Unusual Ireland XV for Barbarians
Fri, 23 May 2008 09:22
Coach Michael Bradley has named an unusual team to represent Ireland against the Barbarians at Kingsholm, Gloucester's, on Tuesday evening.
The match is by way of experiment and a warm-up for the Ireland side due to visit New Zealand and Ireland A who will be playing in the Churchill Cup. No caps will be awarded for the Barbarians match.
Not all players were considered. There are, as is obvious, no players from Munster who have a big date in Cardiff when they meet Toulouse in the Heineken Cup Final this weekend. Then there is the English Premiership Final which will involve Leicester Tigers and Wasps. One lot will be recovering and the other lot preparing.
Captain Brian O'Driscoll has a new centre partner in young Luke Fitzgerald, a player of undoubted talent & . Ireland are looking to see where best to use his talents.
There is an unusual lock-pairing in Bob Casey, the captain of London Irish, and Malcolm O'Kelly.
Young, uncapped prop Mike Ross forms an unusual front row with Rory Best and Bryan Young.
Jamie Heaslip has new loose forward partners in Shane Jennings and Stephen Ferris.
In the replacements, there are four uncapped players in Tom Court, Ryan Caldwell, Jonathon Sexton and Frank Murphy.
Bradley said of the match: "These games are always exciting, high tempo matches. From that perspective it will be good preparation for us as we head into the tour where the teams have been playing a fast and loose game under the new ELVs.
"The Baa-Baas' game will be important for the players to get up to that pace of play before we arrive in New Zealand and also for the Churchill Cup players in the match squad ahead of their tour. Overall, the array of talent that the Baa-Baas will have on show is of the highest calibre, so it will be good test for us , but I think we can get an awful lot out of the game ahead of the tour."
Ireland
XV: 15 Rob Kearney (UCD & Leinster), 14 Shane Horgan (Boyne & Leinster), 13 Brian O'Driscoll (UCD & Leinster), (captain), 12 Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College & Leinster), 11 Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins & Ulster), 10 Paddy Wallace (Ballymena & Ulster), 9 Isaac Boss (Ballymena & Ulster), 8 Jamie Heaslip (Clontarf & Leinster), 7 Shane Jennings (St Mary's College & Leinster), 6 Stephen Ferris (Dungannon & Ulster), 5 Malcolm O'Kelly (St Mary's College & Leinster), 4 Bob Casey (London Irish), 3 Mike Ross (Harlequins), 2 Rory Best (Belfast Harlequins & Ulster), 1 Bryan Young (Ballymena & Ulster)
Replacements: 16 Bernard Jackman (Clontarf & Leinster), 17 Tom Court (Ballymena & Ulster), 18 Ryan Caldwell (Dungannon & Ulster), 19 Neil Best (Belfast Harlequins & Ulster), 20 Frank Murphy (Leicester), 21 Jonathon Sexton (St Mary's College & Leinster), 22 Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College
& Leinster)
Date: Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Kick-off: 19.45 (18.45 GMT)
Venue: Kingsholm, Gloucester
Referee: Andrew Small (England)
Touch judges: Chris White (England), Tony Spreadbury (England)
Television match official: Matt Peters (England), Geoff Warren (England)
Assessor: Steve Hilditch (Ireland)
