It's going to be a big 6 Nations for...

Loosehead Prop:

Ryan Grant
Gethin Jenkins
David Kilcoyne
Tom Court
Joe Marler

not including: Cian Healy

With Cian Healy should be at least guaranteed a touring spot, there are one and probably two loosehead spots up for grabs. With one main Scottish contender, three Welsh, two English and possibly two more Irish contenders. Ryan Grant seems to be making a name for himself up in Scotland, and recently was promoted to vice captaincy. With Jenkins not on top form, and Corbisero injured, he might just sneak on the plane, but a strong competition is needed. Speaking of Jenkins, I wouldn't be convinced he is guaranteed of his place in the Welsh team, but whoever gets the loosehead spot in the Welsh team has a great chance of making the plane too. Marler has a slight chance, but I'd be worried about his indiscipline, and he seems a bit raw. Dave Kilcoyne and Tom Court have both been in exceptional form. If either get a decent amount of game time, and no one else pulls up trees, Gatland might be inclined to pick one of these. It's unlikely, but not unheard of.

Hooker:

Dougie Hall
Richard Hibbard
Rory Best
Dylan Hartley

Hooker is the first position where no one has made a strong claim to the jersey. Most people outside of Scotland may have expected Ross Ford to be selected, but Dougie Hall has shown strongly this season, and has a chance to stake his claim for a plane seat. Matthew Rees seems to have fallen from grace from the Welsh side aswell, and there are calls for Hibbard to be the test hooker. I must admit I haven't seen too much of him, so will be watching with extra attention on Saturday. Dylan Hartley is a good player. An arrogant so and so, with a discipline problem though. I have to admit, I'm not sure I want him on the tour. Rory Best brings leadership and scrummaging prowess. He has a good chance, but I've been worried about his line-out throwing, especially recently. It hasn't been good in the Heineken Cup.

I would love for Richardt Strauss to be involved, as I think he offers different attributes especially at the breakdown that no other hooker offers. Sean Cronin has an outside chance, as he the best ball handling hooker out of those mentioned, but needs a lot more game time to come into the reckoning.

Tighthead:

Mike Ross
Euan Murray

With Cole and Jones so far ahead of the rest, and Gatland might not even bring a third tighthead, but it has to be between Mike Ross and Euan Murray. It's all about scrums. With no games being played on Sunday, this means Murray won't be excluded from anything. It's a toss up, neither o 

not including : Dan Cole, Adam Jones

Second Rows:

Ali Kellock
Richie Gray

Joe Launchbury
Courtney Lawes
Mouritz Botha
Geoff Parling

Ian Evans
Donnacha Ryan

Mike McCarthy

Second Row is another where not many have put there hands up. Let me say now, that if Paul O'Connell plays any amount of minutes in at least two matches before April 30th, no matter what matches they are, I think he should go. He is a man that commands respect, and a titan of the game. His leadership and experience would be vital and lift everyone on tour. Richie Gray just needs to show something small to show that playing on two losing teams hasnt affected him. After that there are places up for grabs. Kellock is a fantastic line-out operator, Ryan is a great tackler and workhorse. Last year I thought Lawes was a certainity, but now he can't get in the team. Launchbury could be a bolter and has impressed.

The second row race is wide open, and any good performances will not go unnoticed.

BackRow


Kelly Brown
Johnnie Beattie

Chris Robshaw
Tom Wood
Ben Morgan

Justin Tipuric
Sam Warburton
Toby Faletau

Peter O'Mahony
Chris Henry
Jamie Heaslip
Stephen Ferris

There is so much competition for places in the back row. All 4 home nations captains are back rowers. And with Sean O'Brien almost guaranteed a place in the touring party, and Dan Lydiate another certainity, it's likely that one of the captains won't be picked. On blindside, Fez if fit travels. Same sort of reasoning as Paulie. And with Lydiate there too, it doesn't leave too much for another blindside. Kelly Brown can cover all positions, but is mostly a 6. I think he'd be a great person to tour, as captain of the midweek side and performing well with Saracens.

I don't think Chris Robshaw is a 7. Nor do I think he is a backrower. He has some leadership skills, without great decision making skills, tackles a lot, but isnt that effective at ballcarrying as a back rower could be. In my eyes he is a short second row.

Conventional Opensides are essential, which leaves Tipuric, Warburton and Ross Rennie. I'd include Henry and O'Donnell, but then I'm just being irish. They won't go.

Jamie Heaslip probably has the most cushiest of positions of the captains. There arent too many 8s in contention, Ben Morgan needs a good showing, and Faletau needs to rediscover form. Beattie has performed well recently to give him a shout, but Heaslip is a distance ahead.

not including: Sean O'Brien



Scrumhalf

Greg Laidlaw



Danny Care
Ben Youngs
Mike Phillips
Conor Murray

Another position where no contender has pushed ahead. Care is possibly the best, but discipline problems cost him. And he isn't starting giving Youngs an advantage. It'll be interesting to see how Laidlaw goes at 9, or if Pyrgos gets a go. Laidlaw's versatility may help his cause. Murray needs to improve substantially. He is too similiar a player to Phillips for me to take both. I'd prefer to have complimenting scrumhalves, and Murray is behind Phillips for me. Saturday will be a test for both.

Out Half

Dan Biggar

James Hook

Owen Farrell

Toby Flood

Freddie Burns

Jonny is nailed on test spot. Farrell has been showing the most promise too, and will probably travel as he can cover centre too. It'll be between himself and Hook for that slot, and it looks like Hook wont start. Biggar has a big chance with Priestland out. I'm a fan of Biggar and think he can do it. Burns has the potential to be a bolter, but whether he gets a chance is another thing. I'd love to see it.

not including: Jonathan Sexton

Inside Centre

Billy Twelvetrees

Brad Barritt

I love the idea of bringing Billy Twelvetrees. If he can show that he is able for this level then I would bring him. He would offer a different attacking option to bring on instead of Jamie Roberts or Jonathan Davies or whoever plays 12. Brad Barritt wasn't rated by me at first, but he is solid in defence, and not totally useless in attack, a promising campaign for either helps their cause.

not including: Jamie Roberts

Outside Centre

Brian O'Driscoll

Manu Tuilagi

It seems strange to include the great man as needing a big campaign. It'll be his last, and his presence lifts players much like Paulie. A good campaign could see him as captain.

not including: Jonathan Davies

Wingers

Tim Visser

Sean Maitland

Chris Ashton

Alex Cuthbert

George North

Craig Gilroy

Simon Zebo

Luke Fitzgerald

Eli Walker

Another area where we are blessed with such outrageously talented options. I mean, pick 4 of those players, not forgetting Tommy Bowe, and you have 4 great wingers that would grace any Lions squad. Big campaigns needed to get on the plane, and further competition right up until test time.

If it were up to me, I would try and bring as much balance and have wingers offering different things. Gilroy and North are both quality players, but bring different threats to the team. 

Fullback

Stuart Hogg

Rob Kearney

Ben Foden

Mike Brown

Alex Goode

Lee Byrne

Just like the wingers, except there are two main contenders. Kearney hasn't been himself since he's been back, so a good tournament will help him. Apart from that, the others have all displayed versatility, and all are extremely talented. It's a surprise Foden wasn't in the 23 for England. It's going to be a tight race.

not including: Leigh Halfpenny

My touring squad;

Cian Healy, Ryan Grant, Gethin Jenkins,

Rory Best, Richard Hibbard, Richardt Strauss / Dylan Hartley

Adam Jones, Dan Cole, Euan Murray

Gray, Hines, Launchbury , O'Connell/ Kellock

O'Brien, Ferris / Brown , Lydiate

Warburton, Tipuric,

Heaslip, Beattie,

Phillips, Youngs, Care,

Sexton, Biggar, Farrell,

Twelvetrees, Roberts,

O'Driscoll, Davies,

Halfpenny, Bowe/ Visser, North, Gilroy/ Fitzgerald, Maitland

Kearney, Hogg, Goode

I know there are question marks there, especially in the back three. And I want 36 to go. Apart from that, I'd be confident of 90% of those travelling.

Back three, second row and back row are the toughest.

My Article on HOR2

 http://harpin2.blogspot.ie/2013/01/plight-of-earls.html

Some regular readers of my blog may have noticed that I'm harsh on a number of players, including Keith Earls.

 

Having been asked to explain my reasoning’s behind it on twitter, I thought 140 characters isn't enough to probably get my whole point across.

 

When Earls burst onto the scene in 2008, he was the new saviour of Irish rugby, the heir apparent to Brian O'Driscoll, someone we could hang all our hopes on. He was so impressive with his natural running lines and quick feet that he found his way onto the plane for the Lions in 2009.

 

Since then though, he hasn't progressed too much. He's still has electric pace, and a touch of quick step about him, but the cutting edge that used to produce line break after line break seems to have been figured out by defences.

 

Maybe that's because he isn't getting enough help from others to put him into space, or because that seems to be his only attacking move. His performances for Munster still earn him a lot of credit, but a lot of those "good performances" only involve looking dangerous with ball in hand without providing a proper cutting edge.

 

Earls strikes me as a technically gifted footballer, but one that seems to lack the brains to adapt his game and still provide a cutting edge.

 

His defence is improving, but not enough in the last few years. He still gets caught out, especially at 13, one thinks of Manu Tuilagi in particular rolling over him. As a young pretender it's forgivable, but he hasn't bulked up too much since then and his tackling isn't good enough.

 

Yes he can play lots of positions, but with the quality that Ireland have in the 3/4 line, he isn't needed there anymore. Others coming through can cover other positions like Zebo (Side note: I'd be really interested to see what Zebo can do from 13; he really impressed at 15, and seems to be more effective when running with the ball in the middle of the pitch) and Gilroy covering full back and wing, with Fitzgerald able to play right across the back line and McFadden being a centre playing on the wing.

 

In conclusion, there is no denying Earls talent, but I’m maybe questioning a bit of his know how. He needs to be given a wakeup call; much like Stephen Ferris, Tommy Bowe or even Luke Fitzgerald was at various stages of their career. And look how they turned out. And Earls isn't the only one in the current Irish set up that needs a wakeup call.

6 Nations for A teams.

A Thought occurred to me while watching the Wolfhounds on Friday; Why do they only play one or two matches a year?

It seems ludicrous, for some of the younger players, it's a step up from the Pro 12 and a potentially vital stepping stone for their developments. Then an idea occurred to me;

Why not have a 6 Nations for the A teams?

This would help developing players play at a higher level, it would mean most of them keep match fit in the event of an injury which would allow for more rotation in squads.

The games could be played midweek or on the off weekends or like last Friday.

As was pointed out to me by Kate McEvoy why not try and incorporate other full teams in the competition like Russia, Georgia or Spain, as not all 6 Nations sides have an A side. Think Wolfhounds, Saxons, Scotland A and the three mentioned. Benefits both the promotion of rugby and the developing players in Scotland, Ireland and England.

IRB get on it.

Irish Squad

I didn't think I'd make a post about this, but a lot of people have been getting worked up about it so I thought I might as well.

First off - Deccie has avoided making two decisions in selecting 6 props, so controversy must rain supreme when he finally makes the call tomorrow. Sidenote: What is the wisdom in naming a 33 man squad only to cut it two days later?

The Second row resources are slim anyway, so it's no surprise that Toner is in there as a 4th choice. Odds are he'll be cut anyway so chill out. Henderson and McLaughlin are there covering.

Which is probably the only reason why McLaughlin can be included after not being in the original 39 man squad. How he's ahead of Tommy O'Donnell on merit is beyond me.

Trimble is a harsh call, especially as his physicality might be needed against the Welsh, but I thought he was poor on Friday, and would have been caught out of line if the Saxons could have made the most of it.

It seems illogical to have only 2 scrum halves, but I think that more points to the fact that in Kidney's head there are the top two and then a gap.

Beyond that, It's great to see Dave McSharry involved in a 33 man squad, while it's unlikely he will be in tomorrow's announcement, hopefully he'll get some gametime against Italy or Scotland.

In terms of the 23 man squad, there are 5 main points of interest;

1. Picking the back row; Heaslip and O'Brien are certainties. Deccie isn't a "horses for courses" type selection maker, but I would have Henry in there as Wales are likely to pick Warburton and Tipuric and all skills will be needed on the deck. That said, O'Mahony isn't too shabby on the deck, and the loser will definitely see some game time. With O'Mahony more likely to make an impact off the bench.

2. Picking the back three; Kearney is guaranteed, although his form isn't as good as he can be. 2 from Zebo, Gilroy, Fitzgerald, Earls and McFadden will start as wingers with one on the bench. I wouldn't have Earls anywhere near it, and for positional cover himself or Luke should be involved. Zebo is just off a hat trick, and Gilroy shone in the last Irish game. I get the feeling the McFadden isnt well liked by Kidney anyway. I'd have Zebo and Fitzgerald with Gilroy on the bench, but I think Earls will be involved because not many have realised how bad he is yet.

3. Props; By selecting Kilcoyne and Court and Bent and Fitzpatrick, Kidney has delayed making a decision on the back up props. Tighthead has to be Fitzpatrick based on Bent's awfulness. He hasn't had a lot of game time, but it can only be him. Please. I'm fearful it won't. Otherwise Kilcoyne or Court? I really don't mind, I like Kilcoyne a lot, and have been impressed with Court. I hope both get some time over the competition, but thats a fools wish.

4. Outhalf
Back up to Sexton is an important call. I'm including this because I know there are calls for Jackson to be there instead of Sexton, but to be honest, while I think it shouldn't be O'Gara, I feel it shouldn't be Jackson more. Especially for Wales. I wouldn't feel comfortable with Jackson coming on with a tight game, especially with no Ruan Pienaar to guide him from nine.

Future Irish Options at Outhalf

With Ronan O'Gara's career seemingly winding down, It's time to look at the pretenders to his throne on the bench of the Irish squad.

With the wolfhounds showcasing all three on the pitch at once before the start of the 6 Nations, it seems like a great place to start. I will also look at recent performances from each during the 6 Nations for their province.

Paddy Jackson is the only one of the three that seems to have cemented his place for his provincial side, and therefore seems to be ahead of the other two (rightly or wrongly, it's sound logic).

A clear indicator for how I think they should be ordered came when all of them were on the pitch against the Saxons. Jackson at 10, Keatley at 12 and Madigan at 15. At least in theory, those were the positions that they were meant to play.

Madigan seemed to want to be first receiver, and demanded the ball at every occasion. He also took over kicking to the corner duties. When the chance came to step up and take responsibility came (as would be expected from a ten), Madigan wanted it more than Jackson or Keatley.

In terms of their respective talents, Jackson sits very deep behind the gainline, has a decent eye for a kick to touch, with a respective pass. His goalkicking hasn't been impressive, with Pienaar taking over the duties midway through the season. He seems to have leadership qualities, with captaining the under 20s at last years 6 Nations. Although what was more indicating was the upturn in the 20's fortunes when Jackson didn't feature in the JWC.

Jackson impressed me on his debut. He showed me a lot in open play that I didn't think he was capable of. This makes me a lot more comfortable about him in the future. He deserves to keep his place for the French game.

Madigan is a bit of a flaky character. Ever since I've seen him in schools rugby, I've thought his temperament was poor, he has a habit of choking, and is not a good placekicker. Maybe that's just me being a "little" bias. But he looked the least likely of most academy graduates to make it. I've watched him feature through the years, displaying the poor goalkicking, but not being given a chance in many games to show whether he can handle the pressure now. His attitude has been questioned in the past, in a similiar way to Andrew Conway.


However, this season in particular, Madigan has shown a natural running game, and has one of the most wonderful passes a flyhalf has ever seen. He has a tendency to go for running options that aren't on, but while this is receding, at least he has the cajones to go for it. He has shown a willingness to improve and is capable of some piece of magic - something which Jackson, for all his solidity, doesn't look like doing.

He has shown improvements in goalkicking in recent seasons which is encouraging, but is still behind Keatley, and has shown a significant improvement on defence too.

Ian Keatley however seems the best goalkicker of the three, based on his percentages. Learning under O'Gara means he will learn how to control the game and kick for the corner, but he seems to natural want to run and pass it.

One thing that strikes me about Keatley is that he is very inconsistent. He has games like the one against the Wolfhounds, or when he came on against Edinburgh in round 5 where he is ineffective and has no bearing on the game. He lets other backs come into first receiver too often.
Then when I start to form this opinion of him, he plays like he did against Racing Metro in round 6 (albeit against a poor Racing side), where he was everywhere, creating and pulling defenders each way and was one of Munsters best performers.

He hasn't been getting the opportunites for Munster recently as O'Gara has been battling to remain in the squad and this has counted against him. I fear he may have missed his opportunity as the oldest challenger between these three.Next season will be huge for him and he needs to become Munster's no 1.

Bottom line; Jackson gets most game time, but is limited. He's shown some glimpses of more attacking prowess recently, but needs to work on it and will probably prove me wrong. Keatley is too inconsistent and more likely to be bad than good, and Madigan creates more, but question marks over attitude and bottle.

Madigan seems the best of the three in my mind; but with even younger stars Stuart Olding and JJ Hanrahan coming through, he may not be best for long.

Wolfhounds vs Saxons

It was a strange match last night in the Sportsground. I found it mildly entertaining, but there was only one linebreak for each side.

There wasn't many outstanding performances, but players impressed, especially on defence.

For me, George Ford was man of the match. He was outstanding. You can tell immediately that there is something about him. For a 20 year old to have so much game management, and be able to attack the line when it presents. He's a special talent. I was impressed with him whenever I've seen him, from U 20's games, and it looks like he's stepped up again. I'd put him in the EPS squad now. There is a serious argument for starting him. Now with Farrell and Burns impressing recently, that won't happen. But maybe it should.

More on that in another post I think.

Not many others of the Saxons impressed, mostly because they weren't allowed with some ferocious defending from the Wolfhounds.

I've been critical of Paddy Jackson's tackling in the past, but with each game he looks less and less ROG like in that regard, and Darren Cave coming up on the defensive line quickly and effectively and Dave McSharry tackling like a beast, the Saxons potent backline didn't get a chance to display its class.

Tommy O'Donnell continued his rapid rise, and along with Dave McSharry, were the two most impressive in defence.

Robbie Henshaw looked impressive under a high ball, and seems comfortable at this level, and Luke Fitzgerald edged the battle between himself and Trimble.

The most interesting aspect of the match was the battle of the props, and the outhalfs.

Kilcoyne didn't get much of a chance, and neither did Court really. It was obvious that the directive from the off was a half each, but that was a little unfair on Kilcoyne given that the trouble with Bent meant he didnt have a chance. It's still up for grabs between these two. Hopefully both will get minutes in the 6 Nations.

As for Bent, he is atrocious. But so atrocious that he needs a post all on his own.

What I found most interesting from the game was that Kidney felt the need to have the next 3 out halfs on the field at once. With Jackson not running the game completely, and being outclassed by Ford, Keatley was anonymous when he came on. But Madigan, for all the criticism I have sent his way, seemed to step up and assume responsibility. He was the only one of the three that went looking for work, and nearly produced a try for Henderson. Maybe he was buoyed by the news from earlier about Sexton, but Madigan looked to me to be the best of the three. And he wanted it more.

It's been obvious that he is the most likely to make something happen compared to the safety of Jackson or Keatley.

Interesting game nonetheless, and plenty to ponder.

Lions certainties

Before the start of the 6 Nations, I wanted to do a few posts on the Lions; starting with who I think is a certainity to either a) go, and b) start in the text XV.

Starters.
1. Cian Healy
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Heaslip
9.
10. Sexton
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

That might be my Irish bias talking, but let me explain those.

Jonathan Sexton is the Lions 10, injury permitting. That's probably the only call that everyone in Europe agrees on, and he's in good form.

Being a 6 Nations captain gives you a boost to travel, and with not much alternatives in the number 8 shirt, Heaslip is almost a shoo in.

Cian Healy has been phenomenal so far this season, and with Jenkins his nearest challenger not getting enough gametime in Toulon, and Andrew Sheridan not certain of making with no English appearances, there is no one to stop him.

Other near certainities to travel include;

Rory Best, given the strength of the Irish hookers, and the leadership qualities that Best brings, he will certainly travel. I'm not backing Hartley to go, as I think he has too many disciplinary problems to be considered a definite.

Dan Cole and Adam Jones, both will go, but there is huge competition between these two for the test spot which is why I left it open.
Richie Gray, before the season, I had Gray as one of the few definites, but he has been involved in two poor teams which might affect him. Remains to be seen.

Paul O'Connell, less likely to go due to injuries, but I maintain that his presence on the tour would lift everyone, worth bringing if he can prove he can last a few games.

Sean O'Brien, He should start, but it's a question of where, depends on the other options in the back row, although there is a distinct possibility he mightn't due to
Stephen Ferris, who starts if he's 50% fit. What a colossus this man is. Thing is, he is rarely that fit.
Kelly Brown, I think Brown is a super player. Although he is one of the names mentioned here that I don't think will start in the test team. His presence on the touring squad would be a positive one, and I see him as a potential midweek captain.

Owen Farrell will probably go given his good form recently, and his ability to cover the centers. He's nowhere near Sexton though, and there aren't too many other 10's. This all depends if he starts in the 6Nations.

There are so many quality wingers in contention to go, so I don't want to name one that definitely will, but probably George North is ahead of everyone else at the moment.

Brian O'Driscoll, like Ferris and POC, if BOD is fit, he goes. His presence raises those around him. Jonathan Davies is pushing him hard for a test spot though.
Jonathan Davies, With the man above him meaning his XV place isn't guaranteed, I foresee at least one game where one of them places 12.

Rob Kearney and Leigh Halfpenny. Halfpenny has had an amazing year in the presence of mediocrity by his teammates at all levels. Kearney is just back from injury and would have been my front runner. Both will go, but it's close after that.

Irish Wolfhounds Squad

England Saxon's squad

This is shaping up to be some game. I've thought for a while that the Saxons seem to play with some freedom and impressiveness that they often perform better than the actual English sides.

Especially with some outstanding young talent coming through like George Ford, Christian Wade and Elliot Daly, backing up some known performers like Charlie Sharples, Tom Palmer and Louis Deacon.

As for the Irish selection; there are several things that we can take from the selection in terms of the upcoming 6 nations, and a number of things to watch out for come Friday.

The role of backup loosehead is very much up for grabs. We are in a fortunate enough position to have three good quality looseheads, with Healy out in front. Penney's calls for Kilcoyne to be a Lion might be a little premature, but not discounted. Both Court and Kilcoyne have been impressive recently, and whoever impresses more on Friday, should if given any game time, make a good case for Lions inclusion. I presume it'll be a half each, but if one gets more time than the other it might hint to which way Kidney is thinking.

At hooker, it's obvious that Cronin is now Best's backup, and rightly so. And with Sherry head and shoulders above Varley at Munster, thats how that order should stay. Interesting to see Sherry in a slightly higher level.

This is the first time that Bent has competition to Ross's backup as Fitzpatrick was injured in November. Similar to the looseheads, I would expect a half each, but again, anything different would suggest a leaning towards one over the other.

With two second rows picked, and three left in the main squad, there doesn't seem to be much to play for here. Especially with the Munster pair's impressive form, and McCarthy's performances in November. What is interesting is who shall be the replacement second row for the Wolfhounds. It looks to me that Henderson might be given a go to see what he's like in secondrow in front of the Irish management.

As mentioned, with 3 blindside flankers included in a squad of 23, it seems Henderson, or possibly McLaughlin is picked to cover lock. The 4 back rows left in the first team seem to be the 4 for the squad. Which will be an interesting call. It's good to finally see  O'Donnell get a chance to impress. And who knows, maybe Coughlan will prove me wrong and show some talent.

At 9, Reddan and Murray seem miles ahead of Marshall and Boss. Kidney doesnt seem interested in Boss, despite his good form recently. Hopefully Marshall gets a good chance to shine.

I don't understand the thought process behind having three outhalfs in a squad of 23. It seems Jackson is ahead of Madigan who is ahead of Keatley. Whoever is covering 15 between Madigan and Keatley is at a disadvantage.

The inclusion of Fitzgerald and Trimble, even for match fitness, seem to suggest that Zebo and Gilroy are ahead of them. Which is an interesting call. Possible that McFadden is ahead of them aswell.

Also seems that Earls is ahead of Cave in the backup to O'Driscoll, which is also a questionable call.

Lastly, delighted to see McSharry and Henshaw, will be interesting to see them in the company of better players.

Wolfhounds:

1. Court, Kilcoyne
2. Sherry, Varley
3. Bent , Fitzpatrick
4. Stevenson
5. Toner
6. Henderson, McLaughlin, Ruddock
7. O'Donnell
8. Coughlan
9. Boss, Marshall
10. Jackson, Keatley, Madigan
11. Fitzgerald
12. McSharry
13. Cave
14. Trimble
15. Henshaw

Main Squad

1. Healy
2. Best, Cronin
3. Ross
4.O'Callaghan
5. McCarthy, Ryan
6. O'Brien
7. Henry
8. Heaslip, O'Mahony
9. Murray, Reddan
10. O'Gara, Sexton
11. Zebo
12. D'Arcy, McFadden
13. Earls, O'Driscoll
14. Gilroy
15. Kearney

Irish options.

With a number of people suggesting that Declan Kidney's job is under threat, one of the things he focused on  when he got the job was to develop a squad.

Has he achieved this?

1. Loosehead.

At loosehead, we have a certain starter in Healy, who will be in place for a number of years, and two good quality back ups in Dave Kilcoyne and Tom Court.

Compare that to 2008 when Kidney took charge, and the only loosehead option was Marcus Horan and Ireland are in unusual rude health in this position.

2. Hooker

Ireland always have had a number of quality hookers, but maybe not at the same time, with Keith Wood and the incumbent when Kidney arrived, Flannery, springing to mind.

Now, perhaps we have more options, more diverse options. But one retains the feeling that they aren't at the same level as Flannery.

Best and Strauss are battling for the starting spot, with Cronin a valuable option, and Mike Sherry backing that up.

I get the feeling that in other times Sherry might have been a valuable addition to the squad, but this strength suggests now is not the time for him.

3. Tighthead

Then there was John Hayes and the ultimately failed test of Tony Buckley.

Now it's Mike Ross, and the test of Michael Bent.

Par for the course I think

4. Second Rows

2008 saw O'Callaghan and O'Connell in the prime of their careers, with Malcolm O'Kelly and Mick O'Driscoll backing them up.

Now would see O'Connell and Ryan, being backed up by McCarthy and Tuohy.

There are more options behind that now, and with the aim being to establish more choice, that's possibly a good thing, even though the starters are probably weaker now than then.

6. Blindside Flanker

2008: Denis Leamy with Simon Easterby as back up. Stephen Ferris had long since been discarded. Scary thought that eh?

Now: Fez walks into the team, with Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony in direct back up, and Ruddock, McLaughlin, Muldoon and others in behind.

Now is more better.

7. Openside

08: David Wallace with no back up.

Now: Chris Henry, but with Sean O'Brien being put "out of position". Tommy O'Donnell has finally been called up which would suggest he is next in line.


Victory for 08.

8.

Then and Now: Jamie Heaslip, who is undoubtedly a better player now. And with O'Mahony providing quality cover, now wins hands down.

9. Scrum half

Then Reddan and Stringer were fighting it out, with Tomas O'Leary about to come in.

Now, Murray has usurped Reddan, with Marshall squeezing into third ahead of Boss and Marmion.

Reddan hasn't improved much, and Murray isn't a great option at the moment with time to improve. It's hard to pick a clear winner here.

10 Out half

Ronan O'Gara with Paddy Wallace as back up

Sexton at the height of his powers, with O'Gara performing backup and Jackson and Madigan approaching, Keatley is next in line after impressing yesterday.

For having backup, now wins comfortably.

11. Left Wing:

Then: Kearney.
Now: I'm putting my neck out and saying that Gilroy will be first choice 11 when all players return. Fitzgerald and Zebo might have something to say about that.

With the backup talent at the wings at the moment, now is significantly better prepared.

12.
Trimble
Now: D'Arcy.

With D'Arcy being injured, and Trimble being found out as not a centre but really a very good winger, now shades it. Backup in the same of Luke Marshall and Dave McSharry and Fergus McFadden add to this.

13.

O'Driscoll vs O'Driscoll.
Back up was Trimble vs Earls/Cave.

Hard to pick a winner here, but I think 2013 edition would cope better with O'Driscoll then 08.

14. Right wing

Geordan Murphy vs Tommy Bowe, with Trimble as back up.

The fact that a fullback is up against the legend that is Bowe shows how much of victory it is for the current squad.

15. Fullback

Dempsey, with Murphy and Kearney as back up.

Kearney with Henshaw and Zebo as back up.

Victory for 2008.

Results

2008 3 - 10 2013 with 2 splits

Say what you will, a squad is being developing, and Kidney should be congratulated about it.

Review of the provinces weekend

First weekend that all Irish Provinces win. Ever. That's something all Irish Rugby fans should be proud of.

Connacht just scraped through on Friday against Zebre, in what was a really boring match. It was hard to concentrate on it, and with Quins and Biarritz with slight relevance to the permutations.

However, from what I did see, Henshaw performed with confidence that one gets with their first call up to the national squad, and O'Hallorhan continued his great form. He can't be too far away.

Ulster also looked lethargic, but should be boosted by winning for the first time in France, especially with so many key players out; Nick Williams, Johann Muller, Dan Tuohy, Stephen Ferris, Tommy Bowe and Jared Payne. I can't help get the feeling that while that depth is impressive, if anything were to happen to Ruan Pienaar, they would really struggle.

Looking forward to the Heineken quarters for them, they have a great chance away to Saracens in the quarters and possibly hosting Toulon who were so bad against Montpeiller on Saturday or Leicester, who they've beaten before. A second final in a row is a likely possibility. Hopefully too, as I've tickets this year.

Munster looked a different team in the space of a week. It looked like they had the 13 changes. They went from being absolutely awful against a worse Edinburgh "team", to looking like world beaters today. People like Simon Zebo and Conor Murray finally stepped up. They showed that Penney's plan can work, and they looked dangerous at all times.

The have the potential for a great team with a core of young players stepping up, with Kilcoyne, Sherry, Ryan, O'Mahony, O'Donnell, Murray, Keatley and Zebo showing well today. They all need to be more consistent, which is the next challenge for these guys. And they have Stander, Butler and JJ Hanrahan in particular to come through. The future could be bright, but need more consistency. 

I've always thought the difference between a good player and a great player isn't how they are at the top of their game, it's what they are like when not on form. Conor Murray is a good player, who when playing badly, nearly becomes a liability. But someone like Zebo, or Heaslip, who has been getting a lot of criticism, still affects the games in a positive way when they are playing badly. Munster need their good young players to develop into these great players.

As for their European hopes, Quins aren't the toughest side left in the competition, but they have improved since Munsters last meeting with them. It'll be extremely tough, but not impossible. What is impossible, is for this Munster side to get a result against Clermont, in Clermont in the semi's were they to get there.

As for Leinster, It's a case of what could have been. From the lack of bonus points in their first two games, to not capitalising away to Clermont when the games was their. Hopefully they'll go for the Amlin, mostly because I also have tickets to that.

As for their match, they got the 4 tries, but it should have been more. It was like last week, in that they weren't as clinical as they needed to be, even coming away with the 4 tries. And the defence wasn't what it should have been, with Exeter still in the game themselves. 

I don't  know if that's a great team playing badly, or a bad team playing well for Leinster. They looked dangerous again, but rusty. And switched off too much to allow Exeter a chance to win the game with 5 minutes remaining.

Heineken Cup issues

With the excitement of the Heineken Cup reaching boiling point, it's a sad backdrop to think this competition is threatened with the English and French clubs wanting change.

Those clubs are challenging the rights of the Italian and Scottish teams that automatically qualify for the Heineken Cup and who get more money per team than the English and French teams who they maintain bring all the money to the competition. All of which makes 100% sense.

However, some of their suggestions for reform are too drastic, too unfair in the other direction, and are designed to losing some of the magic of the Heineken Cup.

And there are things about the Heineken Cup that make it the best competition in all of sport. There are few competitions that generate a huge amount of excitement with each match day  One of the main reasons for this is the way nothing is decided about qualifying from pools until every game is played.

This comes about from two reasons; 1. The top placed winner plays the 8th seed in the quarters at the home of the top seed, and so on. This ensures that even if a team has qualified from their pool, that they still put out strong teams and keep going in every game. Personally, I think this is a great idea, and should be incorporated into other competitions, like the Rugby World Cup, and other sports, like the Champions League. Think how much more exciting it would be if the Champions League had the top teams playing their best team for 6 group games and not just 4 and 2 with reserves.

The second bit of magic about the Heineken Cup is the state of second place teams in the competition. Not having a number of pools to allow for just winners, or both winners and second place, means that more teams are watching every pool. Which means fans are more interested in all games, and not just games that concern their team. Having 6 pools, with 2 second place qualifying and 3 going to the Amlin, is great for both competitions.

In any re-structuring of the competition, I believe these are key components that need to be kept.

Therefore, the proposition of reducing the competition from 24 to 20 teams will mean it won't be 6 pools of 4 anymore. Putting one of those components at risk. It could be 4 pools of 5, which means all second place qualify, which is a disaster, or 5 pools of 4. This would mean, 3 second place teams qualify, and potentially the top 3rd team qualify for the Amlin, which might be a bit much, but isn't a disaster. It's not as good as 6 pools, so my preference would be to keep 24 teams.

Qualification as it happens now is as follows (from wikipedia) :

22 places are awarded by country, with each country deciding how to allocate their allotted places:

England: six teams (selected by performance in Aviva Premiership and Anglo-Welsh Cup)
France: six teams (selected by performance in Top 14 Championship)
Ireland: three teams (selected by performance in Pro 12)
Wales: three teams (selected by performance in Pro 12)
Scotland: two teams (selected by participation in Pro 12)
Italy: two teams (selected by participation in Pro 12)

Starting with the 2009–10 season, the remaining two places in the 24-team tournament for the following season are filled by the winners of the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup. If a trophy winner has already qualified for the Heineken Cup by virtue of its league position, that country will receive an extra Heineken Cup place (assuming that the country has an extra team that can take up a place; Scotland has only two top-level professional teams, as does Italy since the 2010–11 season). However, England and France are capped at seven Heineken Cup places each. If either country produces the winners of both European cups, the last place will be filled by the highest ERC-ranked club not of that nation to not have otherwise qualified. The latter rule also applies if one of Scotland's two Pro 12 teams wins a European trophy.


The problem with this is that is allows Pro 12 teams a free ride in, and means their proportion of money is heavily in their favour.

There is room for manoeuvre in this aspect. If the English and French teams got an extra team each, with potential for more, and the Pro12 got 7 teams total, with 1 from each country guaranteed and the rest from the highest place finish. Guaranteeing more of a competitive Pro 12, while still having teams from different countries, which is important.

This has 21 spots, with an extra two based on before with winners from the Heineken and Amlin Cups, and potentially pick the best team from outside these countries in an attempt to widen the rugby horizon. Which is what rugby is all about.

Best uncapped Irish team

I thought with 6 new uncapped players in the Irish squad, and the talk about preparing for the future, that I'd have a look at a some of the better uncapped players around Ireland at the moment. One thing I noticed doing this is that not many players are uncapped anymore.

For this team, I'm looking at a potential Irish team for the future, with one rule, they can't be capped. Some choices may have better alternatives that are uncapped, but I'm thinking long-term potential over current ability.

15. Jared Payne / Robbie Henshaw

Probably one of the hardest choices. The immediate class of Payne vs the huge ability of Henshaw. With Payne uncapped and qualifying next year, I can't judge him on his current ability, but of his ability in a year and whether I think he will still be as good.

And he probably will.

14. Tiernan O'Hallorhan

I'm a huge fan of O'Hallorhan. He's been in good form recently, and deserves further recognition within the Irish set-up. He was one of the few players in the hammering against Quins to come out with his head held high. One for the future definitely.

Mentions: Luke O'Dea

13. Eoin O'Malley

Hopefully O'Malley will stay injury-free for a while, and start delivering on some immense potential that he always shows when he gets a chance behind BOD.

Mention: Danny Barnes

12. Luke Marshall

Those who know me know how much I wax lyrical about Marshall. I think this kid has it all. The ability to play ten, therefore kicking and playmaking skills. A good pass. Very solid defence, and breakdown skills. He's like moulding D'Arcy and O'Gara. And he's only young and improving. I love the idea of having two players that can mix and match at first receiver.

11.  Niall Morris

Niall Morris has been impressing me this season. He's getting a lot of gametime at Leicester, which is no mean feat. It's been no surprise that there was talk of Leinster trying to entice him back. I wouldn't be surprised to see him feature for the Wolfhounds soon.

10. JJ Hanrahan

Right, so I've gone with potential here. JJ is good. He will make it. At 10 or 12. And I think Marshall is a better 12 then anyone coming up at 10. Nominated for IRB young player of the tournament at last years JWC. Says it all really. Needs to kick on soon.

9. Michael Heaney/ Luke McGrath / Paul Marshall / Kieran Marmion

Lots of candidates here. Probably the hardest pick. I'd have Heaney over Marshall, mostly because they seem similar, and Heaney is 7 years younger and can grow. I've seen Luke McGrath grow up through school and he looks like something special. But I have to give it to Kieran Marmion. He has been playing this season as though he were a veteran. Oozes class and this should be recognised.

1. Denis Buckley / Jack McGrath

Denis Buckley has impressed in better company in the Pro 12 and H Cup this year, but I have a sneaky feeling Jack McGrath has more about him. He regularly captains the Leinster A side, suggesting a bit of leadership about him. But with Buckley getting more gametime, I probably should go with him.

2.  Niall Annett

Captain of the 20's last year hasn't looked out of place when playing for Ulster this year. Solid throwing and offering himself around the pitch. Great future ahead of him

Mention: Mike Sherry

3. Martin Moore

This guy has been making waves in the Leinster academy, and with the absence of decent potential coming through. Want to see more of him

Mention: Stephen Archer

4. Lewis Stevenson

It's great to see Stevenson getting recognised for a great performance last week. Looked the part and squeezes ahead of others yet to show how good they can be.

Mention: Ben Marshall, Mick Kearney

5. Quinn Roux

What a talent this guy is. Even though we haven't seen much of him in a Leinster shirt. SA are very upset he has left, and he looked impressive in the 20 minutes I saw ahead of that horrific fall. Clear winner.

6. Jordi Murphy

Jordi has exploded this year with some great performances, putting pressure on Ruddock, Ryan and McLaughlin. Conceivable that he could be a great in a few years.

7. Tommy O'Donnell

If not for the injuries that have blighted his career. What an impact he has had this season. Upstaged CJ Stander on his impressive debut, and has kicked on. Big year for him, should be involved in the 39 man squad.

Mentions: Dominic Ryan / Sean Dougall

8. CJ Stander

What a fantastic talent. This guy would be a Bok already if he hadn't left. Super talent, and I think his best position is at 8. With Butler coming through you might see more of him at 6, or potentially 7. But this guy oozes class, and will be a leadership figure in years to come.

Mention:  Paddy Butler

15. Payne, 14. O'Hallorhan, 13. O'Malley, 12. Marshall, 11. Morris, 10. Hanrahan, 9. Marmion, 1. Buckley, 2. Annett, 3. Moore, 4. Stevenson, 5. Roux, 6. Murphy, 7. O'Donnell, 8. Stander

Irish 6 Nations Squad

With the Irish 6 nations squad being announced, I thought, as I usually do, to have a crack at naming my team.

Before I do, I think the set up that England have, with an EPS, and a Saxon squad announcement seems to be a good way to go, and that is the set up I'm going to have.

Personally, I would have 38 in any squad, with at least two in each position, with extra prop, hooker, second row, back row, scrumhalf, outhalf, centre and back three.

However, I think Deccie usually names less, and it's an awkward number like 31 or 33.

First off, the guaranteed members of the squad are: Healy, Best, Ross, Ryan, McCarthy, O'Brien, Heaslip, Sexton, O'Driscoll, D'Arcy, Gilroy, Zebo and Kearney.

This leaves 20 places.

One of the spots is a direct toss up between Dave Kilcoyne and Tom Court. Heck, Deccie might even name both. Both have been in good form, and both played very well at the weekend, with Tom Court in particular destroying the Glasgow scrum. However, with the memory of Twickenham, I think Court is behind Kilcoyne at the moment.

With Strauss only just returning from injury next week, and Cronin being in great form, Cronin has to be named as 2nd choice behind Best. Although Best hasn't been in the best form, Ali Kellock profiting from some less than impressive throwing on Friday night. Mike Sherry has been in decent form and should be the alternative should Kidney decide Strauss isn't ready.

Back up to Ross is a bit of a problem. Bent seemed to have fixed the problem, but his less than impressive showings since the internationals have us doubting him, again. Declan Fitzpatrick made a long awaited comeback from injury coming off the bench on Friday, so he might sneak back in again. The reality is though, that Deccie will ask Ross to play every game, and 80 minutes as much as possible.

Ryan and McCarthy have the second row slots sown up. With Tuohy injured, another should-be squad member's place is up for grabs. Donnacha O'Callaghan has been in decent form and should be involved, with  the last spot between the impressive Dave O'Callaghan and Devin Toner. Deccie might decide that Iain Henderson will provide enough cover for the second row though.

Blindside flanker has a lot of options, with Sean O'Brien, Kevin McLaughlin and Rhys Ruddock from Leinster, Henderson from Ulster, and O'Mahony from Munster. I don't think Kidney likes McLaughlin, and O'Mahony is a certainity. Leaving a straight duel between Henderson and Ruddock, which Henderson will win in Deccie's eyes. Deccie always brings Muldoon in here too.

Openside will be Henry. His back up could be Tommy O'Donnell, who has impressed recently, and is my shout for a new cap. O'Brien and O'Mahony can cover here too.

Back up for Heaslip is provided by Henry and O'Mahony.

Scrumhalf- Murray is the favourite at the moment, while the public still calls for Marshall, he seems to be no 3 ahead of Boss, who is in the best form out of the Irish scrum-halves. We aren't blessed with talent in this department at the moment. Marmion and Heaney for the future, with Marmion an outside chance here.

With O'Gara's likely citing, Kidney will only call up Jackson as Sexton's back up. Provided Jackson overcomes the injury suffered at the weekend, otherwise the call between Keatley and Madigan is a mystery. One suspects that Kidney chooses Munster when in doubt, and Keatley is probably a safer option. I don't rate either to be honest, although Madigan is probably the better of the two.

With Luke Marshall injured, Paddy Wallace is in with an outside chance of being called back up. He's been in good form. But D'Arcy has been having an Indian summer, and McFadden will provide the cover at 12,

BOD is back. All is well. Unfortunately Earls is his back up. Darren Cave should be, and now his place is in doubt.

Gilroy, Trimble and Zebo are certainties, and Luke Fitzgerald should be, but Deccie isn't a forgiving person so we'll see. McFadden is also here. Also an outside chance for Niall Morris. I think Earls has been fully converted to 13 as well, but you never know with Deccie. If O'Hallorhan's injury isn't serious, I'd have a look at him too. He is a great prospect, being ignored because he's at Connacht. He is in great form too.

Kearney is back. and with Felix Jones performing so badly, Zebo must be the back up here. Hopefully Henshaw can't be far away either.

MY GUESS FOR ACTUAL:

Healy, Kilcoyne, Court
Best, Cronin, Strauss,
Ross, Bent,
Ryan, McCarthy, O'Callaghan,
O'Brien, Henderson,
Henry, O'Donnell
Heaslip, O'Mahony (18)

Murray, Reddan, Marshall
Sexton, Jackson,
D'Arcy, McFadden,
O'Driscoll, Earls,
Gilroy, Zebo, Trimble, Fitzgerald,
Kearney (13)

Wolfhounds Squad: (Won't be as many as players will drop down)
McGrath, Black, Buckley
Sherry, Varley,
Fitzpatrick, Archer
Toner, Dave O'Callaghan, Kearney
Ruddock, Murphy
Dougall, Ryan, Diack
Wilson
Marmion, Boss, Heaney
Keatley, O'Connor, Madigan
McSharry, Allen
Cave, Barnes
O'Hallorhan, Cochrane
Henshaw, Conway

I would love to see people like Niall Annett, Mick Kearney, Sean Dougall, Dominic Ryan, Tiernan O'Hallorhan, Michael Heaney, Kieran Marmion, Dave McSharry involved in the Wolfhounds.

Just a nod from Deccie to say he's noticed them, so we know he's not stupid.

MY SQUAD:

Healy, Kilcoyne, Court
Best, Cronin, Strauss,
Ross, Fitzpatrick
Ryan, McCarthy, Henderson, O'Callaghan
O'Brien, Ruddock,
Henry, O'Donnell,
Heaslip, O'Mahoney
Boss, Reddan, Marmion,
Sexton, Jackson, Madigan,
D'Arcy, McFadden,
O'Driscoll, Cave,
Gilroy, Fitzgerald, Trimble, Zebo,
Kearney, Henshaw

I should explain with the scrumhalves, which I'm not terribly happy about. I would give Boss a spot due to him being in form, same with Marmion, he needs to be rewarded. I would have Marshall in there too, but I don't think there would be enough experience, leaving a shoot-out between off colour Reddan, or someone who needs to go away and learn things in Murray.
A note on Murray, I think he will be good, he just seems stuck in a rut at the moment, and a Tommy Bowe like break from the international scene might give him the kick up the arse he needs.

Wolfhounds:
Court, McGrath, Buckley,
Sherry, Annett,
Fitzpatrick, Bent, Archer
Kearney, Denton, Dave O'Callaghan
Murphy, Ruddock
Ryan, Dougall, O'Donnell
Auva'a, Butler
Heaney, Marshall
Madigan, Olding,
McSharry, Allen
O'Malley, Barnes
O'Hallorhan, Cochrane, O'Dea
Henshaw

Heineken Cup permutations UPDATED

Sky Sport's permutations

Sky give a decent overview of the situation, but don't into too much detail. I've been looking at the remaining fixtures and come up with things that seem likely, or pivotal games for all concerned.

sidenote: This is why the Heineken Cup is such a fantastic competition. So many things to play for even if you are qualified ensures that you don't get meaningless games like you would in the Champions League.

extra thought: Why not incorporate the quarter final draw system into the RWC? It could make things so much more interesting. IT's one of the best things about rugby, why not use that?

Anyway, I digress.

In chronological order:

Friday: Pool 3

RESULT : Harlequins 28 points

Not much to play for on Friday. The only game of note is between Biarritz and Harlequins in Biarritz. Harlequins are already through, and I think have a home quarter final secured, with 24 points and only 3 other teams capable of reaching that total. Biarritz can get a maximum of 19 points which would be enough to put them in the mix. Hopefully Harlequins are aiming for as high a seeding as possible, which would mean two things;

1. Biarritz won't get 19 points and are therefore not going to qualify
2. They seem the "weakest" of the teams likely to get home quarter finals. Which will be relevant later from an Irish P.O.V.

Prediction: Harlequins 28 points.

Saturday: 1.30 GMT Pool 4

Both games seem relevant in terms of teams still mathematically in the competition. Northampton travel to Glasgow needing maximum 5 points to be in with a chance of qualifying on 19 points. One thing against them is their low try tally which stands at 6 at the moment. A 5 pointer brings it to at least 10, but will that be enough? It is a poor Glasgow side, so backing Northampton to get the 4 tries is likely.
The other game in the pool sees Ulster, who have already qualified, travel to Castres. Ulster have never won in France, and need a win to secure a home quarter final. Castres are still mathematically in with a chance, and can qualify with 18 points, but so many things need to go their way, that I'm not going to waste my time or yours. Bonus point win for Ulster guarentees a home quarter, which seems necessary given some of the other ties, but Castres are no mugs, and having never won in France, a bonus point win seems a daunting challenge. It all depends on whether or not Castres are up for it and whether they want a Challenge Cup place or not.

Here's hoping.

Prediction: Ulster 23 points.

3.40 GMT Pool 6

Possibly the most important tie of the round. Scratch that, Definitely the most important tie of the competition so far.

Toulon (23 points, 23 tries) travel to Montpeiller (18 points). Toulon will qualify as at least a second place team, but Montpeiller  can overtake them with a bonus point win and more than 22 points. It seems unlikely.

Toulon only need a point to qualify for a home quarter final, but a bonus point win, almost guarentees them one of the top two seedings, and theoretically an "easier" draw.

If Montepeiller win, or manage to get any points from this game at all, they will squeeze through.

From an Irish point of view, a Toulon bonus point win, by more than 7, and denying Montpeiller 4 tries, both frees up both 2nd place spots, and ensures one of the 2nd place teams play Toulon.

Another, Here's hoping.

Prediction: Toulon 28 points, Montpellier 18 points.

6pm GMT Pool 5

To the Irish provinces, Leinster, 15 points, need at least a win. 19 points might be enough, but with their low try count, 8, they can't be assured of that. At this stage they will know how many 2nd place spots are up for grabs with Montpeiller and Toulon's game having finished.

If Montpeiller lose and don't have more than 20 points, then Leinster qualify with a bonus point win, provided how unlikely it is that Toulouse will get two points in a loss to Leicester (to come). A win without the bonus, might be enough, if Biarritz don't reach 19, and other results go their way.

But let's not leave it up to chance eh?

Clermont, like Toulon, need only a point to have a home quarter final, and effectively a semi final place. A bonus point win, which is likely given their form and Scarlet's atrociousness, means they will seed at least 3rd, and probably one of the top two, meaning watch out Irish provinces. It all comes back to that Pool 6 game.

Prediction: Clermont 28 points, Leinster 20 points

Sunday: 12 45 GMT Pool 1

Munster (15) host Racing, and Saracens (18) host Edinburgh.

Munster, still in with an outside chance of winning the group, but they won't. Edinburgh are too bad a side to trouble Saracens, and Sarries are likely to get a bonus point win, and will be sniffing at the heels of Ulster to see who gets to be at home between them. If Ulster didn't get the bonus point, Sarries will be max 5 tries away from overtaking them, which given they are going for a 4 try bonus point, is nothing. Those teams are likely to be seeded 4th and 5th, and will play each other.

Munster also need a win. They will know how much of a win they'll need, and given Biarritz shouldn't be on 19 points, they will have the most tries of any team on 19, so a bonus point might not be necessary. Which is fortunate, because I don't think they will get it. After last weekends poor performance, I'm not 100% sure they will even win. But again, with a French side out of the competition, they might try and focus on the Top 14, especially given it's an away game.

Prediction: Saracens 23 points, Munster 19 points.

3pm GMT: Pool 2

Given Spratt's last minute try for Ospreys in that cracking draw in the Liberty stadium at the weekend, this game takes on slightly less significance. Still important though.

Leicester (16 points) take on Toulouse (18 points)

It's winner takes all, unless Leicester win by 7, without 4 tries, but Toulose get 4 tries. In that scenario both teams end up on 20 points, and Toulouse advance given their superior head to head match point count. However, That should be enough for Leicester to take a runners up spot, and with 13 tries, that would be likely.

The only other possibility for both teams to go through is if Leicester win with a bonus, and Toulouse get a second place, or Toulouse could still qualify with one match point on 19 points, if the second place team only has that much.

This is probably hardest to call. All of those situations seem unlikely, and I think Toulouse will be too good and avoid all the complications.

In fact, given this is the last game of the round, were any of those outcomes to arise, one would have to suspect some match-fixing. But that's only a frivolous observation.

Prediction: Toulouse 22 points.

Quarter Final Draw

1. Harlequins v 8. Munster
2. Toulon v 7. Leinster
3. Clermont v 6. Toulouse
4. Ulster v 5. Saracens

Gives a solid chance of all three Irish sides in the semis with a mouth watering tie of Clermont and Toulouse.

6 Nations Squads: Italy, France, Scotland, England and Wales

Italy

Clear to see changing away from the old guard, with no Bergamascos in the squad. This is a young squad, that is gaining experience, and it's clear to see who will be the backbone of the team for years to come. Italy are improving as a nation, and will start challenging the established order soon. Benvenuti, Botes and Masi are quality players not to be taken lightly.

France

Interesting calls here to bring Bastareaud back into the fold. This squad is noticeable in that it's the first time in 8 years or so that France have picked the best players available. Which is scary and ominous. Unfortunate to see Fickou injured as I think he will be the best 12 in the world in a few years.

The only strange call is the stripping of Dusautoir of the captaincy. He is a natural leader, and one of the best captains in the world. But it wouldn't be France without the madness.

Scotland

Scotland need an encouraging tournament. At the very least some strong performances, that have been lacking from their club teams.

They've started well in bringing in some new blood, and bringing back some great players like Johnnie Beattie.

Interested to see Sean Maitland, was a big fan of his when he was playing Super Rugby, but haven't seen what he's capable of up here. A back three of Maitland, Visser and Hogg excites.

Some interesting selections ahead with the Lions tour approaching. Richie Gray and Kelly Brown will want to have good tournaments to try and get themselves on the plane.

England

Like France, England haven't been picking their best players for a long time. Unfortunately for Ireland, they seem to be doing that under Lancaster.

I think some of the young players like Twelvetrees and Burns are fantastic talents, and while it's a bit soon for them at the moment, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

The Saxons squad is just as important to keep an eye on with some talented youngsters like Billy Vunipola in there too.

Again with the Lions coming up, Ben Foden, Joe Launchbury and others will want a big tournament to get themselves on the plane.

Wales

Eli Walker is a fantastic prospect, and a potential bolter for the Lions. I think it's disappointing that Rhys Patchell didn't get a place, considering there is only one natural out-half in the squad. It's a great chance for Biggar to stake a claim for the Lions.

This is an important competition for Wales, who have the players, but haven't been performing well enough.

Will be interesting to see.

Australia Training Squad

Seen here

As it's a Lions year this is particularly interesting.

Having said that, with 49 named, there isn't much scope for controversy.

However, two things to note. 1. Israel Folau is not selected, 2. Quade Cooper is.

Folau is a young rugby league convert, who dabbled in Aussie Rules for a bit, suggesting he'll be fit and talented in the air. It is surprising to me that Deans didn't think he warranted a look at.

Lions Watch

With most 6 nations squads about to be announced, it's worth having a look at some of the players that shone over the weekend.

Eli Walker.

How this man hasn't gotten a Wales cap yet I don't know. According to wikipedia, he hasn't got an underage cap either, which would be astonishing. What a year he is having. He looks accomplished against the very best in the Heineken Cup and should walk onto the Welsh team irregardless of the incumbents in the jersey. From Welsh wing at the moment. A back three of Walker, Halfpenny and North excites. Only just outshone by Kahn Fotuali'i at the weekend. A mention to for Niall Morris who played well in this game too.

Owen Farrell

I feel like I have to mention him after that kicking display. Owen, I'm not your biggest fan, but respect where it's due. Probably going on tour as he can cover centres.

Tom Court.

Now, I'm not for one second suggesting that he should be in the Lions. But I can't let that awesome scrummaging performance go without giving him a kudos. Signal to Deccie not to discard him yet. With Kilcoyne answering nicely yesterday and another Irish loosehead's awesome performance, Irish loosehead props are in rude health.

Cian Healy.

The aforementioned awesome performance. It may only have been 40 minutes, but it was packed full of stats that players dream of over 80. Has to be nailed on for the Lions no.1 jersey.

Luke Fitzgerald.

The Luke that we have been expecting for years is beginning to show up. What a performance. Packed with impact and enthusiasm, and more importantly with a smile on his face. Things are looking up for Fitzgerald, Leinster, Ireland and possibly more if he keeps it up.

Mike Brown.

Great performance from Brown. He's unlucky that there are so many good fullbacks in England, never mind the British Isles, otherwise he'd be a shoo-in. As it is, he might miss out. He's on form though, and performing better than Foden. Notable performances from Care and Easter too.

Munster vs Edinburgh

First off, Scottish Rugby is in a bad way.

From losing to Tonga, a sacked coach, some awful play and performances by their teams, and atrocious following at games.

For all intents and purposes, this was a Munster home game in a different venue. Barely over 6,000 at a Heineken Cup game is a bit of a disgrace, no wonder the English and French sides are throwing their toys out of the pram.

I digress, to the game.

Rob Penney has brought his style to Munster. And it's not working to well. There is nothing wrong with his philosophy, in fact it's probably the best way to play. One thing that Penney hasn't seen is that some of this players are not good enough.

One of the reasons Munster (of old) played the way they did was to hide some of the deficiencies of some of the forwards in attack. But, Munster (of old) were able to play wide and fast if they wanted.

Of the current crop; Murray, Coughlan, Jones and Downey can't play that way. And they aren't the only ones. But when the spine of your team aren't capable of playing your philosophy, things are not going to go well.

One of the things about watching Leinster on Saturday versus this Munster team was even though Leinster went for the bonus from the start, and Munster were right to try and win the game first, Leinster always looked dangerous and capable of scoring tries, this Munster side don't.

They rarely make ground, and too often were going backwards with ball in hand. Even some short neat kicks along the touchline a la Nacewa would at least get them going forward.

Bottom line, the philosophy isn't working with the current crop, but when some injuries come back, it might work. Penney needs to find something that will get Munster performing and beating teams. If they play like they did on Sunday next week, they won't even win never mind a bonus point to get them through.

This doesn't get away from the fact that there were some good and bad performances.

Good first; Tommy O'Donnell is quite a find. He MUST be in at least the extended squad for the 6 nations. He's young, and a very good backrower. Need to see more of him at the breakdown, but so far so good.

Dave Kilcoyne is coming on leaps and bounds to, contributing to a far superior scrum.

Donnacha O'Callaghan isn't going away quietly, making oodles of effective tackles and being a general nuisance.

And bad;

Ronan O'Gara what a brain-fart.

Conor Murray is so slow from the breakdown which doesn't help trying to play a more expansive game. How many steps do you need to take before you pass the ball away?

Keith Earls is a one-trick pony that defenses everywhere have figured out a long time ago. He is boring and unpredictable and not good enough. He needs to be discarded to give him a kick up the arse and hopefully he'll improve like Trimble and Bowe did.

Damien Varley is one of the biggest idiots on a rugby pitch; stop giving away cheap penalties that will cost your side.

Felix Jones; this might be due to his injuries, but I expect more from him. He's labelled as a talent, but from yesterday it's hard to see why. He made no impression on a game that was crying out for a bit of spark.

Peter O'Mahony officially won man of the match for his carries, but I expect more from him everywhere. None of the carries were particularly memorable, nor was much of his performance.

Leinster vs Scarlets

Having watched the rest of the weekends action, read reports on this match, and twitter's reactions, I can conclude.

This was not a performance of Champions. Let me explain.

Yes, Leinster looked impressive.
Yes, they had some super individual performances.
Yes, they dominated the game.

BUT

for all the domination they had, up until Madigan's try in the last few minutes, Scarlets in theory could still have won it, from only 12 points behind.

Champions, and Leinster of a few months ago, used to win comfortably even when not in as "devastating" form as that.
It might be the lack of form recently meant that they didnt trust themselves, but the constant looking for tries nearly cost them and kept Scarlets in the game, as opposed to using penalties to kill Scarlets off and dishearten them.

Neil Francis is a bit over the top here but he has some good points. While 5 tries is good, it glosses over the fact that the dominance meant it should have been a lot more. There were a good few mistakes and the gap between the 4th and 5th tries was quite big.

Harsh what he says on Denton, Bent and Dundon, as I was mildy surprised/ impressed with their contribution.

On individual notes; Cian Healy. WOW. What a half, no idea why he was taken off. Although Heinke stepped up too.
Cronin was ferocious in open play with one scything break and offload to Sexton sticking in my memory. Mike Ross seems to be more than just a scrummager as I noticed him in play a number of times, and I didn't feel the need to shout at him to get out of the way. I think he should try and focus on what Afoa and Botha do so brilliantly in the breakdown.
Heaslip was one of the few to carry effectively, and while I agree with Franno about Ruddock's carrying, he was great on the floor, creating a few turnovers.
Boss had one of his better games, and on form is ahead of Reddan at the moment, who wasn't brilliant when he came on.
I didn't think Kearney was that great. I mean he looked dangerous with ball in hand, showing his obvious class, but he seemed dodgy trying to pass, especially to Nacewa. I'll put it down to rustiness.

But there was no rustiness about Luke Fitzgerald. I was never a big fan of his. He seemed a bit stupid on attack, and too poor on defense. AND far too cocky.

But he looks bigger, defensively a lot more solid, some great aerial fielding. But he looks more appreciative of being a rugby player. He looks like the long break away means he's grown up, less cocky, more intelligent. I'm looking forward to watching him in the next few weeks. I never considered him for the Lions, but on this form... let's not get too ahead of ourselves.

Munster youngsters with a big 2013 ahead of them

From: Munster young guns to watch in 2013
JJ Hanrahan

Former Ireland Schools and U-20 international Hanrahan completed two years with the Munster Rugby Academy before securing a Development contract for the 2012/13 season.

Last June, Hanrahan played an impressive role at out-half for the Ireland U-20 side that finished fifth in the Junior World Cup in South Africa and was nominated for Junior Player of the Year.

He first played for the Munster senior side against La Rochelle in the opening pre-season game in August 2011, and made his RaboDirect PRO12 debut against Newport Gwent Dragons in Thomond Park last September.

The youngest player in the senior squad, marked his first full start for the senior side by bagging two tries in their PRO12 victory over Zebre in October at Thomond Park.

Hanrahan, who can play inside centre as well as out-half, made his Heineken Cup debut against Edinburgh in October.

SHANE BUCKLEY

One of four Munster players in the Irish U-20 side that featured in the Junior World Cup in South Africa last June, back-row forward Buckley also featured in the 2011 JWC in Italy after playing in the U-20 Six Nations earlier that year.

Twenty-year-old Buckley also featured for a Munster Development side that defeated Russian professional outfit Enesei STM 34-24 in April of last year.

The Garryowen flanker has impressed for the Munster ‘A’ side in the British and Irish Cup.

Buckley, who will not turn 21 until April, will be hoping to build on the steady progress he made in 2012.

Now in his second year in the Munster Academy, Buckley has the potential to become a regular in the senior side in the seasons ahead.

CATHAL SHERIDAN

ALTHOUGH he is yet to make his debut for the senior side, 24-year-old scrum-half from Co Sligo has been impressing with the Munster A side in recent seasons and has captained that team on a couple of occasions this season.

Sheridan represented Connacht at U-19 level before moving to Limerick where he plays with UL-Bohs.

A product of the Munster Academy, Sheridan is on a development contract this season. He has featured in all of Munster As British and Irish Cup games this term and has also played with the Ireland Club side.

While Sheridan is some way down the pecking order at present, he could well elevate himself to a more prominent position through 2013.

BRIAN HAYES

NOW in his final year of the academy, Hayes made his senior debut as a replacement in Munster’s pre-season game against Sale Sharks in August 2009 as an 18-year-old.

Since then, the imposing lock has represented the Munster A side on a number of occasions and was part of the B&I Cup winning side of 2012.

At the start of the season, Hayes started against La Rochelle in Munster’s opening pre-season game and came on as a replacement against Bristol. Still only 22 years of age, Hayes looks set to have a bright future in the Munster engine room and given the age profile of the squad’s second rows is likely to enjoy more gametime in the senior side in the seasons ahead.

JACK O’DONOGHUE

The youngest member of the Munster Academy, O’Donoghue, who now plays his club rugby with UL-Bohemian, turns 19 on Tuesday next.

The Waterford-born number captained the Ireland U-18 Club side in games with France and England last April, and previously led Waterpark youths to an Avonmore SuperMilk Munster youth title in 2011.

O’Donoghue has already featured for the Munster ‘A’ side in the British and Irish Cup this season and impressed for UL-Bohs’ in their recent ODM Munster Senior Cup final clash with Cork Con. O’Donoghue is an exciting prospect and an accomplished ball carrier, who boasts an impressive workrate.

DARREN MORONEY

A STRING of impressive displays from the 22-year-old for UL-Bohs in the AIL and for the Munster A side resulted in Moroney being included in the Munster Academy this season.

Winger Moroney shot to prominence in 2008 when helping Castletroy College claim an historic first Munster Schools Senior Cup success.

The exciting finisher made his British & Irish Cup debut as a replacement against Neath in November 2011 and has added to his haul of appearances for Ian Costello’s side over the past 12 months.

Competition for places in the senior backline remains keen, but Moroney is a player who could well earn a debut for Rob Penney in the near future.

ALAN COTTER

THE 26-year-old former St Munchin’s College star joined the Munster Rugby Academy at the start of the 2010/11 season and after completing his second year earned a Development contract for the current season.

Cotter had loan spells with Aviva Premiership giants London Irish and Bath before Christmas where he gained invaluable playing time.

The Young Munster clubman, who is from Garryowen, began his rugby career with Richmond. He has featured for the Munster A side in recent times, making four appearances in the British and Irish Cup, and will be hoping to move up the pecking order of Munster’s tighthead props during 2013.

BRIAN HAUGH

THE Young Munster scrum-half is in his first year in the Munster Academy.

Haugh, who turns 20 next week, enjoyed an impressive run with Rockwell College at Schools Cup level.

The Clare native has impressed with Young Munster in the All-Ireland League in recent seasons, proving a very reliable goal-kicker. He has also represented Munster at U-18 and U-20 level. Given the strong level of competition for game time at scrum half with Munster, it may be some time before Haugh makes a major impact at senior level, but he boasts all the attributes needed to succeed.