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Seven eight split in Alan Quinlan's Combined Wales/Ireland XV
By Josh Raisey
Former Ireland and Munster flanker Alan Quinlan has picked a combined Wales and Ireland team ahead of their Guinness Six Nations clash on Sunday.
Joining Off The Ball AM, Quinlan selected a team consisting of eight Irishmen and seven Welshmen.
For a wily player that seemed to improve with age, it is no surprise that he has opted for a sagacious XV loaded with caps and experience.
The average age of the squad is 30, while the average number of caps is 71.
Ireland lock James Ryan, 24, is the only player in the squad that is under the age of 25, and it would have been an aberration if Quinlan overlooked him. But Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe, Tomos Williams and Andrew Porter are the only other players that are not over the age of 30.
The contest at the Principality Stadium could be one of the defining fixtures of this year’s Six Nations. Andy Farrell’s Ireland got the better of Wayne Pivac’s Wales in the Autumn Nations Cup, beating them 32-9 at the Aviva Stadium.
With both sides showing plenty of areas that are in need of improvement over the autumn, Quinlan’s XV perhaps indicates the strength of their experienced Test players which are yet to be usurped by the next generation.
QUINLAN'S COMBINED WALES IRELAND XV
15. Leigh Halfpenny, 32 (Wales) 97 caps
14. Keith Earls, 33 (Ireland) 88 caps
13. Jonathan Davies, 32 (Wales) 91 caps
12. Robbie Henshaw, 27 (Ireland) 47 caps
11. James Lowe, 28 (Ireland) 2 caps
10. Johnny Sexton, 35 (Ireland) 101 caps
9. Tomos Williams, 26 (Wales) 20 caps
1. Cian Healy, 33 (Ireland) 104 caps
2. Ken Owens, 34 (Wales) 79 caps
3. Andrew Porter, 25 (Ireland) 32 caps
4. Alun Wyn Jones, 35 (Wales) 152 caps
5. James Ryan, 24 (Ireland) 32 caps
6. CJ Stander, 30 (Ireland) 47 caps
7. Justin Tipuric, 31 (Wales) 81 caps
8. Taulupe Faletau, 30 (Wales) 85 caps
ACTUAL SELECTED TEAMS:
Wales: L Halfpenny (Scarlets); L Rees-Zammit (Gloucester), G North (Ospreys), J Williams (Scarlets), H Amos (Cardiff Blues); D Biggar (Northampton), T Williams (Cardiff Blues); W Jones (Scarlets), K Owens (Scarlets), T Francis (Exeter), A Beard (Ospreys), A W Jones (Ospreys, capt), D Lydiate (Ospreys), J Tipuric (Ospreys), T Faletau (Bath).
Replacements: E Dee (Dragons), R Jones (Ospreys), L Brown (Dragons), W Rowlands (Wasps), J Navidi (Cardiff Blues), G Davies (Scarlets), C Sheedy (Bristol), N Tompkins (Dragons).
Ireland: H Keenan (Leinster); K Earls (Munster), G Ringrose (Leinster), R Henshaw (Leinster), J Lowe (Leinster); J Sexton (Leinster, capt), C Murray (Munster); C Healy (Leinster), R Herring (Ulster), A Porter (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster), J Ryan (Leinster), P O’Mahony (Munster), J van der Flier (Leinster), CJ Stander (Munster).
Replacements: R Kelleher (Leinster), D Kilcoyne (Munster), T Furlong (Leinster), I Henderson (Ulster), W Connors (Leinster), J Gibson-Park (Leinster), B Burns (Ulster), J Larmour (Leinster).
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England).
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Latest Comments
Which country do you think was instrumental in developing rugby in Argentina which then spun off into the rest of Latin South America? South Africa was touring Argentine in the 50's with their Junior Bok side on three months development tours. And they didn't do it to cultivare players for the Boks. Regarding Africa you are not taking into account that South Africa itself is an emerging nation. The rugby union has prioritised the development of rugby in South African rural communities with outstanding success.
It has taken 15 years to build the participation of rugby both in playing and watching. For South Africa on its own to build a viable international rugby competition in africa will take generations - not decades. New Zealanders seem to resent the fact that SA has doubled the income of the URC since their inclusion. If New Zealand Rugby hadn't insisted on have a disproportionate slice of the pie in Super Rugby, SA might not have fled the coop.
Go to commentsDon't think you've watched enough. I'll take him over anything I's seen so far. But let's see how the future pans out. I'm quietly confident we have a row of 10's lined uo who would each start in many really good teams.
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