Updated 13.55
FELIX JONES HAS been named at full-back in the Ireland team to play France on Saturday, with captain Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy also named.
Coach Declan Kidney felt that the game came too early to include Tommy Bowe from the start, but revealed that the Ospreys star is back in full training and will be ready to compete sooner rather than later.
There are ten changes overall from the side that lost 19-12 to the French in Bordeaux last weekend, with Keith Earls moving from the centre to left wing.
Jonathan Sexton will be partnered at half back by Tomás O’Leary, Sean O’Brien moves to No. 6 and Paul O’Connell and Jamie Heaslip start the match after coming on as replacements last Saturday.
With just over three weeks remaining until Ireland kick-off their World Cup campaign against the USA, Kidney said that he is pleased with how his squad rotation has worked so far, despite having lost both warm-up matches.
“We said at the very outset that it was important to try and get at least 30 players match-fit before we get on the plane to New Zealand,” he said this afternoon. “This is all part of the plan for that.
The fact that it’s ten changes isn’t something that I counted up.
“Obviously we’ve lost the two games, but every time you put on a green jersey you want to win a match. Ideally, we’d do that.
“But I am happy. The way the players are going about their business and the way things are coming together, I am happy with that.
Ireland (v France): Jones; Trimble, O’Driscoll, D’Arcy, Earls; Sexton, O’Leary; Healy, Best, Ross; O’Callaghan, O’Connell; O’Brien, Wallace, Heaslip. Replacements: Flannery, Court, McCarthy, Ferris, Reddan, O’Gara, Fitzgerald.
Ireland Select (v Connacht): G Murphy; J Murphy, Cave, Keatley, McFadden; Wallace, Boss; Buckley, Cronin, Hayes; M O’Driscoll, Cullen; McLoughlin, Jennings, Leamy. Replacements: Varley, Horan, Ryan, Ronan, Murray, Hurley, Whitten.
– Additional reporting by Niall Kelly
Great save by Kelleher near the end. Comfortable afternoon for him
Top player.
Super performance and result albeit against a woeful Watford. Unlikely to be a worse performance by any PL team this season. Salah is unbelievable and his goal was magical, give him the contract his performances and goals deserve. Great to see Firmino scoring. Though Kelleher had nothing to do he kept his concentration to make a very good save at the end. Gonna be a tight title race. Surprised Salah and Mane played the 90 minutes, Minamino could have done with game time especially against that Watford team.
Mo Salah is WOW!!! a pleasure to watch him…..Firmino not bad either : )
Time to sack Ranieri…….
@John S: dilly ding dilly dong
@Heckler davies: dilly ding, dilly gone
Class win and 3 more handy points. We will be hard to stop This season as we put last seasons blip behind us
Danny Rose will sleep tonight. Great performance against an albeit poor side!!
Give Mo all the money. Almost 0% chance of being able to replace him
Lewandowski and Salah are the best players in the world on current form.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a PL side as bad as that Watford side today….if they lost 10-0 it wouldn’t have been a surprise! Woeful…
@Ottomaaan: you forgot to mention that they were up against a solid side with a rampant front three, there, I fixed it for you…. :)
@Gordon Larney: no need to fix anything. That was the worst performance I’ve ever seen from a PL side, dreadful stuff and Liverpool could have put 10 past them.
@Ottomaaan: have to agree. I was at the game and never seen such a bad performance from a PL team.
Salah in great form. But how long canhe hold that form? He has 20-25 goals in him a season, but he’s up and down. If he held this form, he’d be close to 40 goals?
Bigger tests against Athletico and United on the way.
@Finn Faulkner: did you like your own comment…
@Finn Faulkner: how long can he do that. ? He has been doing it for the last 4 seasons. 104 goals in 166 games in the Premier league but you think he should score more. Okay so
@Finn Faulkner: you’re gonna need bigger bait on that hook ….
@WESHALLNOTBEMOVED: But by that metric 4 seasons at 40 goals would be 160 goals. He hasn t done that. But my point is that if he can keep that killer hat on his head for a prolonged period, and with our squad almost injury free, he could break records for us. I’m HOPING he keeps this lethal form indefinitely. He still can’t be put in the Messi/Ronaldo category until he starts being seriously clinical. I’d love to see him win the Balloon d’Or this year (or the next)
@len len: No, but seeing as you need likes, here, have mine. Have a lovely day.
@WESHALLNOTBEMOVED: you included his Chelsea stats there, it’s 102 in 153 for Liverpool
@Shane Roche: It’s still an amazing number of goals per season, but I think he can go even further, he needs to keep this current form. Biggest tests are against Athletico and then United.
That salah. Goal was pure roy of the rovers.. Pure art.. He must be a great dancer..
As good as Liverpool are, and they are really good. This in my opinion is all about Klopp.