Best Gamble By Kidney As Irish Bid To Slay The Dragons
CATEGORIES: News | POSTED BY: Bob McKenzie | October 6, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Irish coach Declan Kidney has taken a calculated gamble by deciding to risk hooker Rory Best despite doubts over his fitness as Ireland bid to slay the Welsh dragons in the World Cup quarter final this Saturday morning.Ireland remain unchanged from the side which saw off the Italians last weekend with Kidney having to name the side 48 hours before kick off. Sean Cronin is on standby for the Ulsterman should he not make kick off. Ireland’s record against the Welsh, now coached by the man who originally capped Ireland’s “Golden Generation”, Warren Gatland, shows 9 wins in their last dozen meetings but the Welsh did defeat Ireland in last year’s Six Nations tournament.
Dan Lydiate & Shane Williams return for Wales for the do or die loser goes home clash in Wellington. Lydiate replaces Ryan Jones at blind-side, Williams returns on the left wing, while Alun Wyn Jones comes in for the benched Bradley Davies at lock.Jonathan Davies returns to partner Jamie Roberts at centre, while Leigh Halfpenny moves to full-back from wing.James Hook is named on the bench after his shoulder injury, meaning there is no place in the 22 for Stephen Jones.
Scarlets and British and Irish Lions fly-half Jones started the win over Namibia, becoming Wales’ record caps holder in the process, and then stretched his tally to 102 off the bench in the win over Fiji last weekend.But as utility back Hook has recovered sufficiently to take a place on the bench, and with Rhys Priestland continuing at fly-half, there is no place for 33-year-old veteran Jones.There is also no place for fellow Lion Lee Byrne, who started at full-back against Fiji but is also surplus to requirements in Wellington.
Ireland: R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O’Driscoll (Leinster, capt), G D’Arcy (Leinster), K Earls (Munster); R O’Gara (Munster), C Murray (Munster); C Healy (Leinster), R Best (Ulster) or S Cronin (Leinster), M Ross (Leinster), D O’Callaghan (Munster), P O’Connell (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), S O’Brien (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster). Replacements: S Cronin (Leinster) or D Varley (Munster), T Court (Ulster), D Ryan (Munster), D Leamy (Munster), E Reddan (Leinster), J Sexton (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster).
Wales: Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues); George North (Scarlets), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues), Shane Williams (Ospreys); Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Mike Phillips (Bayonne); Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Dragons), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Dan Lydiate (Dragons) Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), Toby Faletau (Dragons).
Irelands players celebrate doing what seemed like the impossible
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