Ronan eager to impress as Irish 'A' look to drive Jaguars out of Tallaght
Friday November 27 2009
IRISH rugby breaks new ground this evening when the Ireland 'A' side take on the Argentina Jaguars at the Tallaght Stadium (7.30).
It is a commendable move by the IRFU to take the sport out of its traditional heartlands and one that is designed to build on rugby's growing popularity in the giant Dublin suburb.
Those who turn up at Shamrock Rovers' ground should have an entertaining night out as there is plenty of Irish talent on show on a side containing a clutch of players likely to be involved in Ireland's World Cup campaign in 2011.
The team shows 10 changes from the line-up that turned in an impressive 48-19 victory over Tonga a fortnight ago, but the rotations have not reduced the attacking potency of Ireland's second string.
Felix Jones is at full-back for Gavin Duffy and will look to build on his excellent Churchill Cup showings, while Ian Dowling and Johne Murphy bring their try-poaching potential to the wing slots.
Fergus McFadden is switched to his natural outside centre position, with Connacht's Keith Matthews inside him. The Ulster half-back pairing of Isaac Boss and out-half Ian Humphreys are present to provide the necessary direction.
threat
Brett Wilkinson, hooker John Fogarty and Mike Ross are capable of facing down the Argentinian threat at scrum-time, while captain Mick O'Driscoll and second-row partner Ryan Caldwell should ensure sufficient possession out of touch.
Donnacha Ryan is switched to blindside flanker where is more than capable of doing a job, but the Tipperary man's Ireland future appears to be more naturally suited to the engine room. Connacht captain, John Muldoon, will bring his abrasive defence and ball-carrying determination.
One of the themes of this month's internationals has been the importance of 'traditional' No 7s such as New Zealand's Richie McCaw, Australia's David Pocock and South Africa's Heinrich Brussow. Niall Ronan fits the mould as a classic openside with the pace to win the race to the breakdown and the footballing ability to provide a supporting role to the back-line.
In-form Leinster flanker Sean O'Brien is covering David Wallace on the senior side, but a big game from Ronan would provide Ireland coach Declan Kidney and forwards coach Gert Smal with food for thought in the run-in to the Six Nations.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars side is composed largely of amateur players from Argentina's domestic league but Ross' opponent, Juan Gomez, is a familiar name for Leinster fans, having been on Michael Cheika's books a couple of seasons ago. Gomez never established himself on Leinster's first team and played most of his rugby for St Mary's before joining Leeds.
- Hugh Farrelly
Irish Independent
