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It’s a tale of two injury lists lengthening by the day for Ireland and the All Blacks. But something tells me that Steve Tew won’t be making any complaints about Northern Hemisphere teams sending weakened squads to tour down south this June.
After a rash of injuries and some judicious resting of players after a tough Super 14, Graham Henry has announced his somewhat reduced squad for the All Blacks’ June Internationals.
He named four newcomers and recalled winger Joe Rokocoko for next month’s clashes with Ireland and Wales.
The new faces in the 26-man squad are Manawatu fly-half Aaron Cruden, Auckland centre Benson Stanley, Wellington loose forward Victor Vito and Hawke’s Bay fullback Israel Dagg.
The squad lines out as follows:
Anthony Boric (North Harbour), Dan Carter (Canterbury), Jimmy Cowan (Southland), Aaron Cruden (Manawatu), Israel Dagg (Hawke’s Bay), Aled de Malmanche (Waikato), Tom Donnelly (Otago), Ben Franks (Tasman), Owen Franks (Canterbury), Zac Guildford (Hawke’s Bay), Cory Jane (Wellington), Richard Kahui (Waikato), Jerome Kaino (Auckland), Richie McCaw (Canterbury, captain), Keven Mealamu (Auckland), Mils Muliaina (Waikato), Joe Rokocoko (Auckland), Kieran Read (Canterbury), Conrad Smith (Wellington), Benson Stanley (Auckland), Adam Thomson (Otago), Brad Thorn (Canterbury), Neemia Tialata (Wellington), Victor Vito (Wellington), Piri Weepu (Wellington), Tony Woodcock (North Harbour).
In other circumstances, Ireland might have relished meeting such a depleted squad given their on-going failure to beat the All Blacks either home or away over the decades. They’ve come close in recent tours, but never far enough.
Ironically however, Ireland coach, Declan Kidney, finds himself with similar problems as the toils of a longer season and the overhang of last year’s Lions tour has taken its toll.
His squad, announced two weeks ago, has already had some changes forced upon it, and 5 uncapped players will now travel as part of a 43-man panel for their four June matches against Barbarians, New Zealand, NZ Maori and Australia.
What’s worrying for Kidney is the amount of caps Ireland has lost from its squad.
Already they’re down two experienced locks – Paul O’Connell, Munster captain and Leo Cullen, Leinster Captain. Ed O’Donoghue, uncapped, but an Ulster veteran, fills in for O’Connell along with uncapped team-mate, Chris Henry. Ulster captain, Rory Best, will also miss out on filling the hooker slot for the tour after injuring an ankle. His replacement, Leinster’s John Fogarty, is another uncapped player.
Luke Fitzgerald, Leinster winger, is a long-term absentee, and is now joined by Leinster backrow colleagues, Stephen Keogh and Kevin McLaughlin on the injury list. McLaughlin had been expected to be a reliable replacement for Stephen Ferris who fractured a cheekbone and will also miss the tour. Niall Ronan of Munster with two Ireland ‘A’ caps to his credit is the replacement. Munster’s stalwart backrower, Denis Leamy, remains absent after the recurrence of an injury from earlier in the season.
With the Irish front row suffering all kinds of problems this season, and the absence of the power of O’Connell and Ferris from the fray, the Irish scrum is going to be under a lot of pressure from all opponents.
If they get some decent ball out to the backline, it’ll be received by either Tomas O’Leary or Eoin Reddan – both chasing the scrum-half jersey, whilst the on-going battle for the 10 shirt continues with both Ronan O’Gara and recently recovered Jonny Sexton, firing on both cylinders. Gordon Darcy will likely take the 12 shirt, he was one of the better performers in Leinster’s Magners’ final defeat to the Ospreys on Saturday.
Paddy Wallace of Ulster as his back-up is carrying an injury but will tour. But hopefully new cap, Fergus McFadden, may get a chance to shine, and display his highly accurate long-range kicking boot similar to Morne Steyn and Leigh Halfpenny. O’Driscoll remains available at outside centre, but the Irish captain has been somewhat lacklustre this season compared to the heights of 2009.
On the wings, Tommy Bowe, the Irish and Welsh Players’ Player of the Year continues to give opposition teams plenty of trouble out wide and through the centre. Keith Earls, Shane Horgan and Andrew Trimble will jostle for position, with Earls the most likely on the other wing, as long as his on-going groin injury doesn’t act up again. Rob Kearney will comfortably fill the 15 geansai, but may be alternated with the English Premiership winning Leicester Tigers captain, Geordan Murphy, who continues to show he has what it takes.
The IRFU’s handling of the proposed player salary cuts and central contract reductions being highlighted prior to the June tour has been poor and a distraction. It will not have helped a somewhat demoralised set of players, who have seen their trophy cabinets empty this year from the 6 Nations, Heineken Cup and Magners League.
Kidney and his staff will have their work cut out to make an impression on a tour that Ireland must do well in if they are to take any momentum into the Autumn and onto the World Cup. And this could be the chance for a number of new faces to make a case for themselves and, just perhaps, nick an unexpected victory along the way. Their first opportunity is next weekend when they face the talented Barbarians.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.