Has Ireland coach Declan Kidney got the blend right for a testing summer tour?
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If it is possible to be conservative and gamble in one sitting, then Ireland coach Declan Kidney has managed it with his 33-man squad for Ireland's summer tour to New Zealand and Australia according to the Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly.
"Conservative in that this is an 'as you were' selection, based around the core of the unbeaten Grand Slam-winning squad from 2009, with the emphasis on hard-headed experience for what promises to be an arduous expedition. And a gamble in that it includes Paul O'Connell and John Hayes.
"With the imperative of making a worthwhile trip to countries where Ireland have not recorded an international victory since 1979, the argument for leaving behind the likes of David Wallace, Brian O'Driscoll and other front-line Lions never held water.
"Ireland need their heavyweights for this trip, to attempt to strike a psychological blow looking down the road to the next World Cup and, not least, because New Zealand and Australia would have been disgruntled if they did not get Ireland's full monty."
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