The All Blacks were a little off their game but still had too much for Ireland.

The All Blacks outscored Ireland 3 tries to nil, a try each from Brad Thorn and Ma’a Nonu theird  came through a penalty try after Tommy Bowe had palmed the ball out of play illegaly.

Ireland were not good enough in this encounter and New Zealand have now held both Scotland and Ireland tryless in their encounters.

Ireland:

G Dempsey, T Bowe, B O’Driscoll, L Fitzgerald, R Kearney; R O’Gara. T O’Leary; M Horan, R Best, J Hayes, D O’Callaghan, P O’Connell, A Quinlan, D Wallace, J Heaslip

Replacements:

J Flannery, T Buckley, S Ferris, S Jennings, E Reddan, P Wallace, K Earls

New Zealand:

M Muliaina, J Rokocoko, C Smith, M Nonu, S Sivivatu, D Carter, J Cowan, T Woodcock, K Mealamu, N Tialata, B Thorn, A Williams, J Kaino, R McCaw (capt), R So’oialo

Replacements: C Flynn, J Afoa, A Boric, K Read, P Weepu, S Donald, I Toeava

The guide contains all of the necessary guidelines and support for clubs to ensure a quality environment for players, supporters and volunteers including clubhouse amenities, weight training/gym facilities, floodlighting & pitch standards and event management safety standards.

This guide highlights the essential areas required for the organisation and development of rugby clubs and is just one of the latest initiatives in line with the IRFU’s recent strategic plan to develop a quality game both on and off pitch.

The guide is designed to be a support resource for rugby clubs, with key contact information and direction on sourcing service providers to enable the delivery of the best playing environment and experience for rugby club members at all levels of the game in Ireland.

Speaking about this initiative, Finbarr Crowley, Chairman of Domestic Game Committee said “Our ambition is to provide quality at all levels of the game to continue to build on the foundations of the domestic game, which is the key area for the success of Irish Rugby. This guide is a step towards achieving this goal. For a club to be sustainable it must be managed like any small business, this is a holistic guide for clubs to achieve a quality club environment.”

This guide will be delivered to all clubs in Ireland within the coming weeks and will be also supplemented with the support structure in place through the club development managers in each of the provinces.

Copies of the document are also available for download from www.irishrugby.ie/documents

Girvan Dempsey comes into the side at fullback and Tomas O’Leary is selected to start his first international at scrumhalf.  Both Keith Earls and Eoin Reddan revert to the replacements after starting last weekend.

The remaining four changes are all in the pack with Rory Best and John Hayes starting at hooker and prop respectively following their introduction as replacements last week.  The backrow combination also sees changes with Alan Quinlan and David Wallace, who were both try scoring replacements against Canada, starting on either side of the scrum.

The team will be  captained by Brian O’Driscoll for the 50th time.

Ireland Team (to play New Zealand, GUINNESS Series 2008, Croke Park, Saturday November 15th, 17:15)

15 – Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College/Leinster)
14 – Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
13 – Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster)
12 – Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)
11 – Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
10 – Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
9 – Tomas O’Leary (Dolphin/Munster)
1 – Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)
2 – Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
3 – John Hayes (Bruff/Munster)
4 – Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
5 – Paul O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
6 – Alan Quinlan (Shannon/Munster)
7 – David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)
8 – Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements:
16 - Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
17 - Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
18 - Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
19 – Shane Jennings (St.Mary’s College/Leinster)
20 - Eoin Reddan (Wasps)
21 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
22 – Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)

The canadians were simply outmuscled from the first whistle and when Keith Earls scored a try in the third minute of play the day was always going to be long for the visitors.

The Irish played some very good football in parts and will take some real positives into their match with The All Blacks next week.

The Irish scored 8 tries in the match with the back 3 getting 5 of them.

Scorers

Ireland v Canada

Ireland
Tries: Earls, Kearney 2, Heaslip, Bowe 2, D Wallace, Quinlan
Cons: O’Gara 5, P Wallace
Pen: O’Gara

Canada

Tries:
Con:
Pen:
DG:

Ireland: Earls; Bowe, O’Driscoll, capt, Fitzgerald, Kearney; O’Gara, Reddan; Horan, Flannery, Buckley, O’Callaghan, O’Connell, Ferris, Jennings, Heaslip.
Replacements: R Best, Hayes, Quinlan, D Wallace, Stringer, P Wallace, Horgan.

Canada: Pritchard; Hearn, Keys, Smith, Mensah-Coker; Monro, Fairhurst; Tkachuk, Riordan, Thiel; Burak, Jackson; Stephen, Kleeberger, Carpenter.
Replacements: Pletch, Walsh, Hotson, Sinclair, Williams, Evans, Mackenzie.

The Ulster contingent includes Amy Davis, Jess Limbert, Imogen Porter, Lauren Day, Laura Nicholl, Clodagh McCool, Jo O’Sullivan and Eliza Downey.

Jess Limbert has remained Ireland’s first choice Hooker for the past number of seasons, while Amy Davis was called to the National squad last season. A number of the longer-standing Ulster ladies have received Irish caps in the past, and for Laura Nicholl, it is her first return to the International scene since being reselected 3 years ago- an opportunity she was forced to turn down due to work commitments.

Two very new faces, not only on the Irish scene, but also to the Ulster scene, are City of Derry’s Clodagh McCool and Cooke’s Eliza Downey. Both girls are relatively new to Rugby, but following an impressive debut in the recent Women’s Inter-provincial series, both girls have been selected for next weekend’s training camp.

Speaking about her delight at being selected for the Irish training squad, Ulster Wing, Clodagh McCool commented: “I was so delighted and completely shocked when I heard I’d been selected. I really wasn’t expecting it, as I only took up Rugby less than a year ago. I am really looking forward to the new challenge, and to learning new skills that will further progress my game.”

Details of the training camp will follow after next weekend.

Alan Quinlan and David Wallace, who had been suffering from an abscess on his tooth earlier in the week, are both selected in the 22.

Ireland Team:
15 – Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
14 – Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
13 – Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster)
12 – Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)
11 – Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
10 – Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
9 – Eoin Reddan (Wasps)
1 – Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)
2 – Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
3 – Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
4 – Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
5 – Paul O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
6 – Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
7 – Shane Jennings (St.Mary’s College/Leinster)
8 – Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)

Replacements:
16 - Rory Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
17 - John Hayes (Shannon/Munster)
18 - Alan Quinlan (Shannon/Munster)
19 - David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster)
20 - Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster)
21 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster)
22 - Shane Horgan (Boyne/Leinster)

The team contains several new combinations at international level for the IRB world ranking game.  Keith Earls will start his first international for Ireland at full back in his home ground and is the one new cap in the starting team.

He is joined in the back three by Tommy Bowe and Robert Kearney.  There is also a new midfield partnership in the team with Luke Fitzgerald and Irish Captain Brian O’Driscoll linking up in the centres.

In the pack, Marcus Horan, Jerry Flannery and Tony Buckley are all selected in the front row to start an international together for the first time.  Stephen Ferris is named on the blindside for the game alongside Shane Jennings on the other flank and Jamie Heaslip continues where he left off during the summer tour by being named at No.8.

The seven replacements for the game will be confirmed by Kidney on Thursday.

Ireland Team (V Canada, GUINNESS Series 2008, Thomond Park, Saturday November 8th, 17:15)
15 – Keith Earls* (Young Munster/Munster)
14 – Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
13 – Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster)
12 – Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College/Leinster)
11 – Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
10 – Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
9 – Eoin Reddan (Wasps)
1 – Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster)
2 – Jerry Flannery (Shannon/Munster)
3 – Tony Buckley (Shannon/Munster)
4 – Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
5 – Paul O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster)
6 – Stephen Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster)
7 – Shane Jennings (St.Mary’s College/Leinster)
8 – Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
Replacements to be selected from the following 8:
Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster), John Hayes (Bruff/Munster), Ryan Caldwell (Dungannon/Ulster), Alan Quinlan (Shannon/Munster), David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster), Paddy Wallace (Ballymena/Ulster), Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster), Shane Horgan (Boyne/Leinster)

*Denotes New Cap

The draw was made by John Lyons, President IRFU, and Carl Morgan, AIB Navan, with Pat Fitzgerald, Chairman IRFU Commercial and Marketing Committee. They were welcomed to the club by Navan RFC President Philip Brady

Fresh from beating last season’s finalists Blackrock, defending champions Shannon were drawn at home against Ballynahinch

Reigning AIB League champions Cork Constitution, who beat St. Marys in the second round, will face a trip to Bruff.

AIB Cup Third Round (Saturday January 10th, 2009, 14:30)

Dolphin V Ards

Galwegians / Highfield V Nenagh Ormond / Barnhall

Young Munster V UCD

Shannon V Ballynahinch

Buccanneers V UL Bohemians

UCC V Old Belvedere

Bruff V Cork Constitution

Bective Rangers V Garryowen

The draw was conducted by John Lyons, President IRFU, Carl Morgan, AIB Navan, and Pat Fitzgerald, Chairman Commercial and Marketing Commmittee IRFU.

Hosts for the evening and defending champions, the Meath side were drawn against former champions Seapoint. There is one other all provincial tie with Corrib drawn at home to Westport.

Last season’s beaten finalists Tullamore will face a trip to Belfast to play Cooke

AIB Junior Cup First Round (Saturday January 3rd, 2009)

Seapoint V Navan

Castlebar V Richmond

Cooke V Tullamore

Cashel V Clogher Valley

Armagh V Crosshaven

Corrib V Westport

Ballymoney V St. Senan’s

Ballina V Cill Dara

O’Driscoll has been leading Irish Rugby for a number seasons, he has though missed a number of tests over recent times through injury.

Has the time arrived for him to step aside and try to regain the wonderful form he showed a number of years ago while free of the captaincy. If O’Driscoll needs to be replaced then by whom? The obvious choice would be Paul O’Connell of Young Munster and Munster.

This is part of the problem that Kidney faces, Paul O’Connell has himself had some sketchy matches for the Irish and perhaps Kidney believes he is not quite up to the job. There is not really anyone else that Kidney could turn to withreal confidence and until he finds that certain someone it looks like O’Driscoll will keep the role.