McLaughlin questions ‘conservative’ Irish squad

ULSTER coach Brian McLaughlin has branded Declan Kidney’s latest Irish squads as “conservative” and lamented the absence of a number of his players from both the senior and Wolfhound panels yesterday.

With Ulster top of a very difficult Heineken Cup group approaching the last round of fixtures and a number of their Irish players in impressive form, hopes were high that the Ravenhill contingent would be boosted as the Six Nations approaches. Ulster have had five named to the initial Six Nations squad — Rory Best, Tom Court, Stephen Ferris, Andrew Trimble and Paddy Wallace — while Chris Henry, Dan Tuohy and Nevin Spence have been pencilled in to the second string. Paddy McAllister will also link up with the seniors next week as one of six up-and-comers who it is hoped will benefit from being included in illustrious company for the initial week’s training in Limerick. Neither squad is set in stone but the absence of players like Paul Marshall, who has been superb at scrum-half, and the try-scoring threat that is Craig Gilroy will rankle more people in and around Belfast than just McLaughlin.

“If you look at the squads, they have been fairly conservative and certainly I’m a little bit disappointed Paul is not involved,” said the coach. “Dan Tuohy has been exceptional and I’m disappointed he has not been pushed up again to the senior squad. Chris Henry is there (with the Wolfhounds) and Paddy McAllister is in the senior squad as a guy coming in to gain from experience but certainly I feel that people like Craig Gilroy should have had an opportunity and I’m disappointed they haven’t been given that.”