November 30, 2008

VOL 25 NO 48

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Slip Sliding

Eoin Reddan

Shane Horgan

Tommy Bowe

Girvan Dempsey

Malcolm O' Kelly

Peter Stringer

Alan Quinlan

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Girvan Dempsey

Games played: NZ

Ironically, he would have been well suited to the gameplan for the Argentina test, but when the back three need to have a cutting edge to complement both the kicking and fielding ability, he is simply not enough of a threat. Although Kidney has yet to reveal the pecking order of his full-backs, you get the feeling that Dempsey might have slipped to three.

Tommy Bowe

Can, NZ, Arg

For all his undoubted athleticism, the sense that Bowe lacks the innate footballing skills necessary for an international-class wing was reinforced over the past couple of weeks. Out of position for New Zealand's penalty try, and then chose not to back himself in a one-on-one situation during the first half against Argentina.

Shane Horgan

Can sub

Wasn't given the opportunity to do anything wrong, so on the slide in the sense that Kidney went for Rob Kearney and Bowe as his starting wings in all three tests. Only 30 and still a fixture on Leinster's teamsheet, it's hard to imagine that Horgan's international career has been brought to an end by the new regime.

Eoin Reddan

Can, NZ sub, Arg sub (not used)

When he was chosen for the Canada game with Peter Stringer on the bench, Reddan must have realised pretty quickly that he'd dropped down a rung in the scrum-half order of things. His mood wouldn't have been helped by Kidney's decision to stick with Tomás O'Leary from start to finish last weekend when a second-half change was probably called for.

Peter Stringer

Can sub

While Donnacha Ryan's stock rose on the back of his contribution for Munster against the All Blacks, there was no gain for Stringer despite one of the best performances of his career. Ryan looks to be part of Ireland's future, while Stringer has lost ground both at provincial and international levels. Only injuries to O'Leary and Reddan are going to change that situation.

Malcolm O'Kelly

Arg sub (not used)

Initially dropped from the squad, but then restored to the bench for the Argentina game after Kidney's gamble not to go with specialist second-row cover had failed against New Zealand. The extraordinarily durable O'Kelly has recovered from setbacks in the past, but international time appears to be almost up for Ireland's most capped player.

Alan Quinlan

Can sub, NZ

While he might have been guilty more of pressing too hard than anything else during the New Zealand game, Quinlan did himself no favours by incurring the wrath of the citing commissioner. With both Ferris and Ryan breathing heavily down his neck, he'll need to be at his very best in the remaining Heineken Cup pool games.