Kidney to go with Leinster halfbacks

IRELANDTEAM SELECTION:EOIN REDDAN is set for a slightly surprising recall when the Ireland team is confirmed at lunchtime today. It had appeared Peter Stringer had grabbed his chance in last weekend's win over Samoa, but the Ireland management are set to revert to the Leinster half-back axis of Reddan and Jonathan Sexton when they unveil their selection to face New Zealand in Saturday's Test at the Aviva Stadium.

Perhaps Declan Kidney and the rest of the Ireland coaching staff were also mindful of Reddan and Sexton having an established Leinster half-back partnership over the last couple of years, and instead have kept the even more established Stringer-Ronan O’Gara combination as back-up.

Whereas Stringer and Sexton have never played together, in the previous eight Tests which Sexton has started, he has been either partnered by the now injured Tomás O’Leary (five times) or Reddan (three times).

Opportunity knocked for 10 players who were promoted to the staring line-up for last week’s 20-10 win over Samoa, but it would appear the management have not taken the view that they grasped it with both hands.

Ultimately, if the team pans out as anticipated, there will only be one change from the side which started the 21-23 defeat to South Africa, and that has been partially forced by injury, with Tom Court playing at tighthead instead of the sidelined Tony Buckley.

It’s conceivable Donnacha Ryan might have started but for the three-week suspension he incurred on Tuesday, but in any event Mick O’Driscoll is apparently set to renew his secondrow partnership with Donncha O’Callaghan.

Even less surprisingly, it would also appear as if the Irish management are going to rely on the tried and trusted backrow of Stephen Ferris, David Wallace and Jamie Heaslip.

This has been their backrow of choice for every frontline international in which they have been available since the Argentina game in November 2008, with the exception of the penultimate leg of the Grand Slam later that season, when Heaslip was on the bench for the win over Scotland in Murrayfield, only to come on for the injured Denis Leamy after 30 minutes.

For much of that season and against the Springboks, Leamy will again provide the backrow cover.

IRELAND PROBABLE XV

(v New Zealand, Aviva Stadium, Saturday, 5.30pm)

15 Robert Kearney (Leinster)

14 Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)

13 Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster, capt)

12 Gordon D’Arcy (Leinster)

11 Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster)

10 Jonathan Sexton (Leinster)

9 Eoin Reddan (Leinster)

1 Cian Healy (Leinster)

2 Rory Best (Ulster)

3 Tom Court (Ulster)

4 Donncha O’Callaghan (Munster)

5 Mick O’Driscoll (Munster)

6 Stephen Ferris (Ulster)

7 David Wallace (Munster)

8 Jamie Heaslip (Leinster)

Replacements: Seán Cronin (Connacht), John Hayes (Munster), Devin Toner (Leinster), Denis Leamy (Munster), Peter Stringer (Munster), Ronan O'Gara (Munster), Keith Earls (Munster).