IRELAND HAVE BEEN hit with a double injury blow after captain Brian O’Driscoll and in-form hooker Rory Best were ruled out of the Guinness Series in November.
The IRFU confirmed on Tuesday, “O’Driscoll picked up an ankle injury in the game against the Cardiff Blues.
Advertisement
“Following further scans and specialist review by the Ireland medical team, it has been decided that the injury will require surgery to repair ligament damage, ruling out O’Driscoll from playing for eight to 12 weeks.
“Best has also been ruled out of the games against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina, due to a neck injury he sustained last Friday playing in the RaboDirect Pro12 game in Wales against the Dragons.
“Following a scan and medical review, it was confirmed that Best has sprained ligaments in his neck which will require a rest and rehabilitation period of between 4-6 weeks before a further assessment of the injury.”
While there is ample cover in Ireland’s backs division, it appears likely that Richardt Strauss of Leinster will now take the number two jersey against his native country, South Africa, on 10 November.
Declan Kidney is due to speak to the media, regarding the injuries and other squad matters, at Donnybrook from 4:30pm today.
This is a bigger loss to Leinster than it is Ireland. If they play Claremont without Kearney, O’Brien and BOD you’d be very worried, especially given they already have a 2 point lead in the pool and very nearly beat them last year in the semi. For Ireland though it will force us to play some younger players in the mid-field and maybe the back three; and it could be interesting to see who goes in there. I’m still devastated he’s out but maybe there is a chance some new partnerships will be tried out. Personally I don’t like Earls at 13, his defence is not the best (although he is improving) and his handling isn’t the great either. I’d go for Bowe in there and Earls on the wing. Plenty of other young players can cover the rest of the back 3- Dave Kearney, Felix Jones, Craig Gilroy and Ian Madigan are just four players outside the usual Irish players who could and I believe should be thrown in and given international experience
To be fair Earl’s passing and handling has improved immensely, partly because of penny’s new approach, just look at the Ulster game this year.. sucked in two players before popping off the ball to create the overlap, then delivered a perfect left handed pass to Casey before finishing the try himself, he has got it in him
Might be a blessing in disguise, I’m sure this is not going to go down well but bod got taught a lesson by ABs (granted paddy Wallace was at 12) he is not at his peak anymore , people are always on about bringing in younger players but when it’s to outside center, it’s like bod doesn’t need to compete for the jersey.. Earl’s was one of the few who impressed in last years six nations, give him a proper go at 13 or else put him on the wing and stick cave in there and see what he can do.. as for 12 , there is no stand out 12 in Ireland, dare I say paddy Wallace is doing well for Ulster but something does not click for him with Ireland, given a clean slate he could do well.. but I can see jj hanrahen in that spot in the next year or two
if your answer is paddy Wallace and earls in the centre god help us.
Neither defend and as for earls passing the ball well who ever is unlucky enough to be on the wing would want to be wearing thermals cos they would be getting the ball.
Pity for Brian, I hope the end of his career isn’t destroyed with injuries. Be a real shame to see a world class player like him not be able to give it his all in his last coulpe of seasons!
That said though hopefully it will force Kidney’s hand and he will field some new talent! I would like to see Darcy dropped too. Great service but I feel his time is up. 3 years to develop for the next world cup so now is the time to get Madigan, Felix Jones, MacFadden, Dave Kearney, Earls and Gilroy some solid game time. If Kidney fields Paddy Wallace as BODs replacement I give up : )!!!
Ye and Leinster are really up against it now in December. No BOD, O’ Brien or Kearney…
Bod out, Earls in. Simple call. Really need to get some younger players in, especially in backs. Please please can we never see Darcy or Wallace on a green shirt again.
McFadden and Darcy will be our centres versus Argentina… Which is our crunch match. Earls is only a winger, no matter what he thinks. Bowe on other wing and kearney (if fit) or Jones as fb. Anyway, going by kidneys Munster bias I wouldn’t be surprised to see Downey given a run out, actually id like that.
totally agree. Mc Fadden and Darren Cave in the centre. I know we want to win these games to be seeded well for the 2015 world cup but we have to start blooding new players in these positions if we want to develop
Big names to lose but let’s see what kidney does when forced to shuffle the cards again. Will earls not play at full back? Would not be surprised if Wallace has got the call already. Me personally would like earls wearing 13 and Ian Madigan brought in for cover in the backs
'Sadly one of them dropped out' - Hallgrimsson's innovative May friendlies idea scuppered at short notice
4 hrs ago
1
FreeSnooker
Ronnie O’Sullivan reaches another Crucible semi-final after seeing off Si Jiahui
4 hrs ago
6
GAA
Dublin pitted against Connacht champions, Ulster runners-up, and Derry in All-Ireland SFC draw
13 hrs ago
21
Sign in or create a free account
To continue reading create a free account
Or sign into an existing account
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 179 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.Privacy Policy
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 119 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 158 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 123 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 90 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 90 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 44 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 40 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 146 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 68 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 85 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 92 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 39 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 55 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 29 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 102 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 109 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 78 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 59 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 97 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 81 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
Big Loss to Leinster and Ireland.
This is a bigger loss to Leinster than it is Ireland. If they play Claremont without Kearney, O’Brien and BOD you’d be very worried, especially given they already have a 2 point lead in the pool and very nearly beat them last year in the semi. For Ireland though it will force us to play some younger players in the mid-field and maybe the back three; and it could be interesting to see who goes in there. I’m still devastated he’s out but maybe there is a chance some new partnerships will be tried out. Personally I don’t like Earls at 13, his defence is not the best (although he is improving) and his handling isn’t the great either. I’d go for Bowe in there and Earls on the wing. Plenty of other young players can cover the rest of the back 3- Dave Kearney, Felix Jones, Craig Gilroy and Ian Madigan are just four players outside the usual Irish players who could and I believe should be thrown in and given international experience
To be fair Earl’s passing and handling has improved immensely, partly because of penny’s new approach, just look at the Ulster game this year.. sucked in two players before popping off the ball to create the overlap, then delivered a perfect left handed pass to Casey before finishing the try himself, he has got it in him
Might be a blessing in disguise, I’m sure this is not going to go down well but bod got taught a lesson by ABs (granted paddy Wallace was at 12) he is not at his peak anymore , people are always on about bringing in younger players but when it’s to outside center, it’s like bod doesn’t need to compete for the jersey.. Earl’s was one of the few who impressed in last years six nations, give him a proper go at 13 or else put him on the wing and stick cave in there and see what he can do.. as for 12 , there is no stand out 12 in Ireland, dare I say paddy Wallace is doing well for Ulster but something does not click for him with Ireland, given a clean slate he could do well.. but I can see jj hanrahen in that spot in the next year or two
if your answer is paddy Wallace and earls in the centre god help us.
Neither defend and as for earls passing the ball well who ever is unlucky enough to be on the wing would want to be wearing thermals cos they would be getting the ball.
O’Driscoll injured again ?
What is on Amy’s schedule for the next 2 months ?
Just saying loike.
Pity for Brian, I hope the end of his career isn’t destroyed with injuries. Be a real shame to see a world class player like him not be able to give it his all in his last coulpe of seasons!
That said though hopefully it will force Kidney’s hand and he will field some new talent! I would like to see Darcy dropped too. Great service but I feel his time is up. 3 years to develop for the next world cup so now is the time to get Madigan, Felix Jones, MacFadden, Dave Kearney, Earls and Gilroy some solid game time. If Kidney fields Paddy Wallace as BODs replacement I give up : )!!!
Ye and Leinster are really up against it now in December. No BOD, O’ Brien or Kearney…
Why it that we initially always get “scare” injuries. Then we get “all clear “reports and then we get “out” reports?
Are we not to be trusted with the truth ?
Bod out, Earls in. Simple call. Really need to get some younger players in, especially in backs. Please please can we never see Darcy or Wallace on a green shirt again.
No one seems to be considering Darren Cave at 13. He plays in the centre for ulster and was a shoe-in for last year’s six nations before injury.
McFadden and Darcy will be our centres versus Argentina… Which is our crunch match. Earls is only a winger, no matter what he thinks. Bowe on other wing and kearney (if fit) or Jones as fb. Anyway, going by kidneys Munster bias I wouldn’t be surprised to see Downey given a run out, actually id like that.
totally agree. Mc Fadden and Darren Cave in the centre. I know we want to win these games to be seeded well for the 2015 world cup but we have to start blooding new players in these positions if we want to develop
Big names to lose but let’s see what kidney does when forced to shuffle the cards again. Will earls not play at full back? Would not be surprised if Wallace has got the call already. Me personally would like earls wearing 13 and Ian Madigan brought in for cover in the backs
McFadden and Earls in the centre so.
Should be D’Arcy-Cave, or better would be Sexton-Cave with Madigan at 10.