Declan Kidney picks his first Irish team

Ireland play Canada is Thomond park new week-end. Its good to see Keith Earls getting an early run out for Ireland. Eddie would not have been so brave. The rest of the selection looks predictable enough:

• a bias towards Munster in the front five - deserved on current form, and on top of that allowing John Hayes to come on a a match winning sub!
• just one Ulster player on the team (2 really if you count Tommy Bowe).
• The recent form of Heaslip and Jennings in the back row for Leinster is also recognised. - though I'm not sure he would leave out Wallace in a big game.
• It's also great to see Kidney trying out the centre partnership with real potential - Fitzgerald and O'Driscoll - especially when D'Arcy looks like he may not even be fit for the 6 nations.

Its a fair selection, which allows for a little experimentation and recognises current form. Its a selection dominated by Red and Blue.

15 – Keith Earls* (Young Munster/Munster)
14 – Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
13 – Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) Captain
12 – Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)
11 – Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
10 – Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
9 – Eoin Reddan (Wasps)
1 – Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)
2 – Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
3 – Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
4 – Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
5 – Paul O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
6 – Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
7 – Shane Jennings (St.Mary’s College/Leinster)
8 – Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)