Kidney is right to ring the changes

MAKING eight changes from his last selection and handing out international caps wouldn’t normally be Declan Kidney’s way but few will argue with the side he has chosen for Saturday’s clash with Fiji at the RDS.

The Irish coach had to take the opportunity to blood some players against the South Sea Islanders while also paying the visitors due respect.

After all, Fiji showed themselves to be a major force in the 2007 World Cup during which they played some sparkling rugby. They performed well against Scotland on Saturday before losing 23-10 and apart from benefiting from that outing, will probably be able to field a team on Saturday worthy of their current 10th world ranking.

Centre Seremaia Bai is well known to the Munster members of the Irish side, having played against them for Montauban in last year’s Heineken Cup, while they are confident that the brilliant Clermont Auvergne wing Viloni Delasau will also be available.

He has figured for the French outfit against Munster in each of the last two European campaigns and lived up to the reputation he earned for himself in the 2007 World Cup.

Fiji came second in Pool B behind Australia and the highlight of their run was a 38-34 defeat of Wales in Nantes, with Delasau one of their try scorers.

They produced a passionate performance in the quarter-finals before going down 37-20 to eventual champions South Africa. Delasau also scored in that game with Bai contributing 10 points through two penalties and two conversions.

It would have been foolhardy for Kidney to name anything other than a strong side against such potentially dangerous opposition. At the same time, though, he is correct in opting for a mix and match combination of youth and experience which is key to the ongoing success of this side.

It was no surprise that he would give a first cap to Jonathan Sexton at out-half and recall Eoin Reddan at the base of the scrum. Ronan O’Gara and Tomas O’Leary are being kept in reserve for the big confrontation with South Africa a week later, a strategy that also applies to right wing Tommy Bowe, and probably also to centre Paddy Wallace.

Gordon D’Arcy comes in for Wallace, Shane Horgan for Bowe and Keith Earls on the left wing for the unfortunate Luke Fitzgerald.

Many would have kept Cian Healy at loose head prop to give him more experience of the international scene. He is omitted for Tom Court, with Kidney keen to see if the Aussie-born Ulster player measures up. He has had a good season so far with his province while there was an unarguable case for Leo Cullen’s recall in the second row. It’s a position in which every side needs a ‘third man’ and the Leinster captain fits the bill perfectly. The back row will lack for a little pace with the omission of David Wallace but once again Denis Leamy’s inclusion was guaranteed.

The replacement panel is notable for the presence of Tony Buckley, the big Munster prop who has recovered from a nagging calf injury. The uncapped Sean Cronin and Sean O’Brien will hope for game time although there will be those surprised there was no places for the likes of Leinster prop Mike Ross, Ulster centre Darren Cave and flankers Neil Best and Niall Ronan.