Ireland v England. Saturday, February 2nd.

[R-Dog]

No Jack is a surprise, I guess he hasn't been performing consistently enough.

He was blowing fairly heavy when he came of last week. Match fitness i'd say is an issue

[wixfjord]

No Jack is a surprise, I guess he hasn't been performing consistently enough.

He was blowing fairly heavy when he came of last week. Match fitness i'd say is an issue

Aye and Kilcoyne has been playing well in fairness.

[fourthirtythree]

Yeah, Kilcoyne has real form. Done a number on English scrums recently. I'd have him on the squad even if McGrath was fit on current form. I guess Henshaw has been training well at 15, wouldn't be enthusiastic about Larmour starting there either (and Carbery hasn't played there in ages and for some reason Conway doesn't get a run there).

[the spoofer]

Yeah, Kilcoyne has real form. Done a number on English scrums recently. I'd have him on the squad even if McGrath was fit on current form. I guess Henshaw has been training well at 15, wouldn't be enthusiastic about Larmour starting there either (and Carbery hasn't played there in ages and for some reason Conway doesn't get a run there).

Kilcoyne is fine in the scrums if you have a Ref who hasn't a clue. He hinges or drives across at nearly every scrum. He won't get a real test against the English as they don't have a decent TH.

[brotheroffrank]

Good to see Cronin in the squad as 2nd choice hooker.

[Blueberry]

Henshaw to 15 is a big call. If Kearney is not 100% match fit and Joe needs a fill in it's a strange one as Larmour could have slotted in there.

Suspect there is more to this perhaps with Bundee's stake rising and Henshaw is just too good not to be on the pitch. Only concern is FB is a very specialist position (purely from an experience and game reading perspective) and if Joe is seriously looking at him as our WC FB and bringing Kearney as backup it creates issues with Henshaw playing at 12 for Leinster. Ireland FB should be playing FB all the time.

I don't think long term it would be good for Henshaw to be 15 for Ireland and 12 for Leinster.

Wonder will Leocasteropomi be worried than Henshaw is now off to Munster or Ulster as Leinster ain't playing him at 15 !!

Time will tell but it's a curve ball and a fascinating one. I wonder has Farrell and Addison looking like adequate backups for 12&13 given Joe plenty of cover in the midfield so he's looking elsewhere to see where he can tweak.

So WC - Aki and Ringrose first choice with Farrell and Addison behind as BU and Henshaw converted to FB with Kearney as BU. Larmour then sits beind Earls and Stockdale for the wing berth.

Fascinating !!

Or maybe Rob is just not 100% and Joe was a touch worried about Larmour bringing down a rampaging Vunipola and it will all be back to normal for the next match !!

Just to be a pain still feel Carbery was the natural successor to Kearney at fullback and Leocaster I feel had that in their plans. If that is true I think they were right but Joe with our limited depth at 10 has driven Carbery in there with the Munster move. Still feel he needs more space to attack and get those feet moving and has that at 15 and is great under the high ball too. Feels too restricted at 10 for me.

[etak252]

'Henshaw is just too good not to be on the pitch'

I think you have hit the nail on the head here. He definitely has the raw material to offer another option to Rob K at at full back.

[MylesNaGapoleen]

'Henshaw is just too good not to be on the pitch'

I think you have hit the nail on the head here. He definitely has the raw material to offer another option to Rob K at at full back.

Henshaw is our backstop

[etak252]

Very good . Like the backstop hopefully it wont be needed on saturday !!!

[Oldschool]

Henshaw to 15 is a big call. If Kearney is not 100% match fit and Joe needs a fill in it's a strange one as Larmour could have slotted in there.

Suspect there is more to this perhaps with Bundee's stake rising and Henshaw is just too good not to be on the pitch. Only concern is FB is a very specialist position (purely from an experience and game reading perspective) and if Joe is seriously looking at him as our WC FB and bringing Kearney as backup it creates issues with Henshaw playing at 12 for Leinster. Ireland FB should be playing FB all the time.

I don't think long term it would be good for Henshaw to be 15 for Ireland and 12 for Leinster.

Wonder will Leocasteropomi be worried than Henshaw is now off to Munster or Ulster as Leinster ain't playing him at 15 !!

Time will tell but it's a curve ball and a fascinating one. I wonder has Farrell and Addison looking like adequate backups for 12&13 given Joe plenty of cover in the midfield so he's looking elsewhere to see where he can tweak.

So WC - Aki and Ringrose first choice with Farrell and Addison behind as BU and Henshaw converted to FB with Kearney as BU. Larmour then sits beind Earls and Stockdale for the wing berth.

Fascinating !!

Or maybe Rob is just not 100% and Joe was a touch worried about Larmour bringing down a rampaging Vunipola and it will all be back to normal for the next match !!

Just to be a pain still feel Carbery was the natural successor to Kearney at fullback and Leocaster I feel had that in their plans. If that is true I think they were right but Joe with our limited depth at 10 has driven Carbery in there with the Munster move. Still feel he needs more space to attack and get those feet moving and has that at 15 and is great under the high ball too. Feels too restricted at 10 for me.

Could we make that Leocastromi for brevity?
Good post otherwise.

[Bosley]

[quote="Blueberry"]
Or maybe Rob is just not 100% and Joe was a touch worried about Larmour bringing down a rampaging Vunipola and it will all be back to normal for the next match !!


On the money. Re Kearney, maybe Joe did watch the game last Friday after all

[desperado]

Yeah, Kilcoyne has real form. Done a number on English scrums recently. I'd have him on the squad even if McGrath was fit on current form. I guess Henshaw has been training well at 15, wouldn't be enthusiastic about Larmour starting there either (and Carbery hasn't played there in ages and for some reason Conway doesn't get a run there).

Kilcoyne is fine in the scrums if you have a Ref who hasn't a clue. He hinges or drives across at nearly every scrum. He won't get a real test against the English as they don't have a decent TH.

100% correct. Frank Murphy was straight onto him in the Munster v Leinster match. How he continually gets away with it is beyond me. Garces won't be too bothered anyway.

[D4surfer]

Yeah, Kilcoyne has real form. Done a number on English scrums recently. I'd have him on the squad even if McGrath was fit on current form. I guess Henshaw has been training well at 15, wouldn't be enthusiastic about Larmour starting there either (and Carbery hasn't played there in ages and for some reason Conway doesn't get a run there).

Kilcoyne is fine in the scrums if you have a Ref who hasn't a clue. He hinges or drives across at nearly every scrum. He won't get a real test against the English as they don't have a decent TH.

I think Kyle Sinckler is a very decent tight head. Let's hope Garces doesn't notice Kilcoyne's swinging ar$e.

[MylesNaGapoleen]

slow day for me today...stumbled across this...an Irish and Kiwi guy "borrow" the SKY NZ studio to make great analysis clips.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c4GZKdq50Y

This is their 6N preview...attack/defense analysis..

[fourthirtythree]

Yeah, Kilcoyne has real form. Done a number on English scrums recently. I'd have him on the squad even if McGrath was fit on current form. I guess Henshaw has been training well at 15, wouldn't be enthusiastic about Larmour starting there either (and Carbery hasn't played there in ages and for some reason Conway doesn't get a run there).

Kilcoyne is fine in the scrums if you have a Ref who hasn't a clue. He hinges or drives across at nearly every scrum. He won't get a real test against the English as they don't have a decent TH.

Sure, I agree but... I don't watch all Munster's matches but when I do he NEVER gets called on it. The one match I saw him getting penalised for his habitual sideways drive was in Lansdowne Road against Leinster. They still haven't given up complaining about that day. It's an aberration. Normally it seems to be considered fine. Normally Ireland's thing is to scrummage straight, but it doesn't seem to be something refs care about at the moment.

[cormac]

Yeah, Kilcoyne has real form. Done a number on English scrums recently. I'd have him on the squad even if McGrath was fit on current form. I guess Henshaw has been training well at 15, wouldn't be enthusiastic about Larmour starting there either (and Carbery hasn't played there in ages and for some reason Conway doesn't get a run there).

Kilcoyne is fine in the scrums if you have a Ref who hasn't a clue. He hinges or drives across at nearly every scrum. He won't get a real test against the English as they don't have a decent TH.

Vunipola regularly does the same so if Garces lets him get away with it in the first half we'll be grand to bring Kilcoyne on.

[Oldschool]

England team club break down.

Daly - Wasps
May - Leicester
Slade - Exeter
Tuilagi - Leicester
Nowell - Exeter
Farrell - Saracens
Youngs - Leicester

M. Vunipola - Saracens
George - Saracens
Sinckler - Harlequins
Itoje - Saracens
Kruis - Saracens
Wilson - Newcastle
Curry - Sale
B. Vunipola - Saracens.

4 of the Irish front five play for Leinster.
4 of the English front five play for Saracens.
About even with James Ryan giving us a slight edge.
We could be watching a preview of the Saracens v Leinster HEC final in a few months time.

[ronk]

Or maybe Rob is just not 100% and Joe was a touch worried about Larmour bringing down a rampaging Vunipola and it will all be back to normal for the next match !!


On the money. Re Kearney, maybe Joe did watch the game last Friday after all

The 2 guys who were out of camp to get gametime didnt make the 23. Maybe they just missed the training. If they are in next week we will know more.

Henshaw being a serious option at 15 probably helps a centre make the RWC squad

[MylesNaGapoleen]

4 of the Irish front five play for Leinster.
4 of the English front five play for Saracens.
About even with James Ryan giving us a slight edge.
We could be watching a preview of the Saracens v Leinster HEC final in a few months time.

Possibly. McCall is a much better coach than EJ and all the pressure is on him this weekend so I guess, with his named team, is to just beat the cr@p out of us and hope to steamroll a try or two before 50 mins.
Agree about Ryan giving us an edge but furlong also gives us an edge over sinclair imo.
Daly is a weak spot at FB...don't like the guy but he is a very good winger...not a FB.
If we contain for the first 20 mins or so, we have this game comfortably..it could open up in the last 20 for us to notch up a BP. So much quality in our lineup compared to the bish-bash-bosh they have.

[Ruckedtobits]

Why do you like that they've picked that back row RTB? Look pretty good to me!

Had they selected Lawes, it would have been an indication that they believed they could attack our line-out and also allow Lawes a few shots on Murray (after the pass) coming through the line-out. Played two very inexperienced (in 6N) players at flanker places big responsibility for defensive organisation on Billy V. Both Curry & Mercer are playing with packs who tend to dominate by physical set pieces. They will not have that luxury against the Irish pack.