Deans Will Gamble

Whatever about Ireland’s objectives in Melbourne on Saturday night, Wallaby coach, New Zealander Robbie Deans, will use the game to try out combinations for the upcoming Tri Nations.

And to that ends it is believed he may hand the number 9 jersey to the Waratahs’ Luke Burgess ahead of the more experienced Sam Cordingly. Burgess became a regular in the Waratahs side from mid-way through the Super 14 tournament and helped them to a Super 14 final where they lost to the Crusaders. 

Deans will name his side to face Ireland tomorrow.

Ireland U20 (v New Zealand). Niall Morris (Blackrock College/Leinster); Sean Scanlon (UCC/Munster), Eoin O’Malley capt, (Old Belvedere/Leinster),  Conor Cleary (Greystones/Leinster), Eamon Sheridan (Lansdowne/Leinster); Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster), Ian Porter (QUB/Ulster);
Paul Karayiannis (QUB/Ulster), Jason Harris-Wright (Greystones/Leinster), Ben Barclay     (UCD/Leinster); James Sandford (QUB/Ulster), Ian Nagle (UCC/Munster); Kieran Essex  (UL Bohemian/Munster), Michael Entwistle (Ballymena/Ulster), Patrick Mallon (Lansdowne/Leinster) . Replacements:  Stephen Douglas (Ballymena/Ulster), Stephen Archer (UCC/Munster), Ciaran Ruddock (Neath/Exiles), Paul Ryan (Blackrock College/Leinster), David Moore  (Blackrock College/Leinster), Martin Dufficy (Dublin University/ Leinster), Jamie Smyth (Ballymena/Ulster)