Ireland Team Vs Scotland

Ireland are currently suffering one of their worst injury crises in recent times. Over the last week Simon Zebo, Jonny Sexton, Mike McCarthy, Cian Healy and most recently Gordon D'Arcy have been ruled out of Ireland's team to face Scotland on Sunday the 24th. Add that to the long-term injuries of Paul O'Connell, Richardt Strauss, Tommy Bowe and Stephen Ferris and you have quite an injury list. This brings up some interesting selection debates especially in the backline. The positive side of these injuries is that it may force Declan Kidney's hand in bringing some young blood into the team in a game that Ireland "should" win easily against Scotland. it could potentially be the most exciting Ireland team to take the field in years but I'm not sure that this will materialise given Kidney's infamous conservatism. Here I'm going to assume the role of Ireland selector and pick who I'd like to see line up against Scotland and also who I think Declan Kidney will pick. Changes from the line up against England will be highlighted in bold. Both Luke Marshall and Donnacha Ryan are doubtful for the game against Scotland so I've put their potential replacements in brackets.

Ireland Team Vs Scotland (My Selection)

15. Rob Kearney

14. Craig Gilroy

13. Brian O'Driscoll

12. Luke Marshall (Fergus McFadden)

11. Luke Fitzgerald

10. Ian Madigan

9. Conor Murray

1. David Kilcoyne

2. Rory Best

3. Mike Ross

4. Iain Henderson

5. Donnacha Ryan (O'Callaghan)

6. Séan O'Brien

7. Chris Henry

8. Jamie Heaslip (c)

16. Séan Cronin

17. Tom Court

18. Declan Fitzpatrick

19. Donncha O'Callaghan (Devin Toner)

20. Peter O'Mahony

21. Eoin Reddan

22. Paddy Jackson

23. Keith Earls

Likely Ireland Team Vs Scotland

15. Kearney

14. Gilroy

13. O'Driscoll

12. Earls

11. Fitzgerald

10. O'Gara

9. Murray

1. Kilcoyne

2. Best

3. Ross

4. O'Callaghan

5. Ryan (Henderson)

6. O'Mahony

7. O'Brien

8. Heaslip (c)

16. Cronin

17. Court

18. Fitzpatrick

19. Henderson (Toner)

20. Henry

21. Reddan

22. Jackson

23. McFadden

In the front row David Kilcoyne seems to be next in the pecking order to Cian Healy and will almost definitely start next Sunday and I can't see many reasons anyone would disagree with that

Donncha O'Callaghan will most likely come in to cover for McCarthy in the second row but personally, i would like to see Iain Henderson there. It's surely time to move on from the likes of O'Callaghan and look to the future. Henderson is definitely more than capable of mixing it with the big boys in the engine room.

The backline is where there are the most options and therefore the most debate. I have picked my backine based on form but also with an eye to the future. At out-half it seems likely that O'Gara will start but the is not currently anywhere near the second best out-half in Ireland. Yes, he is much more experienced than any of the alternatives but with Sexton out this is the perfect opportunity to give some experience to one of Madigan, Jackson and Keatley, who are all playing better than ROG at the moment. Out of those three Kidney seems to like Jackson the most but there's very little to separate them. On form, I'd have to go with Madigan who has had an excellent season and is rapidly improving.

The England game could well come to be Gordon D'Arcy's last game in the green of Ireland as he's been ruled out for the remainder of the Six Nations. This means that surely it's finally time to look for a long-term replacement at inside centre. Previous selections when one of O'Driscoll or D'Arcy have been injured suggest that Kidney will go with Earls at 12 but in my opinion Earls is in no way a centre. He's a good player on the wing but he doesn't possess the skills or defence to play at centre at international level. Ulster's Luke Marshall is the form inside centre in Ireland at the moment and I think (if fit) it is time to give him a chance to show that he is the man to take the jersey from the ageing D'Arcy.

The wings are one area where Ireland most definitely don't lack depth. Kidney could pick any of Fitzgerald, Earls, McFadden or Trimble. Even Dave Kearney would be an adequate replacement. I would go with Fitzgerald. On current form he just edges Earls. He is one of the best evasive runners that Ireland possess. 

Lion Hunting #6 - The Back Row

I've picked a back three, a centre partnership, the half-backs, the front row and the second row. Now all that is left is what is probably the hardest area to pick, the back row. There is such an abundance of international standard back rows in Britain and Ireland that it becomes very difficult to select a top seven to complete my squad. This talent is very highly concentrated in the blindside flanker position particularly.

Openside Flanker

I have decided that I will first pick my openside flanker because this position will be the most important in the back row against the Wallabies. A genuine openside must be picked to counter the prowess of David Pocock and Michael Hooper in the loose, especially at the breakdown. The battle at the breakdown promises to be crucial in deciding the outcome of the series. The two obvious candidates are Wales' Sam Warbuton and Justin Tipuric. Warburton is just returning to form after a big dip since the World Cup but the form man at the moment is Tipuric. We all know how good Warburton can be but he has disappointed hugely over the last twelve months with really only his captaincy keeping him in the Welsh number seven shirt. He is, however, showing signs of regaining his form for the Cardiff Blues at club level. If he has a good Six Nations I would say Gatland will pick him as his starting openside.

While Warburton has been faltering Tipuric has been world class. He is a different type of player to Warburton and in my opinion actually possesses superior breakdown skills which is obviously hugely important when coming up against a player like Pocock. Another option which most people have probably not given much thought is Ross Rennie. The Scot has been superb over the last year. You just have to look at the stats that show that he leads all his contenders in meters gained, tackles made, turnovers won and offloads. This is extremely impressive considering he's been on a losing side most of the year. John Barclay is also a good openside but I don't see him featuring considering that Warburton, Tipuric and Rennie are all quite a bit ahead of him in the pecking order. Steffon Armitage has been excellent for Toulon but his lack of international involvement could seriously damage his chances. If I was Gatland I would still consider him though because his pace and power along with good openside skills would be invaluable.

Blindside Flanker

Wow, the amount of genuine contenders in this position is just ridiculous: Lydiate, Ferris, Wood, O'Brien, Robshaw, Croft just to name a few. First off I am going to rule out Tom Croft. I know a lot of people are picking him as a possible starter and he is the best lineout option of the lot and an excellent carrier in wide positions but given the quality of competition I'm not going to consider him. He just doesn't offer as much as any of the other candidates in my opinion.

Lydiate, Wood and Robshaw are all 'old-school' sixes. They spend all day tackling anything that moves. Lydiate's defence in last years Six Nations was so good that it won him the player of the tournament award. His only problem is his fitness. He is currently injured and may not even be back for the end of the Six Nations. This puts him at a serious disadvantage and when he does come back he'll be in a race to get fit. Robshaw offers a similar work rate to Lydiate and is also defined by his tackle count. Both Lydiate and Robshaw are good at making the hard yards around the fringes which is always invaluable. Although they are both very capable blindsides Lydiate is probably the more effective. Tom Wood offers something different as he is a more dynamic option. He is quicker and more mobile than Lydiate and Robshaw. Like these two, tackling is his strongest attribute. He is also very good at the breakdown for a blindside and plays a bit like a six-and-a-half. His running is more dynamic than than Lydiate's and Robshaw's but nowhere near as destructive than either of the Irish blindsides.

Stephen Ferris and Sean O'Brien are quite different to the others in that they are more destructive runners than traditional workhorses. Ferris is a monster plain and simple. His size and strength is beyond compare in the British Isles. He can run through players when on attack and on defence he can cause turnovers with either massive hit or using a choke tackle, which he is the best in the world at doing. Like Lydiate though, his injuries continue to haunt him and whether he can recapture his form after his horrific spell of injuries is unknown. If he can his place on the plane is secure. O'Brien is similar in that his running can single-handedly destroy teams. His form has not been as devastating in recent moths but that is mainly due to him being limited by playing at seven on several occasions for Leinster and Ireland. While playing here he has shown his ability to do the hard work at the breakdown. One doubt remains over him about whether he is able to make the hard yards when receiving slow ball but there is no doubt that with front foot ball he can be devastating.

Number Eight

Number eight is a tricky position as there are no absolute standouts but a few very capable candidates. Heaslip is most people's favourite to put on the number eight shirt and a possible captaincy candidate. After a disappointing twelve months or so he returned to form somewhat in the autumn. He's a decent runner in ball in hand and has improved a lot in running around the fringes. He also makes a considerable number of tackles and works hard at the breakdown but he is not as dynamic as he used to be.

I am a big fan of Toby Faletau. He's a good, strong carrier of the ball but his main strength is his work behind the scenes. He is mobile enough to get to a large number of breakdowns early and also makes a considerable amount of important tackles. 

David Denton and Ben Morgan are both massive units who are big carriers of the ball. The difference is that Morgan is a bit of a one-trick pony where Denton also work round the pitch and makes a lot of tackles. His work rate is fantastic.

Starting : 6) Lydiate, 7) Warburton, 8) Denton
Backup : Ferris, Wood, Tipuric, Faletau

Lion Hunting #5 - The Second Row

In my opinion, the outstanding lock in Britain and Ireland at the moment is Scotland's Richie Gray. True, he has not been as impressive recently as he was a year ago but his athleticism is still undeniable. You would be hard pushed to find any team in the wold that wouldn't benefit from his ball carrying in open play. He almost acts as a fourth loose forward while being very good in the lineout.

It is crucial to make sure the second row is balanced and so to go with Gray's work in the loose I would pick a more traditional, hard as nails lock to do the dirty work in the engine room. This is why Courtney Lawes shouldn't start. Yes, he is, like Gray, and incredible athlete capable of powerful carrying and doing lots of dynamic work in the loose but this would lead to an unbalanced second row without anyone who is willing to do the hard work in the tight and besides I am yet to be fully convinced that he can perform consistently at international level. He would however be an excellent impact sub. If this is enough for him to be selected I don't know but he's definitely a candidate.

Other candidates who do suit this role are England's Geoff Parling and Joe Launchbury, Ireland's PaulO'Connell, Donncha Ryan and Mike McCarthy and Wales' Alun Wyn Jones and Luke Charteris. As you can see the are numerous options but few standouts. Paul O'Connell was for many years the best lock in Britain and Ireland but even though he is still performing at a high level he has been plagued by injuries and has aged. His spot as Ireland and Munster's premier lock has been taken over more by the more than capable Donncha Ryan. Ryan burst on to seen a year ago and since then hasn't taken a step back. He performs so well last year that he was the only Irishman to make my team of the year. He also offers the abrasiveness needed to compliment Gray perfectly. Mike McCarthy also burst on to the scene in the autumn and was outstanding, possibly Ireland's best player. He may also get a second chance to prove himself in the Six Nations with O'Connell's absence. If he performs equally well as he did in the autumn who knows? He could force himself onto the plane to Australia.

Geoff Parling is a solid option and has been performing at a consistently high level for England recently. His lineout skills would be very helpful indeed. However, if Gatland wanted an option that would effect the game more dramatically he would pick Joe Launchbury. Launchbury was outstanding during the Autumn. His work rate and tackle count make him and excellent candidate for a second row spot. He is still inexperienced but if he has an equally good Six
Nations I can't see anything getting between him and a spot on the plane.

Wales are yet to settle on a permanent second row pairing but I think Wyn-Jones and Charteris offer the most. Both are excellent workers and a year ago I would have had Wyn-Jones as one of the first names on my team sheet but he has been hampered by injuries since and his form has suffered because of this. Charteris has benefited from this as a chance to prove himself as Wales' best lock when Wyn-Jones isn't available and has demonstrated a tremendous work rate.

Starting: Ryan, Gray
Backup: Launchbury, Wyn-Jones, Lawes

Lion Hunting #4 - The Front Row

Loosehead Prop

Ireland's Cian Healy is the best option at the moment at loosehead prop. He is one of the best props in the loose that you will find. He is powerful both in attack and defense and has excellent handling skills for a prop. He also gets some good groundwork done at the breakdown. The question mark has always been over his scrummaging but this has much improved over the last year or so and he has shown that he can compete with the best scrummagers in the game.

Healy just edges out Gethin Jenkins for my starting spot. Jenkins is not the player he once was but he is still a very solid backup option. A possible problem with Jenkins may be his lack of game time at club level as he is second choice behind Andrew Sheridan at Toulon. For this reason and his well earned reputation as one of the best scrummaging looseheads in the world Sheridan is another good option here. Even though he is playing regularly in the Top 14 but he may suffer from a lack of recent international games. Alex Corbisiero is the best scrummager of thenloy and must be considered because of his excellent recent form for England.

Starting : HealyBackup : Jenkins, Corbisiero

Tighthead Prop

The tighthead position has two main candidates: Dan Cole and Adam Jones. Jones is a very experienced campaigner but I'm going to go with Cole on this one. There's a reason he's keeping the outstanding Castrogiovanni out of the Leicester side. Like Healy he is equally proficient in the scrum and in the loose. In particular he is very good at using his large frame to get over the ball at the breakdown.

Other candidates are Euan Murray and Mike Ross. Both are decent scrummagers but a bit limited compared to Cole and Jones so a starting spot may be beyond them squad selection is a very real possibility.

Starting : ColeBackup : Jones

Hooker

Hooker is one of the harder positions to pick because there are a few players of pretty equal calibre. Dylan Hartley is tough and dynamic.
He would definitely add a rough edge to the side were he to start. Unfortunately, Hartley does have a streak of indiscipline and is rather inconsistent. this could count against him. England's other hooker Tom Youngs had a very impressive Autumn series and looks an exciting prospect but his lack of experience could be a problem. He will need a good Six Nations to be considered for a starting spot.

Rory Best has been the most consistent hooker over the last year. He's been crucial to everything good about Ireland and Ulster. His throwing is much improved but can still sometimes be his Achilles' heel. Richardt Strauss is definitely the bolter of the bunch. He may have only just gained qualification to play for Ireland but he has been impressing for Leinster for a few years now and was excellent for Ireland in the autumn. He is dynamic, powerful and mobile and could be the best hooker available to Gatland come the Summer but I wouldn't pick him just yet because he is still, like Youngs, unproven at international level but after the Six Nations he could well be my man.

Ross Ford has been very good for Scotland recently. He has an excellent all-round game and is a very solid and credible option. Wales have been swapping their hookers round of late and none of them have stood out. As of now Matthew Rees (in my opinion Wales' best hooker) wouldn't make the plane and given that there are four very strong candidates for this position it'll take something remarkable for this to change.

Starting : BestBackup : Hartley, Strauss

Tighthead

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia

Keeping Up With The French

I'm back after the Christmas break with this article on the domination of French clubs in the Heineken Cup this year that I wrote for http://thearmchairselector.com/.

As it stands half the quarter-finalists in the Heineken Cup would be French and every French team in the competition are in the top 2 of their group. We also saw recently the team that most consider to be the best in Europe outside of France (Leinster) lose twice to Clermont. Finally, all the money invested by French clubs is converting into results on the European stage. The British and Irish clubs must now try to somehow keep up with the French clubs so that they aren't left behind in the future.

Read the full article on The Armchair Selector site here

Happy New Year,
Tighthead

2012 Team Of The Year & Awards

With 2012 coming to a close it's time for me to recognise the year's outstanding players with my very own Tighthead Awards. Also follow this link to see my Team Of 2012 that I picked for The Armchair Selector.

The Tighthead Awards 2012

Tighthead's Player Of The Year: Richie McCaw (New Zealand)

Runner Up: Kieran Read

3rd Place: Conrad Smith

Northern Hemisphere Player Of The Year: Wesley Fofana (France)

Runner Up: Dan Lydiate

Breakthrough Player Of The Year: Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)

Runner Up: Julian Savea

One To Watch For 2013: Christopher Tolofua (France)

Runner Up: TJ Perenara

Tier 2* Player Of The Year: Khan Fotuali'i (Samoa)

Runner Up: Sona Taumololo

Developing Nations Player Of The Year: Mamuka Gorgodze (Georgia)

Runner Up: Vasily Armitiev (Russia)

Domestic Awards

Super Rugby Player Of The Year: Aaron Cruden (Chiefs)

Runner Up: Sonny Bill Williams

Heineken Cup Player Of The Year: Jonathan Sexton (Leinster)

Runner Up: Ruan Pienaar

*Tier 2 nations are Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Japan, Canada, USA and Romania.

Merry Christmas,
Tighthead

Lion Hunting #3 - Half-backs

It would be fair to say that there is not a huge wealth of talent in the half-back positions in the Home Nations at the moment (Despite Owen Farrell's bizarre inclusion in the IRB's player of the year shortlist). All four nations are going through an uncertain period as to the selection of at least one of these positions. England are still looking for Jonny Wilkinson's long-term replacement and are rotating their scrum-halves, Wales are also going through a post-Stephen Jones transition phase, there is great debate in Ireland about the scrum-half position and Scotland haven't quite figured out which half-back plays where yet. Gatland's (and myself for that matter) got a task on his hand hands sorting this lot out.

Fly-half

The only player who has his international spot set in stone is Ireland's Johnny Sexton. Sexton consistently performs excellently at provincial level with Leinster and although he doesn't transfer his match-winning performances to international level very often he is still a very solid player. He kicks his goals, kicks well out of hand and is adequate in defense. He may not be the most exciting selection but he certainly has the ability to dictate a game and that is the attribute that is what is most needed to be a Lions fly-half. Also the fact that he has no credible competition helps.

England's number one fly-half at the moment is Toby Flood. He offers a fair bit in attack as he attacks the gain line well and adds pace to the game but he is weak defensively and prone to underperforming under pressure. To play for the Lions nerves of steel are a must and that is something Flood's current understudy Owen Farrell has in abundance. Farrell is something of a polar opposite to Flood. Farrell makes up for what he lacks in attacking ability with defensive solidity and superb kicking. A team with Farrell in may have to play a very limited game but at least Farrell plays this game very well. We saw Farrell at his best against the All Blacks where he did nothing special but the simple things very well and England thrived on playing a very direct game that had reminisces of the World Cup winning England of 2003. This why i would take Farrell to Australia ahead of Flood. 

My third choice fly-half would be Wales' James Hook because of his playmaking ability and versatility. Rhys Priestland, Wales' number one 10, doesn't make the cut because of his poor recent form and neither do any of Scotland's scrum-half come fly-haves for obvious reasons. Freddie Burns who is playing well at club level for Gloucester could be a possible bolter if he breaks into the English team in the Six Nations.

Scrum-half

Scrum half is a position that normally seems to go to the Welsh guy (Mike Phillips and Dwayne Peel on the last two tours) and for me this tradition continues into 2013. Yes, I know Phillips is not playing particularly well but for me he's the man for the job. We must remember who the Lions are playing next Summer. They're playing the Wallabies who happen to have the best scrum-half in the world right now in Will Genia. The Lions need someone who can deal with Genia who will most definitely be sniping around the rucks at every opportunity. It could be said that if you stop Genia you stop the Wallabies because he is their main source of creativity. At least Phillips can stand up to Genia physically. He also controls the game very well which is crucial and he certainly hasn't been the source of all Wales' problems recently.

I pick Danny Care over Ben Youngs as my reserve scrum-half because I believe that Care controls the game better, something that Youngs is very poor at, and also he is more aggresive which will be key against Genia. Youngs is probably a better runner but in my opinion that is the only aspect of the game which he is better at than Care. Conor Murray Ireland's scrum-half isn't really in contention in my book because he isn't even Ireland's best scrum-half and Eoin Reddan is an outsider.

Fly-half : Sexton
Backup : Hook, Farrell

Scrum-half : Phillips
Backup : Care, Youngs