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On tonight's Wednesday Night Rugby, Gerry Thornley joined us on the line from Argentina where Ireland are about to take part in their Tour of the country.
He and Keith looked ahead to the series and Gerry told us that the playing staff's enthusiasm "was bigger than normal" because of the Joe Schmidt factor.
He also ran the rule over the squad that will be taking on the Pumas and where the Irish team is at following the Six Nations win.
"I think this Argentine team is a young team, drawn mostly from locals - they have brought some players back from European commitments - and I think it will be better than the team that was beaten quite convincingly by England last year. So I think there is scope [for Ireland] to look at some new faces and try a few new things. One imagines that Darren Cave might get the No 13 jersey, Robbie Diack might get his debut," said Thornley who added that frontline players like Paul O'Connell and Jonathan Sexton will help the newcomers bed in.
Keith explained why Irish players always thrive when they go on tour and Gerry expects two Irish wins.
Gerry also discussed how Ireland will replace forwards coach John Plumtree who he categorized as a "huge loss".
The lads also spoke of their sadness over Stephen Ferris' retirement and how it affects Ireland's strength in depth in the back row.
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