'A'/ Ireland XV games.

[RoboProp]

Luke Fitz 3 HEC medals, 3 league medals. 1 Amlin. 1RBS 6 nations medal.
Keet Earls 2 League medals. 1HEC

The stats dont lie. Lukey may not dot down as much but he sure knows how to be part of a winning team. Something that Can't pass Keet could do with a refresher on. Team sport after all

[All Blacks nil]

Quiz question

Answer in previous post.

Luke (Aldo) Fitzgerald has only ever scored in one international match. When and where?

An interesting fact.
Father and son, Des Fitzgerald and Luke Fitzgerald have played 62 test matches between them with Luke just outscoring his Dad having scored in one international match.

[Tonic Wine]

Luke has 2 HEC medals- he was on the treatment table
for the 3rd as well as last year.
It's worse to be on a winning team and not scoring.I think Trimble or Earls should have been on the 2009 slam team.

[RoboProp]

Luke has 2 HEC medals- he was on the treatment table
for the 3rd as well as last year.
It's worse to be on a winning team and not scoring.I think Trimble or Earls should have been on the 2009 slam team.

09 Trimble? Sweet Jesus that was a poor vintage

[All Blacks nil]

Luke didn't actually win an Amlin, or at least he didn't play in the competition

He did however help Leinster "QUALIFY' for the Amlin.
Maybe that is why he got that medal.

One of my finer betting moments.
that season just as Toulouse were knocked out of the HC, Guy Noves was asked how he thought they would do in the Amlin.
His response " are we in that thing"
My response was to lump on Leinster at 5/4.

How have the French teams gone in this season's challenge cup.

[fourthirtythree]

But who's willie is bigger? Let's arrange a meet up with a benison bowl!


For what it's worth I think Earls is a genuine finisher. If it's on, he's in. And I'd pick him on the wing ahead of Luke. I'd have Luke at 13 ahead of earls eveytime also. Unfortunately for Luke and earls their wilderness years of injury mean they are neither in pole position...

[Tonic Wine]

Earls didn't play leinster senior cup rugby so no one will be able to answer your first question

[tricktreat]

Enough talk about wingers, I'm more concerned about our back row, soft J has done little this season to warrant a place. And our no 8 is just back from injury.
Would have been much happier with Hendo in the team also.