Dream Ireland 15

15.Kearney
14.Bowe
13.Fitzgerald
12.Bod
11.Gilroy
10.Sexton
9.John Cooney
8.Heaslip
7.O'Brien
6.Fez
5.POC
4.Ryan
3.Bent
2.Strauss
1.Heals on wheels
A team without a weakness.....

This is what I want for the 6N

15.Kearney
14.Gilroy
13.Bowe
12.Fitzgerald
11.Zebo
10.Sexton
9.Marshall
8.Heaslip
7.O'Brien
6.Fez
5.POC
4.Ryan
3.Bent
2.Best
1.Healy

16.Strauss
17.Kilkoyne
18.Ross
19.McCarthy (Tuohy if Poc is unfit)
20.Henry
21.Murray
22.Jackson
23.L.Marshall (Earls if Kearney/Fitz is not fit)

No offense intended lads but how on earth do you think Fitzgerald should be a centre for Ireland.If he gets a run of games there for Leinster and does well then fair enough give him a shot but until then he has no right to a place there.

Yeah that's it, he has to do that first, in dream land I hope he does. I don't think it will happen to be completely honest at least not this season. But like I said this is dream land stuff

Okay fair enough I kind of forgot the thread title when making my post.

15.Kearney
14.Gilroy
13.Bowe
12.Marshall
11.Zebo
10.Sexton
9. Murray
8. O'Brien
7. Henry
6. Ferris
5. O'Connell(c)
4. Ryan
3. Bent
2. Best
1. Healy

16. Strauss
17. Kilcoyne
18. Ross
19. McCarthy
20. Henderson
21. Marshall
22. Jackson
23. Earls

Why has everyone consigned Tom Court to the slag heap?

15. Kearney
14. Bowe
13. BOD
12. Fitzgerald
11. Gilroy/Earls/Zebo - finally some competition for places
10. Sexton
9. Murray - but has to perform more consistently, if not then P Marshall
8. Heaslip
7. SOB
6. Ferris
5. POC
4. Ryan
3. Bent
2. Best/Strauss
1. Healy

rodders - ditching Heaslip? Probably our best player at the breakdown, our future captain and our line-out would be badly compromised without him.

BTW call me Kidney but BOD deserves a proper send-off.

Anyone notice how good Cooney looks whenever he plays.A bit like Savea, always composed and has the vision, the best players are born with!
Marshall is a quick elusive scrumhalf but for me, he would be no better than Care or Youngs .A bit one dimensional .

A bit of craic posted by Gilroy of him and Jackson! He mimes well I have to say!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151238469539719

Where are all these teams putting Luke Fitzgerald straight back into the Ireland 15 when the guy hasn't played a game for what must be over a season now, coming from?

Lets not forget the terrible form he was in before getting injured as well, and being left out of the WC squad despite being a Kidney favourite.

Lets have some perspective the idea of Fitzgerald waltzing back into the Ireland starting 15 after a year out and terrible form before that is pretty laughable given the form of some of our back line youngsters.

rodders wrote:15.Kearney
14.Gilroy
13.Bowe
12.Marshall
11.Zebo
10.Sexton
9. Murray
8. O'Brien
7. Henry
6. Ferris
5. O'Connell(c)
4. Ryan
3. Bent
2. Best
1. Healy

16. Strauss
17. Kilcoyne
18. Ross
19. McCarthy
20. Henderson
21. Marshall
22. Jackson
23. Earls

This is exactly what I would go for as well.

With the exception of 8 maybe actually :/

I'd go for current form only and drop a couple of legends to help sow the seeds for Ireland winning the 2015 WC

15. Zebo
14. Bowe
13. Earls (the new BOD)
12. Cave (for me its time to say farewell to Darcy)
11. Gilroy
10. Sexton
9. Murray
8. Heaslip
7. O'Mahoney (Sorry SOB)
6. Ferris or SOB (whoever is fit)
5. Ryan
4. McCarthy (playing v well)
3. Ross (I'd start 6N with Ross but give plenty of gametime to Bent)
2. Strauss (his mobility edges it over Best but v close)
1. Healy

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:This is what I want for the 6N

15.Kearney
14.Gilroy
13.Bowe
12.Fitzgerald
11.Zebo
10.Sexton
9.Marshall
8.Heaslip
7.O'Brien
6.Fez
5.POC
4.Ryan
3.Bent
2.Best
1.Healy

16.Strauss
17.Kilkoyne
18.Ross
19.McCarthy (Tuohy if Poc is unfit)
20.Henry
21.Murray
22.Jackson
23.L.Marshall (Earls if Kearney/Fitz is not fit)

Snap.

Luke Fitz was getting back to form before he got injured. He was off for the season before - hence didn't get near the RWC squad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ept4C0RfQs&feature=relmfu

theslosty wrote:
rodders - ditching Heaslip? Probably our best player at the breakdown, our future captain and our line-out would be badly compromised without him.

Yeah ditching is the wrong word....more looking at other options and combinations.

He's not doing enough for me and there are 4 or 5 better backrowers in the country now. His control at the base of the scrum is top class and he's still a very good linout player but his ball carrying isn't up to scratch, he hasn't been physical enough and just generally he is not delivering international standard performance for me.

I was very disappointed in his captaincy this Autumn too. He was pretty anonomous really and the leadership seemed to be coming more from guys like Sexton, Ryan, Healy and Henry.

He wasn't bad but I expect more from a player of his calibre.

Mickado wrote:Why has everyone consigned Tom Court to the slag heap?

Good point. Court is playing the best rugby of his career for sure but Kilcoyne did ok this Autumn and I'd be inclined to give him a run now. Court is still around if things don't work out.

For what it’s worth this is (IMO) the best 23 we can put out for the 6n.

Kearney
Zebo – Bowe – Marshall – Gilroy
Murray – Sexton
SOB – Heaslip – Ferris
Ryan – POC
Ross – Strauss – Healy

Best – Court – Bent – McCarthy – POM – Marshall – Jackson – Fitzgerald

That’s a great age profile within the squad with plenty of leadership and good impact off the bench. I have given Murray a lot of stick but he answered his critics this series and played very well. Zebo is a massive talent but I’d prefer to see him on the wing, I think he’s worth more to any team playing there. The one (possibly) contentious one is Bowe in the center, he’s played there for the O’s and the Lions (Zebo hadn’t played fullback at senior level and it worked out well) so I think we should try it out.

Ok so there's no point in getting yizzer hopes up. As long as Kidney's shadow of under achievement hangs over that squad, expect to see:

1. Earls in the centre
2. ROG on the bench
3. Murray at scrum half.

Only when his contract is up, we can seriously rebuild and have a good tilt at the title.

Earls had another shocker at centre given how poor Argie were. The guy CANNOT pas left to right.

And yet, O Gara continues to ratchet up the cheap caps.

Sorry to bring the mood down but I have seen too many highs and lows with Mr Cliché himself in charge...

Surely any dream Irish team is:

1. Cian Healy
2. Keith Wood
3. Syd Millar
4. Willie-John McBride
5. Paul O'Connell
6. Stephen Ferris
7. Fergus Slattery
8. Jamie Heaslip

9. Peter Stringer
10. Jack Kyle
11. Simon Geoghegan
12. Mike Gibson
13. Brian O'Driscoll
14. Tony O'Reilly
15. Rob Kearney

Feic yes.

George Carlin wrote:Surely any dream Irish team is:

1. Cian Healy
2. Keith Wood
3. Syd Millar
4. Willie-John McBride
5. Paul O'Connell
6. Stephen Ferris
7. Fergus Slattery
8. Jamie Heaslip

9. Peter Stringer
10. Jack Kyle
11. Simon Geoghegan
12. Mike Gibson
13. Brian O'Driscoll
14. Tony O'Reilly
15. Rob Kearney

Feic yes.

No Gilroy! ....

Willie John was only about 6ft 3'', far too small to be a second row these days.

Mick - surely with modern conditioning programmes he could have reached 7' 3" at least.

Reposting this here. Below is the team I would pick for 6 nations. It really saddens me that some of my favorite players like Trimble wont get a lookin, but I finally feel we have the makings of a squad.

1 Healy
2 Best
3 Ross / Bent
4 Ryan
5 POC
6 Fez
7 SOB
8 Heaslip
9 Murray
11 Gilroy
12 Marshall
13 BOD
14 Bowe
15 Kearney

16 Court
17 Strauss
18 Ross/Bent
19 McCarthy
20 Henry (or Henderson horses for courses, POM to replace Heaslip if Heaslip deteriorates further)
21 Redden
22 Paddy Jackson (a 1 season stop gap until Madigan/Hanrahan get more provincial gametime)
23 Earls (the embodiment of a utility back I'm sad to say)

George Carlin wrote:Surely any dream Irish team is:

1. Cian Healy
2. Keith Wood
3. Syd Millar
4. Willie-John McBride
5. Paul O'Connell
6. Stephen Ferris
7. Fergus Slattery
8. Jamie Heaslip

9. Peter Stringer
10. Jack Kyle
11. Simon Geoghegan
12. Mike Gibson
13. Brian O'Driscoll
14. Tony O'Reilly
15. Rob Kearney

Feic yes.

Now that really makes me feel old - the only ones amongst that team I didn't see play (live) were Tony O'Reilly and Jack Kyle although I did watch the last game O'Reilly played on the tv (in black and white!!)

You're very lucky KiaRose - would give a sum of money to have seen Gibson in his pomp.

Mickado wrote:Willie John was only about 6ft 3'', far too small to be a second row these days.

But the great Willie John could also play as a prop forward. With this in mind, here is my greatest Ireland All-Time XV to take on the current All Blacks 2012 Team:-

15 Tom Kiernan
14 Tony O'Reilly
13 Brendan Mullin
12 Brian O'Driscoll
11 Tommy Bowe
10 Mike Gibson
9 Michael Bradley
1 Phil Orr
2 Keith Wood
3 Willie John McBride
4 Paul O'Connell
5 Donal Lenihan
6 Phil Matthews
7 Fergus Slattery
8 Ken Goodall (who many felt would have been the regular number 8 for the British Lions tests in 1971 and 1974 rather than his Welsh rival Merv the Serve Davies)

Replacements :-

16 Ray McLoughlin
17 Ronnie Dawson
18 Denis Hickie
19 Peter Stringer
20 Paul Dean
21 Tony Ward
22 Nigel Carr
23 Willie Duggan
24 Michael Kiernan
25 Malcolm O'Kelly

It always amuses me the way people look back to the 50's 60's ect and think that the likes of Phil Matthews and Ken Goodall (who??) could possibly cope with the players of today.

Misty eyed codswallop.

I sometimes think the same about Denis Hickie .....