Flannery overlooked by Ireland
Munster hooker Jerry Flannery has been overlooked by Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan despite hitting the heights against Castres on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Flannery was on form in Munster’s 42-16 win over the French side, scoring a try and featuring prominently in the loose in his first Heineken Cup start.
O’Sullivan watched the Shannon club stalwart impress at Thomond Park but has opted to call up Ulster number two Rory Best instead as a replacement for Flannery’s injured provincial colleague Frankie Sheahan (neck ligaments).
The IRFU confirmed the 23-year-old Best and Munster winger Anthony Horgan, who scored against Castres and toured Japan with a fringe Irish squad in June, have been added to a 31-man squad for November duels against New Zealand, Australia and Romania.
It marks Best’s first involvement in the international set-up and his initiation will be helped by the fact his elder brother Simon, the Ulster captain, is one of four props included.
Only in his second season as a senior Ulster player Best is certain to make the bench behind first-choice hooker Shane Byrne for the November 12 date with the All Blacks.
Llanelli skipper Simon Easterby, who sustained a broken nose last week against Toulouse, is still to past a fitness to confirm his place.
The full Ireland squad is as follows:
Forwards: Neil Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Rory Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Simon Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Shane Byrne (Saracens), Reggie Corrigan (Greystones/Leinster), Leo Cullen (Leicester), **Simon Easterby (Llanelli), Anthony Foley (Shannon/Munster), John Hayes (Bruff/Munster), Jamie Heaslip (Clontarf/Leinster), Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster), Matt McCullough (Ballymena/Ulster), Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster), Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Johnny O’Connor (Wasps), Malcolm O’Kelly (St.Mary’s College/Leinster), David Wallace (Garryowen/Munster).
Backs: Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Kieran Campbell (Dungannon/Ulster), Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College/Leinster), Anthony Horgan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Shane Horgan (Lansdowne/Leinster), David Humphreys (Dungannon/Ulster), Robert Kearney (UCD/Leinster), Kieran Lewis (St.Mary’s College/Leinster), Geordan Murphy (Leicester), Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution), David Quinlan (Northampton), Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster), Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster).
