Ireland Development side to take on Samoa

An Ireland Development XV coached by Phil Lawlor, Mark McDermott and Kurt McQuilkin will take on Samoa at Donnybrook on Sunday, November 4th. The team for the match will be selected by the national team management of Warren Gatland, Eddie O'Sullivan and Brian O'Brien.

As the match takes place on the fourth weekend of the Heineken European Cup pool stages, none of the provincial managements were in a position to oversee the preparation of an Ireland Development XV that will come together on the previous Thursday.

It was therefore decided by the IRFU's director of rugby Eddie Wigglesworth that Lawlor (provincial development manager for Leinster), McDermott (elite player development manager and national academy manager) and McQuilkin (elite player development officer for Leinster) will take charge of the team.

At this juncture, Harry Williams has been earmarked as team manager, but his commitments to Lansdowne - he coaches the first team at the club - who have a match on Saturday, November 3rd, may rule him out of consideration.

The team will be comprised of the provincial contracted players not included in the provinces' match squads for the European Cup that weekend.

The clubs are likely to be unhappy that players who would have been available to them for the AIB League on the Saturday may not now be considered.

Wigglesworth pointed out: "We have an international obligation to prepare Samoa to play the national side (Ireland). It is a contractual arrangement and one from which we benefit when we go away on tour in terms of the quality of opposition that we face."

The Ireland Development XV will have three days' preparation prior to the match - the team will be selected this weekend.

It marks the beginning of an intensive two weeks for representative players as the following Sunday, Ireland take on Samoa at Lansdowne Road (2.0) and the following Tuesday, November 13th, Ireland A, under the direction of Declan Kidney and Harry Williams will face New Zealand at Ravenhill (7.30).

Warren Gatland's Ireland then face the All Blacks in the Test match at Lansdowne Road, four days later (2.0).

Pacific rugby rivals Fiji, Samoa and Tonga agreed yesterday to form a combined side to tour leading nations starting next year.

"Everybody came to the meeting with a very positive attitude and we have made tremendous progress," acting chief executive Bob Challenor of the Fijian Rugby Union said yesterday.

"Key in achieving this has been a good schedule of matches."

Under the International Rugby Board (IRB) touring schedule, Fiji is due to host the All Blacks next year, South Africa owe a match to Samoa and Tonga is due to host Australia.

"The principle agreed at the meeting is that these matches should be given to the Pacific Islanders," Challenor said.

Given the time constraints in the South Africa, Australia and New Zealand (Sanzar) schedule, Challenor said it was likely the combined team would have to accept playing the fixtures in Australia and New Zealand to overcome the tight July-August Test programme in the Southern Hemisphere.