Ireland
Kidney names new-look Ireland squad
Tuesday, October 27
Ireland coach Declan Kidney has named a new-look 39-man squad for the upcoming Tests against the Wallabies, Fiji and the Springboks and Ireland “A” games against a Tonga XV and Argentina “A”.
Kidney included no less than nine uncapped players and surprisingly overlooked experienced duo Malcolm O’Kelly and Girvan Dempsey. Geordan Murphy is also set to miss the three Dublin Tests as is he likely to be ruled out for the remainder of the year with a shoulder injury.
"We had an opportunity to work with most of the players selected in this squad over our three camps during the summer,” Kidney told
Irishrugby.ie following the squad announcement.
"Those sessions were about giving chances to as many players as possible following last year and after a third of the season gone so far, this November squad gives the majority of those players a chance to put their cases forward for selection.”
“November represents a challenge on several fronts with three full internationals and two “A” games against quality opposition, so it will mean that the strength of our resources will be tested.”
The 39-man squad is expected to be trimmed before the November 14 Test against the Wallabies.
The Ireland mentor added: "The games so far this season have given plenty of options in terms of competition for places. There were some hard calls made in selection, which is what you want, and players not included today will come into the reckoning for the two games against Tonga and Argentina Jaguars.
"We now have to try and come up with the combinations to not only win against some of the best teams in the world, with two of those sides ranked above us, but also continue to develop the international experience levels for some of those players.”
39-man Ireland Squad: Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Neil Best (Northampton Saints), Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster), Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Tom Court (Malone/Ulster), Sean Cronin (Buccaneers/Connacht)*, Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster), Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Gavin Duffy (Galwegians/Connacht), Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster), Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster), Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster), John Fogarty (De La Salle Palmerston/Leinster)*, John Hayes (Bruff/Munster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)*, Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster), Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster)*, Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster), Shane Horgan (Boyne/Leinster), Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster), Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster), Fergus McFadden (UCD/Leinster)*, Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster), Brian O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster), Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster), Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin/Munster), Sean O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)*, Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster), Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster), Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster), Jonathan Sexton (St.Mary's College/Leinster)*, Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)*, Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster), David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster), Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster), Brett Wilkinson (Galwegians/Connacht)*
Flannery
Ross
Cullen
O'Connell
Ferris
Wallace
Heaslip
O'Leary
Sexton/O'Gara
Fitzgerald
D'Arcy
O'Driscoll
Bowe
Kearney
Ireland will be our toughest test of the tour. Good to leave them for last IMO. In saying that, I would still be surprised to go down to them as we shade them in most departments and our squad is just as settled if not more.