Preview: Ireland v Canada
Canada's tour of ambition continues on Saturday in Cork, as they continue from last week's warm-up against Portugal with a trip to many people's favourites for next year's Six Nations: Ireland.
Canada's tour of ambition continues on Saturday in Cork, as they continue from last week's warm-up against Portugal with a trip to many people's favourites for next year's Six Nations: Ireland.
They say Canada is a developing nation, but this tour is certainly enjoying the developed nation life. The Canucks are housed in downtown Limerick's luxurious Marriott Hotel, complete with flat screen televisions on rotating spindles so the room occupant can watch the TV from anywhere in the room.
It's very much a development tour, whatever the accommodation. Coach Kieran Crowley is changing some coaching staff and physio staff as the tour progresses, in order to expose more national coaches to 'Best Practice' coaching.
There's also been a minor rotation of personnel, with five players jumping into the team through the IRB Test window from their clubs. Three of the five are forwards: lock Mike Burak and scrum-half Ed Fairhurst of the Cornish Pirates, flanker Sean Michael Stephen of Plymouth Albion and his team-mate Justin Mensah-Coker, and veteran prop Jon Thiel.
Hooker and captain Pat Riordan will take the team featuring one new cap on the wing – Ciaran Hearn has the joy of marking Leinster tyro Rob Kearney on his first appearance – and delivered a passing verdict on last weekend's 21-13 win.
“I'd give the game probably a B to B+ just based on the targets we set,” he explained on the national rugby website.
“I haven't seen the numbers yet but we did win. So at the end of the days that's what you really measure Test matches by. It's either one hundred per cent or its zero.
“We didn't do all the things we wanted to do. We didn't do all the things as well as we wanted to do. But we did some good things and we did some things well.
“We bounced back after some bad periods. We held on to the ball a couple of times for eight or nine phases.
“I think for us it shows the growing composure. We talked about building pressure from phase play and in the past when we got to the higher number of phases we tend to break down.”
Riordan also praised his side's fitness and defence, two aspects which let them down badly in last year's Rugby World Cup. There's certainly a positive vibe emanating from the red shirts.
The Canucks have set themselves some lofty ambitions, with Wales lying in wait next weekend as well, but there is a handy vein of youth in much of the side away from the front row, and there will be plenty of experience gained even in defeat.
For Ireland, the priority must be to win, and win well. Less than a year ago, one of the most promising Irish generations of rugby players stood once again at the end of a tournament having punched below their weight. Out went the old coach, in came another who had just taken Munster to a Heineken Cup title. The new broom has not swept clean, but it has definitely given the side a good dusting off.
There's no developmental aspect to the team at all. The tight forwards are based around Munster's continuing snarl in scrums and rucks in Europe, the loosies around Leinster's relentless running. Munster's slightly more pragmatic loose trio stand in reserve.
The backs are constructed along seemingly similar lines: Munster's reliability to provide a basis for Leinster's flair. Brian O'Driscoll has, at last, found his mojo, and it's no coincidence that as he found it with Luke Fitzgerald playing inside him, so Fitzgerald is picked to play inside him at international level too.
Tommy Bowe has been a weapon of choice for the Ospreys, Rob Kearney likewise for Leinster, and Munster's Keith Earls has been touted for months by passionate Munstermen as 'the new Christian Cullen'. Nowhere in this Irish armour is there an obvious chink.
The only thing Ireland's side ever needed was a breath of fresh air. With both Leinster and Munster currently taking charge in Europe, things at provincial level are good. Perhaps Kidney can take this talented and experienced side that one final step that inexplicably eluded Eddie O'Sullivan? That's for later, but a handsome win here would be a good start.
Ones to watch:
For Ireland: Keith Earls gets his international debut at the Thomond Park, and has a chance to show off his Cullen-esque running elegance and lines at the top level for the first time. Lions material? Let's see…
For Canada: Adam Kleeberger is said to be extremely fast and fit, never bad traits for an openside. His ability to stifle Irish ball might be the difference between defeat and humiliation.
Head to head: The front row is one area where the Irish might still be a little light, and is the one area where Canada have a wealth of experience and talent. Scrum-time will be interesting.
Recent results:
2000 Draw 27-27 at Fletcher's Field
1997 Ireland won 33-11 at Lansdowne Road
1987 Ireland won 46-19 at Carisbrook (RWC)
Prediction: This will be Ireland's big chance to flex their muscles, which is trouble for a re-building Canada team. Ireland by 40.
The teams:
Ireland: 15 Keith Earls, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c), 12 Luke Fitzgerald, 11 Robert Kearney, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Shane Jennings, 6 Stephen Ferris, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Tony Buckley, 2 Jerry Flannery, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements (From): Rory Best, John Hayes, Ryan Caldwell, Alan Quinlan, David Wallace, Paddy Wallace, Peter Stringer, Shane Horgan.
Canada: 15 James Pritchard, 14 Ciaran Hearn, 13 Bryn Keys, 12 Ryan Smith, 11 Justin Mensah-Coker, 10 Ander Monro, 9 Ed Fairhurst, 8 Aaron Carpenter, 7 Adam Kleeberger, 6 Sean Michael Stephen, 5 Josh Jackson, 4 Mike Burak, 3 Jon Thiel, 2 Pat Riordan (c), 1 Kevin Tkachuk.
Replacements: 16 Mike Pletch, 17 Frank Walsh, 18 Tyler Hotson, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Morgan Williams, 21 Matt Evans, 22 Phil Mackenzie
Date: Saturday, November 8
Venue: Thomond Park
Kick-off: 17:15 GMT
Weather: Muggy, showers, and a strong southerly wind 25 km/h
Referee: Christophe Berdos (France)
Touch judges: Nigel Owens (Wales), Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Television match official: Giulio De Santis (Italy)
Assessor: Bob Francis (New Zealand)
By Danny Stephens