Wednesday 26 August 2015

IRELAND'S HOKEY-COKEY


Who’s in, who’s out, and who’s getting shaken all about? Time to take to look…



He is…the elephant in the room (Unknown)

He’s either the first name on the teamsheet or he’s staying in Ireland – yes of course I’m talking about Cian Healy. If he’s fit, Healy goes and he starts as Ireland’s loosehead prop, of that there is no question. If he’s semi-fit then Schmidt has a massive call to make – bring him just in case but risk the possibility of his injury woes lingering on, or leave Ireland’s best prop at home with the possibility that he may recover in time. If he’s not fit, Ireland have a problem.



They should be…booking their plane ticket (Definites)

Rory Best is nailed on at hooker, while injury to Marty Moore means Mike Ross has the tighthead jersey under wraps as well. Across the scrum Jack McGrath has solidified his position as Cian Healy’s understudy and should make the plane too. Captain Paul O’Connell and lock partner Devin Toner will definitely be there, while one suspects the versatility of Iain Henderson will guarantee him a spot in the 31-man squad as well, with Schmidt making no secret that the utility man is a favourite of his. The reliable back row trio of Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip are also definites.



Conor Murray faces very little opposition at scrum-half, so will travel, while being the world’s best number ten probably just about clinches Jonathan Sexton’s place. Given how well their centre partnership went during the Six Nations you would expect Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne to be in there somewhere, while Rob Kearney is another whose position is under very little threat.



They should be…booking refundable accommodation (Probables)

Leinster player of the season Sean Cronin will be Best’s deputy at hooker, with Leinster team-mate Richardt Strauss third choice. Michael Bent’s ability to play both sides of the scrum will make him a good choice as the fifth prop in the squad, while a speedy recovery from injury should set up a spot for Marty Moore. Donnacha Ryan has seemingly banished his injury woes and should be the reserve lock, while groundhog openside Chris Henry and big-carrying Jordi Murphy will provide back row cover.



In the absence of any better scrum-halves, Eoin Reddan will probably get the nod as the back-up scrum-half. As has been the norm for Joe Schmidt, it’s more than likely both Paddy Jackson and Ian Madigan will travel as fly-half cover, with the Ulsterman seen as a starter and the Leinsterman as a versatile bench option, covering inside centre and full-back too. As far as the outside backs go, both wing spots are up for grabs, as well as the two back-up positions too. Schmidt is a big fan of Andrew Trimble, so fitness permitting he will probably travel, as will Ulster team-mate Tommy Bowe. From there it’s a toss-up between three or four for the two places left, with Munster duo Keith Earls and Simon Zebo presumably the preferred choices.



They should be…packing a bag just in case (Possibles)

Should Cian Healy fail to make it then Dave Kilcoyne will be called-up as the backup loosehead, that’s more or less a given. Despite being axed from the squad, one injury to a hooker could open the door for Rob Herring to sneak in, while Nathan White will also be optimistic about his chances, especially given he can cover both sides like Bent. Jack Conan’s meteoric rise at Leinster means he’s not completely out of the reckoning for an Ireland spot either.



Kieran Marmion should be the third choice scrum-half after Isaac Boss’ horror show against Scotland and Munster fly-half Ian Keatley may still harbour some faint hope that he can make it too, especially if Sexton or Jackson pull out before the tournament. Darren Cave’s newfound ability to play both inside and outside centre will make him an intriguing possibility for Schmidt, and may yet be included in the squad as cover for both Henshaw and Payne. And don’t rule out Dave Kearney from the back three equation – Rob’s brother is a consistent, if not spectacular, performer.



They should be…preparing for Pro12 rugby (Unlikelies)

Ulster’s Dan Tuohy has already been axed from the squad and it seems unlikely he’ll be added back. The same applies for Isaac Boss who had a dreadful outing against Scotland, and if the Kiwi was included ahead of either Reddan or Marmion then serious questions would be asked. Munster full-back Felix Jones has been favoured by Schmidt recently, but the coach’s decision to try out Simon Zebo at full-back against Scotland perhaps puts an end to his hopes. Regardless of being the Pro12’s top try scorer last season, Craig Gilroy has been bizarrely and unfairly overlooked completely and seems destined to miss out too, and, despite the chance of one big final hurrah, Gordon D’Arcy’s international career looks like its race has been run as well.

Friday 21 August 2015

FIVE WHYS

The fixtures have been released, the new kit is on sale and the squads have been confirmed for the upcoming year. Teams are back in training, league predictions are being drafted and the smell of freshly cut grass at stadia across Europe is telling us one thing that we have been waiting for since the 31st May.

The 2015/16 season has begun!

And of course that means another season of rambling blog posts from myself, although I am hoping that this season will see the beginning of a few new features to the website so make sure you stick around and keep checking back regularly to see what’s new from the Hound on the Hill!

To start us off this season, I’ve decided to keep things a little lighter than usual and give you my five reasons why this season will be better than last season:

1. We’ve got another season under our belts and we are wiser for the experience. True, it resulted in another semi-final defeat but all this exposure to knockout rugby will surely someday pay off – this season we were very close to taking the scalp of Glasgow at Scotstoun, and maybe we should have, perhaps this season will be the year that we harness all that experience and take several big wins and finally finish with a trophy that is long overdue.

2. We have strengthened in areas where we needed to, such as bringing in a bit more cover at scrum-half and fly-half in the shape of Paul Rowley and Sam Windsor. Willie Faloon finally gives us an out-and-out back up openside flanker while Peter Browne will also provide some much needed experience at lock and the back row. While these guys may only see game time during the World Cup and Six Nations they will be vital to our success in the Pro12 and their arrivals in Belfast will fill crucial holes in our squad.

3. We have a decent chance at progressing to the quarter-finals of the Champions’ Cup due to a decent pool draw. While last season our European dream died a quick death due to vital injuries to key players as well as coming up against a sublime Toulon outfit at the Kingspan Stadium, this year there is genuine optimism that this could be pool from which we may escape.

Admittedly Oyonnax are something of an unknown coming into the tournament, however as the lowest ranked and debutants of the pool they should be targeted as at least eight points if not ten. Given their fight is now on two fronts, they may look at the Champions’ Cup as something of an irrelevance and focus on the Top14 as is commonplace for French teams. It remains to be seen what sort of a fight they put up.

Toulouse are not the powerhouses of Europe that they once were, and the loss of Guy Noves as coach will be as detrimental to them as if they lost the likes of Yoann Maestri or Thierry Dusautoir from their starting line-up. Still, they have made good strides in trying to return to their position of superiority in Northern Hemisphere rugby and will pose a lot of questions. They will be a testing prospect in the Ernest Wallon, but in Belfast they should be disposed of fairly comfortably.

We have a bone to pick with Saracens and they will be our biggest rivals in this pool for top spot without a doubt. They boast quality across the park and a strong bench to back them up as well – and it is very rare that sides come to Allianz Park and leave with the victory, so a double over them is unlikely. Instead, expect a hostile reception for them when they run out at the Kingspan.

4. Our Non-Irish Qualified players (NIQs) will be desperate to leave their legacy here with a trophy. Nick Williams, Franco van der Merwe and Louis Ludik are all out of contract at the end of this season, and with Charles Piutau already confirmed to be arriving in Belfast next year, it means one of them will definitely be leaving, and with the other two uncertain on where their future lies, they will be eager to make their last season in the Pro12 count.

5. Our coaching staff will be complete for the first time since last October. After the World Cup finishes and Ireland have won the Webb Ellis Cup (hopefully!), Les Kiss will rejoin us as Director of Rugby and will bring the same brand of rugby that Joe Schmidt has instilled in Ireland and has made so successful. Working closely with head coach Neil Doak, along with new assistant coach Joe Barakat, there is the potential for this to flourish into one of the best coaching line-ups in Europe, and one that will finally extract the full potential of a very talented first XV.