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IRELAND TEAM PROFILE ONE TO WATCH KEITH EARLS Declan Kidney was Earls’ first professional coach and on announcement of his Irish debut, the 21-year-old Munster utility back explained that his mentor had taught him to stick to the basics. Now Kidney has rewarded him with international selection, but as Earls gets his first taste of Six Nations rugby, it is his extra dimension that catches the eye. As well as executing the basics with tidy assurance, his ability to hit unstoppable running lines at speed would disrupt the best of defensive lines. His impeccable kicking game completes the necessary attributes required of an international full-back and fully justifies his selection. Left French centre Damien Traille feels the force of the Irish defence in Paris last season THE LOWDOWN STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES heroically throughout. He will look to continue building a formidable half-back pairing with Eoin Reddan and unleash Ireland’s potentially lethal back division. 21-year-old Luke Fitzgerald could be the man to partner Brian O’Driscoll in the midfield, as they do at Leinster, in a fluid attacking force capable of tearing through any defence. Donncha O’Callaghan also shone for
Ireland in an otherwise dire 2008
campaign. In the absence of Paul
O’Connell for the first three rounds he
stood out as the best performing lock in
the tournament. Dominant in the air and
dynamic in the loose, alongside O‘Connell,
his provincial and International second-row partner, the Irish pack should be
unbeatable in set play situations.
Ulsterman Stephen Ferris will be looking
to make the number six shirt his own Kidney’s pragmatic approach will allow his team’s style of play to be built around the considerable talent in his squad rather than insist that the players conform to a definitive gameplan. This may take time, but could be a winning solution if the players can forge strong partnerships quickly. O’Driscoll is one of the world’s finest centres and in O’Gara they have one of the most consistent fly-halves in Northern hemisphere rugby. Fitzgerald, Earls, Bowe and Kearney bring innovation and youth to the cornerstones of the Irish three quarters. Ireland’s selection policy rewards form players and with the success of Munster and Leinster in the Heineken Cup, they have a large pool of players from which to choose. Ireland’s tendency to switch off for periods of a game must be effaced if they are to take the title. Too many times good focus in the first half has been wasted during a poor 20-minute period after the break. Ronan O’Gara may have collected player of the year for the third time at the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Awards but his performance against New Zealand two weeks later hardly warranted the accolade. O’Gara has been a talisman for both Ireland and Munster over the last decade but frenetic performances such as his against the All Blacks in November will not lead Ireland to Six Nations glory. The Irish pack underperformed in the Autumn internationals when it came to the crunch. Much fervour surrounded the forwards but with the exception of David Wallace they never raised a head of steam. 110 / CLASSIC SPORTS SERIES |