Summer tour to Australia

[rooster]

Herring can if required pack down in the back row and has done on occasions before, very useful man on the bench and in general a first rate lineout thrower

[paddyor]

Herring can if required pack down in the back row and has done on occasions before, very useful man on the bench and in general a first rate lineout thrower

Hardly. It's not all down to him, but the number of times the LO has fallen apart for Ulster is pretty shocking. Last example was vs Munster in the league.

[leinsterforever]

For a world Cup squad a lock who can play 6 is a real bonus, I'd be surprised if he doesn't get a run there.

Not just a bonus. Invaluable.

Three locks is too few. Four specialist locks is hard to justify in a 31-man squad. So, a second row who can play in the back-row is just what you need.

[sunshiner1]

No big surprises. We're always going to disagree with some selections but in Joe we trust

[Oldschool]

32-man squad to tour Australia - from IRFU

Furlong, Healy, McGrath, Porter, Ryan
Best, Cronin, Herring
Beirne, Henderson, Roux, Ryan, Toner
Conan, Leavy, Murphy, O'Mahony, Stander
Cooney, Marmion, Murray
Byrne, Carbery, Sexton
Aki, Henshaw, Ringrose
Conway, Earls, Kearney, Larmour, Stockdale

The thing that stands out most about that squad is the flexibility or interchangeability of the backs.
Congrats to Cooney, Byrne and Beirne.

[flustered]

Five second-row for 3 games and only 5 back-rows for the same games. 'Mind your house' PO'M.

Herring's performance on Sunday against Ospreys may have tipped the balance for him. Good man.

John Ryan's assault on Leinster front-row may have got him the nod ahead of Bealham.

Resourses pretty meagre in the centre. Would have liked Sammy Arnold to travel.

Overall, delighted that every (fit) front-line player wants to travel.

Beirne and Henderson can both play backrow

[betty swallocks]

Herring's inclusion is just plain bizarre. He's bang average and I would've thought Tracy, Delahunt, even Scannell would've offered more.

[Ruckedtobits]

Five second-row for 3 games and only 5 back-rows for the same games. 'Mind your house' PO'M.

Herring's performance on Sunday against Ospreys may have tipped the balance for him. Good man.

John Ryan's assault on Leinster front-row may have got him the nod ahead of Bealham.

Resourses pretty meagre in the centre. Would have liked Sammy Arnold to travel.

Overall, delighted that every (fit) front-line player wants to travel.

Beirne and Henderson can both play backrow

Beirne can certainly play back-row for Wayne Pivac and I presume Joe, although Munster (and Nucifora) announced him as a second-row signing. Henderson could play back-row for Les Kiss but there is no recent evidence that Joe shares that view. Playing back-row for Joe requires a huge amount of homework and preparation time, not merely experience. I believe that Beirne has all the attributes to be the Irish starting No 6 by the beginning of RWC2019, and there are at least two other contenders for that role, but there's a lot of water to pass under that bridge in the meantime.

[rooster]

Herring's inclusion is just plain bizarre. He's bang average and I would've thought Tracy, Delahunt, even Scannell would've offered more.

Perhaps it is because he is pretty similar to Best in general play and also the scrum where he actually hooks the ball and does not depend on it getting fed to second row, that combines to leave general play a lot easier to stick with a plan rather than change things round on the pitch. By the way I would always have Cronin on the bench as he offers a good ball carrying option for the last 20 and always impresses at that stage

[Oldschool]

Five second-row for 3 games and only 5 back-rows for the same games. 'Mind your house' PO'M.

Herring's performance on Sunday against Ospreys may have tipped the balance for him. Good man.

John Ryan's assault on Leinster front-row may have got him the nod ahead of Bealham.

Resourses pretty meagre in the centre. Would have liked Sammy Arnold to travel.

Overall, delighted that every (fit) front-line player wants to travel.

Beirne and Henderson can both play backrow

Beirne can certainly play back-row for Wayne Pivac and I presume Joe, although Munster (and Nucifora) announced him as a second-row signing. Henderson could play back-row for Les Kiss but there is no recent evidence that Joe shares that view. Playing back-row for Joe requires a huge amount of homework and preparation time, not merely experience. I believe that Beirne has all the attributes to be the Irish starting No 6 by the beginning of RWC2019, and there are at least two other contenders for that role, but there's a lot of water to pass under that bridge in the meantime.

Hence, perhaps, why he's going to Munster.
It'll still be a Munster 6 in the Ireland team.

[neiliog93]

Niall Scannell would be there if he wasn't so banged up, a very good player. Presumably Herring is ahead of Tracy because until two games ago Tracy was playing very poorly. Delahunt's excellent form is also only very recent, after a poor season for Connacht (collectively as much as individually).

Herring is not the best athlete ever and probably doesn't have the brute physique to ever thrive in the front row of international rugby. But he has good hands, is generally a very solid line out thrower and rarely makes mistakes. His tackling is very consistent too. I understand why he's there but long-term we do need a better third/fourth choice hooker than him.

[janeymac08]

Five second-row for 3 games and only 5 back-rows for the same games. 'Mind your house' PO'M.

Herring's performance on Sunday against Ospreys may have tipped the balance for him. Good man.

John Ryan's assault on Leinster front-row may have got him the nod ahead of Bealham.

Resourses pretty meagre in the centre. Would have liked Sammy Arnold to travel.

Overall, delighted that every (fit) front-line player wants to travel.

Beirne and Henderson can both play backrow

Beirne can certainly play back-row for Wayne Pivac and I presume Joe, although Munster (and Nucifora) announced him as a second-row signing. Henderson could play back-row for Les Kiss but there is no recent evidence that Joe shares that view. Playing back-row for Joe requires a huge amount of homework and preparation time, not merely experience. I believe that Beirne has all the attributes to be the Irish starting No 6 by the beginning of RWC2019, and there are at least two other contenders for that role, but there's a lot of water to pass under that bridge in the meantime.

Beirne is needed in the 2nd row for Munster, and I doubt if POM will be dropped for him to get any gametime at 6 so I really doubt he will be playing at 6 at RWC2019 unless its off the bench.

[janeymac08]

Beirne and Henderson can both play backrow

Beirne can certainly play back-row for Wayne Pivac and I presume Joe, although Munster (and Nucifora) announced him as a second-row signing. Henderson could play back-row for Les Kiss but there is no recent evidence that Joe shares that view. Playing back-row for Joe requires a huge amount of homework and preparation time, not merely experience. I believe that Beirne has all the attributes to be the Irish starting No 6 by the beginning of RWC2019, and there are at least two other contenders for that role, but there's a lot of water to pass under that bridge in the meantime.

Hence, perhaps, why he's going to Munster.
It'll still be a Munster 6 in the Ireland team.

Why did the IRFU give POM a 3 year central contract worth €450k-a-year that will keep him with Munster until 2021? After Sexton & Murray, he is one of the best paid players (along with Furlong €425k). You are deluding yourselves if you think POM is likely to be dropped for Tadgh Beirne!

[Ruckedtobits]

This discussion will not be determined on these pages. Whatever JS sees on the pitch, that he believes will help the Irish challenge for RWC19, will be reflected in his selections - not the price or values of contracts.

[sunshiner1]

Delahunt's excellent form is also only very recent, after a poor season for Connacht (collectively as much as individually).

Delahunt was pretty much told by Joe he needs to cement himself as the Connacht no. 1 Hooker and then he'll be chosen. Right now they've got Him, McCartney and Heffernan battling it out for the number 2 jersey with not a lot between them.

[Ruckedtobits]

Delahunt's excellent form is also only very recent, after a poor season for Connacht (collectively as much as individually).

Delahunt was pretty much told by Joe he needs to cement himself as the Connacht no. 1 Hooker and then he'll be chosen. Right now they've got Him, McCartney and Heffernan battling it out for the number 2 jersey with not a lot between them.

That's a hell of an incentive for Delahunt. Look what a clear nudge did for Jordi's form over the past 7 months.

Good luck to Shane Delahunt. He has lots of what we need for the next World Cup

[Peg Leg]

Delahunt's excellent form is also only very recent, after a poor season for Connacht (collectively as much as individually).

Delahunt was pretty much told by Joe he needs to cement himself as the Connacht no. 1 Hooker and then he'll be chosen. Right now they've got Him, McCartney and Heffernan battling it out for the number 2 jersey with not a lot between them.

That's a hell of an incentive for Delahunt. Look what a clear nudge did for Jordi's form over the past 7 months.

Good luck to Shane Delahunt. He has lots of what we need for the next World Cup

See S. Cronin as supporting evidence also

[Oldschool]

Why did the IRFU give POM a 3 year central contract worth €450k-a-year that will keep him with Munster until 2021?

Temporary insanity, perhaps.

[Peg Leg]

Why did the IRFU give POM a 3 year central contract worth €450k-a-year that will keep him with Munster until 2021?

Temporary insanity, perhaps.

Ah OS, play nice and tell the truth. Its because Munster couldn't afford him

[ronk]

Delahunt's excellent form is also only very recent, after a poor season for Connacht (collectively as much as individually).

Delahunt was pretty much told by Joe he needs to cement himself as the Connacht no. 1 Hooker and then he'll be chosen. Right now they've got Him, McCartney and Heffernan battling it out for the number 2 jersey with not a lot between them.

That's a hell of an incentive for Delahunt. Look what a clear nudge did for Jordi's form over the past 7 months.

Good luck to Shane Delahunt. He has lots of what we need for the next World Cup

Jordi’s form has improved at the rate you’d expect for someone that good coming back from a serious knee injury.

He was flying it before he got injured