You would be thinking that if you were in the Irish camp, there might be an air of distress or even a smidgen of panic, them being in the position having played two WRC warm up games and won neither and no tries to be seen, but no so!

Talking to the lads in camp the feeling is that they are exactly on track to where they should be at this stage. Yes they are a little frustrated about the losses and the players would have preferred to have put both of these games away but they set their goals at the start of camp and would you believe they are on target!!

The targets I’m talking about are mainly from a management point of view, they set out to give their whole squad ample time on the pitch and to get through unscaved. This has been done. In fact on the injury front they are well ahead of target! No really injuries so far (fingers crossed!)and look at the list of walking wounded who after this weekend will have gotten valuable game time-BOD, Darcy, Kearney, Ferris, Murphy, Flannery, O’Leary, Jennings to name a few!

Tonight (Thursday) an Ireland Select XV will play Connacht with very much an 2^nd XV. I suppose the main part of which is the first game back in the jersey for Geordan Murphy, who has made a great return from a bad leg break.

Probably not a lot will be got from this game bar the fact that it will deliver a few players that very valuable game time. Guys like Hayes, Murphy and Boss haven’t been seen too much of late and will have much to show in the hope that they get on the plane.

With the “Big Guns” starting to get back for the France game on Saturday, I am expecting a win. The main aim for the team is they have to start well, not give the visitor any headway at all. I’m looking forward to seeing Ferris back in the green after basically a seasons absence. If he can make it through it should give Kidney one hell of a headache in selection of what combination to go with between Ferris, Wallace, Heaslip and O’Brien…who would you pick?!!

Shane