The 2012 Autumn internationals are rolling in, with Ireland hosting South Africa, Fiji and Argentina. While the series is an opportunity to blood new players outside of a competition environment such as the Six Nations or World Cup, the matches against South Africa and Argentina have particular importance in that their results will count towards the IRB’s seedings for the 2015 World Cup draw, to be held in November.

Irish coach Declan Kidney has named a squad leaning heavily towards the experienced end of the scale but has named four uncapped players, young up-and-comers in Luke Marshall, Iain Henderson and Dave Kilcoyne along with the newly Irish-qualified Richardt Strauss. Of these, Strauss will probably feature at some point but it’s most likely that the younger men have been brought into the squad purely as an educational experience.

That said, it perhaps says much about either this writer’s views on rugby or those of Declan Kidney that three of my preferred match-day 23 against South Africa are not even in his squad. However, of those he has named here’s who should play against South Africa in the Aviva Stadium on November 10th:

1 Cian Healy
2 Rory Best
3 Mike Ross
4 Donnacha Ryan
5 Paul O’Connell
6 Stephen Ferris
7 Chris Henry
8 Jamie Heaslip
9 Eoin Reddan
10 Jonathan Sexton
11 Simon Zebo
12 Brian O’Driscoll
13 Tommy Bowe
14 Andrew Trimble
15 Keith Earls

16 Dave Kilcoyne
17 Richardt Strauss
18 Tom Court
19 Kevin McLoughlin
20 Peter O’Mahony
21 Fergus McFadden
22 Conor Murray
23 Ronan O’Gara

Now, what Deccie has in his back pocket is that he’s said he’ll name at least one back and a forward after this weekend’s games. It might well be that he’s waiting on Felix Jones and Declan Fitzpatrick to prove their fitness, being that there is no specialist full back and only a single honest-to-god tight head named in the squad.

It would be interesting if he brought in Ian Madigan and gently insisted that ROG is not fully fit enough for an international encounter. ROG, indeed, must be one of the few players in any sport who even though he’s an out of form 35 year old back with a hamstring injury still remains part of the central plans of his international coach.

Paul Marshall must be wondering just how well he has to play in order to get into the Ireland squad. Eoin Reddan isn’t in great form, while Conor Murray has gone slowly downhill for a very long time now. Murray had come through very quickly, becoming Munster and Ireland number one in double-quick time, but to this writer’s eye it has been more about show than substance. He “looks” like a player. And he might still be; he has the tools to be a great half back in the Mike Phillips mould. But if Murray can’t demonstrate at least some mastery of the crucial scrum half skills of distribution and decision-making, in that order, then the simple truth is he’s not actually a scrum half who should be playing in an international test match.

An aside: If Ian Madigan were French, he’d have been brought up in the classic 9/10 mould of a Michalak or Elissalde. He has the frame, the obvious passing skills, the aggression in defense and, crucially, the level of cockiness to give it a try. But he’s not French, so these things are not seriously considered at any level. Which is a crying shame.

In the centre, while Gordon D’arcy had a cracking game defensively against Llannelli his last outings in green have been various degrees of awful. I’d have left him out of the squad completely, leaving him time to get some proper form again before hopefully enjoying his indian summer at some later point.

James Downey, had he started his second Munster stint with a bit more oomph, would have been a shoe-in. Alas. But there is still time for the forgotten Irish centre. Luke Marshall? It’s a nice brush with youth, which is encouraging.

Tommy Bowe is a fine footballer, capable of far more than simply being a one-wing-wonder. With a nod to the future and having more suitable wings than centres, in the above-listed XV he’s playing with The Brian in the centre, switching in and out depending on the situation.

Rob Kearney is a huge loss. Even if Felix Jones comes into the squad after the weekend it’s surely a big risk to put an injury-prone player, returning from injury, against a Springbok team known for their *ahem* abrasion. Better to go with Keith Earls at 15, which will most likely be the case.

With Earls at full back and Bowe in the centre, in this team Trimble slots into the 14 shirt while Zebo, of whom I’m not the biggest fan, gets the nod at left wing. On another day the superior defense and all-round ability of Fergus McFadden might get a shot but Zebo has a sparkle about his offensive game at the moment that it would be wrong to ignore.

In the front row, Richardt Strauss is a deserved pick. Two years ago he was the best hooker on the island, combining the hands and running lines of a midfield back with the abrasiveness of a man of considerably greater heft. He didn’t reach those peaks consistently enough last season but so far in this new campaign the old verve has returned with a bang.

While Rory Best should certainly start, at this point Strauss is a more complete player than Cronin and if Best were to go down the sight of the naturalised Irishman packing down with his Leinster front-row colleagues against his country of birth would be a stirring sight.

Either side of Best, Healy and Ross pick themselves. My gut feeling is that he’ll go with Declan Fitzpatrick on the bench as long as he doesn’t lose a limb on Friday night against the Dragons. I have much less an issue with this than putting Tom Court in there, who while a loyal servant to the cause is patently not up to the scrummaging standard required of an international tight head. I’d have zero issue with Court being employed as the sub loosey but it’s good to see Declan Kidney recognise the form and potential of Kilcoyne which might perhaps be followed through with a place on the bench.

With Mike Ross being the only Irish-qualified tight head starting regularly for any Irish province, Declan Kidney’s planned presence in the crowd at Sixways Stadium to see Worcester face Sale this Friday evening is a very good sign. That contest should see Campbell College alumnus John Andress take the field against Tony Buckley. After the years that Mike Ross spent in the wilderness the folly of ignoring a slice of an already small national player pool purely by way of geography, especially at such a critical position, might finally show signs of being shown the door.

Where locks are concerned one would hope that Kidney resists the urge to resurrect the O’Connell and O’Callaghan partnership and leave Donnacha Ryan do his job as he has done for Munster for a long time now. Quite what Donncha O’Callaghan still has to offer at this level is a mystery. He offers none of the aerial mastery of an O’Connell, none of the raw aggression of Ryan, none of the nous of a Leo Cullen and now with the added flaw of being the heir apparent of Tony Buckley’s unofficial title of chief ruck inspector. And, being kind, I haven’t mentioned his hands. It’s also probable that as captain and man of the match for Exeter in the RDS, Tom Hayes must have had at least one fleeting thought that he might have been named in this squad. Neither Dan Touhy nor O’Callaghan could have complained that vociferously if the Bull’s brother had been given a chance.

Back row is an area of considerable wealth, even with Sean O’Brien out until the turn of the year and Stephen Ferris dependent on whatever new and experimental medical methods they have of holding him together for another season or two. Kidney makes no secret of his leaning towards Peter O’Mahony at seven. However, Chris Henry has been an open side in form for a year now in a superb Ulster pack and fully deserves the jersey ahead of the Munsterman or, more truthfully, ahead of Shane Jennings.

That Jennings could not get into the squad is a tribute both to the strength of the country’s current back row depth and the burgeoning talent of young Ulster tyro Iain Henderson. Jennings’ performance against Exeter in Leinster’s Heineken Cup opener was extraordinary; in a game where so many Leinster players found one or more of their head, hands or heart in absentia, Jennings took the game by the scruff of the neck and put in a shift that Arthur Scargill would have been proud to have represented. If his form continues in this vein he’ll give both Joe Schmidt and Declan Kidney a welcome headache come the springtime when, after all, the former Mary’s schoolboy will still only be 31 years old.

Getting to the bench, Strauss and the props situation have been mentioned. Kevin McLaughlin, with his ability to play second row, should be looked at to take on the old Alan Quinlan role of covering second row and blindside flanker from the bench. Mike McCarthy will also be considered for this role with the wild card being Iain Henderson who has been simply superb in his young Ulster career. If Henry is given the start at open side Peter O’Mahony is an automatic choice as substitute seeing as he can cover all three back row positions effectively.

In the backs Fergus McFadden, probably to his detriment, is a perfect substitute providing cover at wing and both centre positions. After that it’s the automatic choices of O’Gara and, in the absence of Paul Marshall, whichever out of form nine is handed the substitute scrum-half shirt.

A decent wager would see Kidney picking Darcy and O’Driscoll at centre, Conor Murray at scrum half and Peter O’Mahony at open side. It’s an important game after all, with seeding in question for the next World Cup and this is not something with which Kidney is likely to play fast and loose.

However, in treating every sequence of internationals as “vitally important games” where untried talent can’t be risked, Irish rugby risks running the very real danger of this Ireland team again doing an Eddie O’Sullivan; becoming predictable, stale and with a nailed-on-starting-fifteen that can’t be broken up until it’s too late.

Of course, no matter what Declan Kidney’s reasoning might be, why the draw for the 2015 world cup needs to happen in 2012 is a question worth asking both loudly and often.

Ireland squad: Rory Best (Ulster), Tommy Bowe (Ulster), Darren Cave (Ulster), Tom Court (Ulster), Gordon D’Arcy (Leinster), Keith Earls (Munster), Stephen Ferris (Ulster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Chris Henry (Ulster), David Kilcoyne (Munster), Luke Marshall (Ulster), John Muldoon (Connacht), Conor Murray (Munster), Mike McCarthy (Connacht), Fergus McFadden (Leinster), Kevin McLaughlin (Leinster), Donncha O’Callaghan (Munster), Paul O’Connell (Munster), Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster), Ronan O’Gara (Munster), Peter O’Mahony (Munster), Eoin Reddan (Leinster), Mike Ross (Leinster), Donnacha Ryan (Munster), Jonathan Sexton (Leinster), Richardt Strauss (Leinster), Andrew Trimble (Ulster), Dan Tuohy (Ulster), Simon Zebo (Munster).