Declan Kidney; the coach of the Ireland Rugby Team is almost done finalizing his squad for the demanding three test match series against New Zealand and will only name it after The Barbarians have played their scheduled friendly at Kingshlom.
It has been revealed that Kidney will be naming a squad of 29 for the tour that will depart for the little island nation on Thursday and although he is yet to completely finalize his squad with some fringe players yet to be confirmed, flanker Stephen Ferris has already been ruled out of the tour due to an injury.
Kevin McLaughlin of Leinster will replace Ferris, who is still nursing a calf injury that he sustained while playing a match for his calf, it has been reported. But Kidney is hoping that his problems with injuries stop with Ferris and management team is hopeful that flanker Sean O’Brien and lock Paul O’Connell will both be able to shrug off their nagging knee problems and declare themselves fit for the tests against the mighty All Blacks.
O’Brien had to miss the final of the Rabo Direct PRO 12 between Leinster and Ospreys and so did Cian Healey, who sat out of the match with a dead leg as well as Isaac Boss, the scrum half of Leinster, who has been troubled with a leg injury and it is these injuries that are worrying the Ireland Rugby Team. He knows that if he takes a depleted squad to New Zealand, The Barbarians will be all but hammered by the All Blacks and that will not be a good thing to return home with.
There are still four places that are left to be finalized by Kidney for the Ireland Rugby Team and he hopes that he doesn’t have to take uncapped players for those spots.
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