AFTER SELECTING MANY of the same old faces for the summer tour, Declan Kidney defended his choices by saying:

“You don’t experiment against a side like New Zealand, you have to go for it.”

With no caps or international ranking points handed out, today marks an all-too-rare opportunity for the former Munster boss to try and test some new things in an environment which should not prove too restrictive.

Kidney has gone for some familiar combinations: Conor Murray and Ronan O’Gara, Paddy Wallace and Darren Cave while Chris Henry and John Muldoon are no strangers either.

So lets not allow any excuses for ‘unfamiliarity’ - especially against a thrown-together Barbarians selection – here is what we hope to see from Ireland tonight.

Dominant pack

Our front rows may not have a single international cap between them, but the second row is a combination we (presuming the absence of Paul O’Connell) would like to see as first choice against the All Blacks.

Between them, Dan Tuohy and Donnacha Ryan have a mix of line-out expertise and broken field athleticism to become a formidable partnership. Mick O’Driscoll and Cornelius van Zyl will provide no shortage of nous, but the younger duo will need to be the more abrasive and dominant for over 60 minutes to make Kidney think twice before launching Donncha O’Callaghan back into the fray.

Quick ball

The selection of Henry at openside indicates that Brian McLaughlin’s transformation of the one-time number eight is complete. Peter O’Mahony is chosen to anchor the scrum because Henry’s performances in guiding Ulster back to the top table of European rugby were nothing short of brilliant.

Both O’Mahony and John Muldoon have played as a seven before, but it is Henry who will be tasked with ensuring breakdown runs smoothly. He will have help, of course, but with Francois Louw, Raphael Lakafia and Mamuka Gorgodze the Baa Baas will throw some wrecking balls at the green defence so getting on the front foot will not be easy.

The back three

While it is refreshing to see Darren Cave chosen, Keith Earls’ selection at fullback is a strange one. It comes less than a month after he publicly stated that centre is his preferred position and is no longer entirely comfortable on the wing.

While we are loathe to discourage Ronan O’Gara from kicking the corners and doing what he does best, he must also exploit the gaps almost certain to appear in the tourists’ defence. If O’Gara, Conor Murray and Paddy Wallace can resist putting boot to ball and create space for Craig Gilroy, Earls and Simon Zebo running from deep it will make for a perfect Baa Baas test.

We can dream.

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