Young guns bid to show Ireland’s got talent

Ireland rugby supporters will be offered a glimpse of the future should they bite the bullet and pitch up at Thomond Park this evening when Declan Kidney’s side face Fiji (5:30pm).

In the wake of a fifth Test defeat in-a-row last weekend in Dublin, a 16-12 reverse against South Africa, a non-cap match against tier-two opposition may be something of a hard sell in these straitened times and, up to yesterday afternoon, just 14,500 tickets had been sold for the 28,000-capacity stadium.

Yet the national team has decamped to Limerick with a starting XV comprising uncapped backs Craig Gilroy, Luke Marshall and Paddy Jackson and six more players with fewer than 10 Test appearances, leading attack coach Les Kiss to believe there are many persuasive arguments to convince the rugby public to get behind what he views as an exciting and exuberant young Ireland.