Tucker calls on Ireland XV charges to embrace England 'A' challenges

Cullie Tucker’s squad will have just two pitch sessions behind them come kick-off.

Tucker will reveal his matchday 23 at 1pm on Wednesday. Pic: Giuseppe Fama/Inpho

Ireland XV boss Cullie Tucker has called on his players to embrace whatever challenges might come their way as they face up to an England ‘A’ side in Thomond Park this Friday evening.

This fixture was a disaster for Ireland when played in Ashton Gate a year ago with numerous players carted off injured and the inclement conditions making life even more of a misery on a night when they came out second best.

This latest squad hasn’t been helped by the revolving doors in and out of camp in recent days as some players move up to, or back from, the senior squad and other changes again have been needed due to injuries.

All told, Tucker’s squad will have just two pitch sessions behind them come kick-off.

“You have to walk towards and embrace it in these weeks,” said Tucker. “It's not far off what a senior team would have as well. You walk through on a Monday and you're on the pitch, Tuesday, Wednesday, it's a Friday night game.

“In these cases, you can look at them as obstacles or barriers. You’ve got to look at them as opportunities. You’ve got to make sure that they're prepared to train each day and get the max out of the training. So we had a very good session earlier on.

“The boys are bought into what we're doing. So I look at it as embracing the challenge and going towards it.” 

England have named a strong selection with ten players already capped at senior level, including No.8 Alex Dombrandt who has played 23 times at Test level. Archie van der Flier, cousin to Ireland’s Josh, has been named on the bench.

Tucker will reveal his matchday 23 at 1pm on Wednesday.

Games at this level are always something of an unknown and Tucker admitted as much even if Mark Mapletoft’s England side played both Spain and an All Black XV side during the last international window just a few months ago.

So, as for what to expect from England?

“Who knows? The players have to see the pictures that are coming at them. But looking at the [England] squad, there's a lot of powerful athletes in there and plenty of pace on the wings. They always have a good kicking game.

“Harry Randall at nine is a running threat so we just have to be aware of the individual threats there. But more importantly than anything, we can’t put a huge emphasis on them. We have to put our game on the pitch. That's our focus, considering it’s such a short week.” 

Jude Postlethwaite, Harry Byrne, Michael Milne, Tom O’Toole and Nathan Doak have all made the step up to Andy Farrell’s squad this week having featured for Tucket’s ‘A’ team away to Spain back in November.

It shows how close some of Tucker’s players might just be to getting a call for a Six Nations that Ireland are starting with a number of players already absent through injury and a tournament that now has just the one rest week for the first time.

“They're vital fixtures in that respect, in terms of even Six Nations now. Some of them will have maybe more immediate eyes in it, but more so looking a little bit longer in the future for some of them.

“For us, this week is about performing as a team and not as individuals because that puts them in the best place to catch the eye of the senior coaches. So that's been our focus this week: to really get out there on Friday night and put in a performance as a team.”

England ‘A’: Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks, 1 cap); Cadan Murley (Harlequins, 3), Luke Northmore (Harlequins, 2), Orlando Bailey (Leicester Tigers, 0), Ollie Hassell-Collins (Leicester Tigers, 2) ; Billy Searle (Leicester Tigers, 0), Harry Randall (Bristol Bears, 14); Tarek Haffar (Leicester Tigers, 0), Jamie Blamire (Leicester Tigers, 7), George Kloska (Bristol Bears, 0); Ben Bamber (Sale Sharks, 0), Joe Batley (Bristol Bears, 0); Ethan Roots (c) (Exeter Chiefs, 4), Jack Kenningham (Harlequins, 0), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 23).

Replacements: Kepueli Tuipulotu (Bath Rugby, 0), Archie Van Der Flier (Leicester Tigers, 0), Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby, 0), Hugh Tizard (Saracens, 0), Fitz Harding (Bristol Bears, 0), Raffi Quirke (Sale Sharks, 2), Charlie Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, 1), George Hendy (Northampton Saints, 0).