‘We need to do justice to the Lions jersey’

CAPTAIN Paul O’Connell says it is crucial the Lions do justice to the red jersey in South Africa this summer unlike four years ago when they suffered a whitewash Test series defeat to New Zealand.


Ian McGeechan’s Lions squad are continuing their preparations for the 10-match tour to South Africa at a training camp at Pennyhill Park in Surrey this week. The squad departs for South Africa on Sunday next with the opening match in the tour taking place on Saturday, May 30 when the Lions face a Highveld XV in Rustenberg.
The tourists then play a further five provincial fixtures before taking on the world champion Springboks in Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg on June 20, 27 and July 4 respectively. Lock O’Connell said the experience the Irish and Welsh players had gained from winning Grand Slams should stand them in good stead during the tour, but playing for the Lions was the next step up for all the squad members.
“We have a lot of players who have been a bit more successful,” O’Connell pointed out this week.
“Ireland got the Grand Slam at last, the Welsh have two. For a lot of those players being on a successful Lions tour is the next level.
“We need to do justice to the Lions jersey, I don’t think we did that in 2005. We need to do the Lions proud over there and see what happens after that.”
The 29-year-old lock said the squad needed to work on gelling as a unit as quickly as possible.
“First and foremost, the talent is here,” Paul O’Connell insisted.
“The coaching staff have very good ideas on how we want to play and how we want to perform. I think all those bits are going to be ticked off so it’s about us coming together as a team.
“We don’t have a lengthy time frame so we don’t have time to suss each other out. We really have to work on coming together as a team in a short space of time. If we can do that then we’ll have a very good chance.”
Meanwhile, two Munster players will win their first full international caps when Ireland face Canada in their summer international in Vancouver this Saturday. Winger Ian Dowling and flanker Niall Ronan are two of the six new caps named in Declan Kidney’s side to face the Canucks at Thunderbird Stadium. Kick-off is at 10pm Irish time (Live coverage on RTE 2).
New caps Dowling and Ronan are two of seven Munster players named in the starting XV for the game. The Magners League winners are also represented by winger Barry Murphy, scrum-half Peter Stringer, prop Tony Buckley, lock Mick O’Driscoll and number eight Denis Leamy.
The replacements’ bench will feature five players who are in line to win their first caps if introduced. These include Limerick-born hooker Sean Cronin and Munster full-back Denis Hurley.
Fourteen-time capped scrum-half Eoin Reddan, who will move from London Wasps to Leinster later in the summer, is also named on the replacements’ bench.

Ireland: Gavin Duffy (Connacht), Barry Murphy (Munster), Darren Cave (Ulster), Ian Whitten (Ulster), Ian Dowling (Munster); Ian Keatley (Connacht), Peter Stringer (Munster); Tom Court (Ulster), Rory Best (Ulster), Tony Buckley (Munster); Bob Casey (London Irish), Mick O'Driscoll (Munster); John Muldoon (Connacht), Niall Ronan (Munster), Denis Leamy (Munster).
Replacements: Sean Cronin (Connacht), Mike Ross (Harlequins), Ryan Caldwell (Ulster), Donncha Ryan (Munster), Eoin Reddan (London Wasps), Niall O'Connor (Ulster), Denis Hurley (Munster).

Colm Kinsella

Kidney selectrs touring party

THE Limerick duo of Sean Cronin and Keith Matthews will be hoping to win their first full international caps when Ireland face Canada and the USA in two end-of-season internationals later this month - Cronin and Matthews, both playing with Connacht, have been included in Declan Kidney’s 25-strong squad for the games with Canada in Vancouver on May 23 and the USA in California on May 31.


While several players are being rested for the tour, 12 capped players are named in the travelling party including Eoin Reddan and Munster stars Peter Stringer, Mick O’Driscoll and Denis Leamy. Munster flanker Niall Ronan and winger Ian Dowling are two other uncapped players who will be hoping to make their full international debuts during the tour. Munster props John Hayes and Marcus Horan are being rested and will not travel on the tour.
Meanwhile hooker Sean Cronin and centre Keith Matthews are just two of several players who have also been selected in the Ireland A squad for next month’s Churchill Cup in Colarado.
The tournament includes teams from Argentina, USA, Canada, Georgia and the England Saxons and will see Ireland A play pool games against Canada and Georgia as well as a final game in the tournament playoffs.
Bruff referee George Clancy has been appointed to take charge of this season’s European Challenge Cup final between Northampton Saints and Bourgoin at the Twickenham Stoop on Friday, May 22. Clancy was promoted to the IRB’s High Performance panel in November and took charge of France’s RBS Six nations Championship clash with Scotland at the Stade de France earlier this season.
Munster’s Alan Quinlan is due to appear before an independent Disciplinary Committee in Dublin tomorrow as a result of a citing arising from the Heineken Cup semi-final match against Leinster.
The citing lodged by the Citing Commissioner for the match, John Byett is for alleged contact with the eye/eye area of Leinster player Leo Cullen in contravention of Law 10.4 (k). The independent Disciplinary Committee will be chaired by Roger Morris (Wales) and also comprise Simon Thomas (Wales) and Mike Hamlin (England).
Munster rugby will come under the spotlight in the Setanta Ireland series Sports Matters tonight at 10pm.
The programme, which begins with a short film entitled Alone it Brands, will discuss how Munster rugby has developed its strong brand identity and huge fan base.

Ireland Tour Squad (25): Rory Best (Ulster) Captain, Tony Buckley (Munster), Ryan Caldwell (Ulster), Bob Casey (London Irish), Darren Cave (Ulster), Tom Court (Ulster), Sean Cronin (Connacht), Ian Dowling (Munster), Gavin Duffy (Connacht), Chris Henry (Ulster), Denis Hurley (Munster), Ian Keatley (Connacht), Denis Leamy (Munster), Keith Matthews (Connacht), John Muldoon (Connacht), Barry Murphy (Munster), Niall O’Connor (Ulster), Mick O’Driscoll (Munster), Eoin Reddan (London Wasps), Niall Ronan (Munster), Mike Ross (Harlequins), Donnacha Ryan (Munster), Peter Stringer (Munster), Bryan Young (Ulster)

Ireland A Churchill Cup Squad (27): John Andress (Exeter Chiefs), Neil Best (Northampton Saints), Isaac Boss (Ulster), Tony Buckley (Munster), Fionn Carr (Connacht), Sean Cronin (Connacht), James Downey (Northampton Saints), Dennis Fogarty (Munster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Chris Henry (Ulster), Trevor Hogan (Leinster), Denis Hurley (Munster), Felix Jones (Leinster), Simon Keogh (Leinster), Keith Matthews (Connacht), Fergus McFadden (Leinster), John Muldoon (Connacht) Captain, Frank Murphy (Connacht), Johne Murphy (Leicester Tigers), Sean O’Brien (Leinster), Niall O’Connor (Ulster), Ed O’Donoghue (Ulster), Niall Ronan (Munster), Donnacha Ryan (Munster), Jonathan Sexton (Leinster), Devon Toner (Leinster), Bryan Young (Ulster).

Irish Tour Schedule: Depart Sunday May 17 for Canada. Canada v Ireland, Saturday May 23, 2pm (local time), Thunderbird Stadium, Vancouver. USA v Ireland, Sunday May 31, 2pm (local time), Buckshaw Stadium, Santa Clara, California.

Churchill Cup Schedule: Ireland A v Canada, Wednesday, June 10, 4.30pm (local time), Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado. Georgia v Ireland A, Sunday June 14, 3.30pm (local time) Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado. Finals Day, Sunday June 21, Dicks Sporting Goods Park, Denver, Colorado.

Colm Kinsella