After seeing the players that have been called up to the extended squad for the Scotland match on Sunday, and there are a couple of things that have made my eyebrow raise.
Mick 'Superstar' O'Driscoll has been called up which absolutely baffles me! Donnacha Ryan has been called up, but it should be him that is called up as second row cover and Shane Jennings to cover the back row. O'Driscoll has never done anything in the green of Ireland and he's done little in the red of Munster. I can not understand his call up at all.
The fact that Peter Stringer wasn't called up initially (once again he's been called as cover for Tomás O'Leary) is madness! He is the form player at Munster and is the only Munster player that should be anywhere near the starting XV! Paul O'Connel is there because of his reputation. I have no idea why Donncha O'Callaghan is there, he's done nothing but give away penalties. Denis Leamy is too busy whinging at refs to concentrate on playing the game. David Wallace (granted he had a decent game against France) hasn't performed for a while and is not in the team on merit. Keith Earls is there due to injuries to Tommy Bowe, Andrew Trimble and Shane Horgan, he wouldn't have a sniff if they were all fit.
I don't see Declan Kidney and co. making many changes. The pack will stay the same. The only changes that might happen is Bowe coming in on the wing and Fergus McFadden switching to the other wing or the bench or, and this is a long shot, to inside centre where Gordon D'Arcy hasn't been playing to his best.
We'll keep an eye out to see what Kidney and co. decide to do in the coming days.