Ireland's New Talent
When Ireland name their squad to travel to New Zealand this summer, it's inevitable that there will be several uncapped players involved. The disappointment of this year's Six Nations campaign dictates that Declan Kidney must shake things up in order to create competition within his squad. Many Irish fans were seriously frustrated by Kidney's conservative squad selection for the Six Nations, and those frustrations were justified by Ireland's form.
The fact that young Irish players have been making serious progress for their provinces this season made Kidney's loyalty all the harder to understand. Picking players who are in form seems like a no-brainer. He can't ignore some of these youngsters any longer. Here, I look at four uncapped players who I think should go on tour to New Zealand and explain why. I'd love to hear your opinions on which new faces should be brought on tour, so please leave a comment below!
Ian Madigan
This is one that all Irish fans will surely agree on. The 23-year-old outhalf has been consistently impressive for Leinster this season. His 8 tries in 23 appearances are the obvious highlights but it's his overall attacking play that is key. Madigan's passing is a joy at times, and he's excellent at getting the best out of his backline. The fact that he poses a threat with ball in hand himself makes him even more difficult to defend against.
There are definitely areas of his game that Madigan can improve (tactical kicking, etc.) but this is a player with buckets of talent and a seriously confident head on his shoulders. His drop goal in a high-pressure game against Munster was a really positive sign. Despite his lack of size, Madigan is physically robust. In fact, he seems to relish that side of the game too. The ex-Blackrock man simply must be exposed to international rugby in New Zealand.
Simon Zebo
Limiting myself to selecting just one young Irish winger was a hard task. Along with Zebo, Dave Kearney of Leinster, Connacht's Tiernan O'Halloran and Ulster's Craig Gilroy have all had brilliant breakthrough seasons. Ireland looks to be well stocked out wide for the future. Zebo edges ahead of the competition for his sheer impact on the scoreboard. While Kearney looks more polished in his all-round game, he has managed just 2 tries in 18 outings. Zebo's 11 in 21 games for Munster show his cutting edge.
We've all heard the criticisms of Zebo's defensive game and general rugby understanding. Those are things that can be steadily improved through training and video analysis. Instead, we should be focusing on his raw talent. The sight of Zebo with ball in hand has been exhilarating all season for Munster fans. The 22-year-old's pace and evasiveness are completely natural. The rate at which he has improved this season suggests that he will learn even more rapidly through international involvement.
Jamie Hagan
Ireland's problems at tighthead have been well documented and there's no need to delve into that issue here. Instead, let's look at a potential solution. Mike Ross and Nathan White have limited Hagan's involvement at Leinster, but he's still made 17 appearances for his home province. I won't pretend that he hasn't struggled at times, but Hagan is the next-best Ireland have in terms of tighthead props. Prior to this season, he put in two hugely promising PRO12 campaigns for Connacht and his work with Greg Feek at Leinster this season has surely been of benefit.
The 6'3 , 120kg Dubliner clearly has the size and strength to cope at the top level and Ireland have nothing to lose by involving him this summer. It might be a bit of a sink or swim situation, but there's a real possibility that the 25-year-old will step up with the added pressure. It was strange not to see him involved with the Irish Wolfhounds for the game against the Saxons back in January. Kidney's preference may be for Munster's Stephen Archer or Adam Macklin of Ulster. Either way, Ireland need to bring at least one of them to New Zealand for the experience.
Dominic Ryan
The 22-year-old has missed a large part of this season due to an ankle injury, but has still shown enough in his ten outings to be pushing for inclusion this summer. The physical step up required for international rugby would clearly pose no problem for Ryan, an aggressive ball carrier. Last season was the flanker's breakthrough campaign and 5 tries showed his attacking threat. The fact that the ex-Gonzaga College man plays openside makes him of particular interest to Irish supporters obsessed with the role of a 'natural' number 7.
While Ryan is accomplished at the breakdown (he had two superb steals against Ulster at the weekend), he is not the 'groundhog' that Ireland's supporters are calling out for. In fact, Ryan would look entirely comfortable playing at 6. Still, he has the attributes to give Ireland's back-row a little more balance. Also, including him would give the likes of Jamie Heaslip and Sean O'Brien a reminder that their starting places are not guaranteed. Like the others above, Ryan looks to have a bright future in the international game.
