O’Gara: No hiding place for our rookies

It’s survival of the fittest. That’s the challenge in every park in New Zealand you play in and that’s why they’re called Test matches

Ronan O’Gara has challenged Ireland’s inexperienced tourists to prove themselves at international level when the national team takes on world champions New Zealand in their own backyard next month.

Ireland leave London today en route to Auckland with the first of three Tests at Eden Park a week on Saturday. Declan Kidney yesterday did his best to fill the remaining vacancies on the 29-man squad following Tuesday’s 29-28 defeat to the Barbarians at Gloucester, but there are still vacancies with Paul O’Connell and Mike Ross the chief injury concerns.