Reds to 'practise' in Ireland
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:19
Queensland will undertake a four-match, 17-day development tour of Ireland in August and September to prepare the Reds players for next year's Super 14 season.
A squad of 26 players will leave on August 19, two days after the Brisbane Premier Grand Final, and play matches against Ulster, Connacht, Leinster and Munster A.
Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) Performance Manager Ben Whitaker said with no provincial championship to follow the Premier season this year there was a need to provide Reds players and those knocking on the door of selection with an opportunity to test their skills at a more competitive level.
"The younger Queensland players especially will learn a lot from this tour, as the Irish provinces will be gearing up for the European championship season and want some hard matches to fine tune their own combinations," Whitaker said.
"The Irish clubs are pretty excited about us touring there. When they heard we were looking at an end of season tour they were straight on the phone to ask how they could help make it happen and they've assisted generously in that regard," Whitaker said.
Whitaker said the Queensland squad would be named closer to the departure date, but will include 2009 contracted Reds not involved with the Wallabies, Reds Academy players and potentially some uncontracted Premier players.
"It will be a chance for our coaching staff to take a closer look at how the newer players and combinations work in games, without having to do it during the cut-throat Super 14 competition," he said.
The squad will spend most time in Dublin, travelling by train to Belfast, Galway and Limerick for games against Ulster, Connacht and Munster A.
The itinerary:
Friday, August 22 - v Ulster
Tuesday, August 26 - v Connacht
Saturday, August 30 - v Leinster
Wednesday, September 3 - v Munster A
