Bowe has been one of his country's star performers since his switch to the Welsh side and his try-scoring prowess makes him an immovable piece of coach Declan Kidney's plans.
His former teammate in the northern province, Paddy Wallace, was another contender to break up the blue dominance behind the scrum. But has lost out to Gordon D'Arcy who will partner Brian O'Driscoll in midfield after the skipper was ruled in to the side after suffering a hamstring injury in the win over Racing Metro.
As expected, Jonathan Sexton is now the country's first choice fly-half and he will be partnered by Eoin Reddan. Fit again Luke Fitzgerald will occupy the left wing position while Rob Kearney is almost irreplaceable at fullback.
In the tight, Cian Healy is one of only two Leinster forwards and Tony Buckley will replace the mountainous figure of John Hayes, whose omission from the 22 man squad was unthinkable six months ago.
Rory Best has been chosen ahead of Sean Cronin at hooker and will bring some vital experience to the front row. Right behind them, Donncha O'Callaghan and Mick O'Driscoll will bring their provincial partnership to face the Springboks.
Surprisingly, there is no place for Sean O'Brien in the squad. The Eastern province's openside has greatly impressed in the early part of the season but Paddy Wallace has been preferred to play alongside the rock solid Stephen Ferris and Jamie Heaslip.
The back row cover will be provided by Munster's Denis Leamy and Donnacha Ryan, who will also cover second row positions if required. Cronin and Tom Court complete the forward contingent.
Deposed Number 10, Ronan O'Gara will be joined on the bench by his long-term partner Peter Stringer and, should the game-plan be going off-script their introduction could provide an intriguing momentum change.
The argument over the 22nd jersey is still to be settled, with Declan Kidney naming Keith Earls, Andrew Trimble and Paddy Wallace as potentials to fill the shirt.
Earls is recovering from an ankle knock, but if fit, is surely the favourite to get the nod given he has greater versatility than Trimble and Wallace. The latter's ability to cover the fly-half position will be negated by O'Gara's presence.
On his personal Twitter page, O'Driscoll beamed about his enthusiasm for the upcoming test at the new Lansdowne Road:
"Just finished media in the Aviva. Just being there gets the juices flowing for the weekend."
Ireland (v South Africa): Robert Kearney; Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll (c), Gordon D'Arcy, Luke Fitzgerald; Jonathan Sexton, Eoin Reddan; Cian Healy, Rory Best, Tony Buckley; Donncha O'Callaghan, Mick O'Driscoll; Stephen Ferris, David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements: Seán Cronin, Tom Court, Donnacha Ryan, Denis Leamy, Peter Stringer, Ronan O'Gara, Keith Earls/Andrew Trimble/Paddy Wallace.
No comments:
Post a Comment