Match fit: Michael Bent
Michael Bent could play in all three of Ireland's Tests after Declan Kidney described him as being "the most qualified in terms of being match-fit."
The New Zealander qualifies for Ireland through his maternal grandmother and has been training with the national side on Thursday and Friday.
He will then return to Leinster for their RaboDirect PRO12 clash with the Ospreys on Sunday, but is set to feature in the national side in November.
"It's our job to assemble the best Irish-qualified group together," head coach Kidney told reporters.
"In fairness to Leinster, they did a lot of groundwork in finding him.
"With the game-time the rest of the tighthead props have around the place, he's probably one of the most qualified in terms of being match-fit."
Bent, who recently played for Taranaki in the ITM Cup, played five times for the Hurricanes this year. Ireland team manager Michael Kearney added that his Test debut isn't far away.
"He could play in one or two or all three games in November. It depends on what happens in the next week or two," he said.
"Declan (Fitzpatrick) has just returned from injury, and we are keeping our options open."
Comments
Ferdie says...
I have decied to un-adopt Cardiff Blues since they have few NZ players this season (Taranaki man Paul Tito retired, Xavier Rush too) and Leinster can have my very unofficial and insignificant long-distance support while this man Bent is playing. Tonight v Ospreys.
Posted 03:40 04th November 2012
tha_mai says...
yamahakiwi - point of fact re Tana Umaga - you will find that at five years of age he had lived in NZ for five years. Wainuiomata's favourite son, he was born a few km away at Lower Hutt hospital.
Posted 08:37 03rd November 2012
yamahakiwi says...
@99call I certainly never suggested Ireland was poaching Bent. I've only suggested the player made a poor decision himself based on an impatience to get higher up the rank in NZ when he is still a young player, especially by propping standards.
But for the upteenth time, as a Kiwi I will explain the situation regarding Pac Is players and hope (forlornly) that finally a NH poster understands.
Almost all Pac Is players to have played for the ABs have either been born here or come here at a tender age (like 5yrs old for Tana Umaga). Many players of Pac Is descent are now 2nd or third generation NZ born players like people from the Indian subcontinent and West Indies who are now making UK sports teams including rugby (Joe Ansbro, Jeremy Guscott, The Armitage brothers and Courtney Lawes etc).
Infact if you have a look at the current Pac Is squads, many of the players were born in or brought up in NZ. If you're saying that AB players of Pac Is descent and born and/or bred in NZ are poached, then the same must apply to the players of immigrant descent in the UK as well.
Under the kind of reasoning that many NH posters have used on here that's it's poaching if you take players who've been born and brought up somewhere else, it would actually seem as though the Pac Is nations are actually poaching players because most of theirs are NZ born and/or bred!
Whereas for example Michael Bent and Sean Maitland are completely different. They weren't born or brought up in Scotland and Ireland at all. They have just arrived when they are already an adult. However as they are eligible as per the current IRB rules I'm not going moan that they've been poached. The players made the decision themselves. I can understand Maitland's case. The writing was on the wall that he would never become an AB and he's already 27. Bent's decision is a lot more surprising.
Posted 03:22 03rd November 2012
99call says...
I hope hes as good as people are making out as along with England with Cole, Wales with Jones and us with Ross we all only have 1 real class tighthead and are seriously struggling if we lose our 1st choice no.3.
As much as I would love to see only homegrown talent pulling on the green jersey this is a professional game so needs must and Ross isnt getting any younger and we can have another Hayes type episode were we will still picking the poor guy long after he should have retired because we had no one else.
As for kiwis moaning about poaching players I cant even bring myself to get stuck into that arguement as Im sure theyve never poached any Tongans, Samoans for Fijians talk about the pot calling the kettle and All Black.
Anyway good luck Mike and welcome to Ireland
Posted 14:12 02nd November 2012
yamahakiwi says...
As a Hurricanes fan I have to say silly, impatient boy. Sure he only got five games last season but he had just cracked super rugby and is still young. I, and other 'Canes fans were impressed with what we saw and I know there was surprise when he decided to hightail it to Ireland. he should've at least given it another couple of years. The fact he was voted the Naki's best player this tear shows that I'm sure he would've been picked again for the Canes if he had stuck around. And next season he could've challenged more for more game time. Moving to ireland might look like a winner but usually impatience gets you nowhere!
Posted 07:35 02nd November 2012
nzmaoriboy says...
I know Bent well (worked for me a couple times)! Very strong and humble country Fella! He will flourish within the Ireland rugby community.He definitely has all the tools to be a good international standard player, & come on haters! no mug can just walk into a top tiered international rugby team. He will have been heavily scrutinised tested trained prodded etc etc! these are professional rugby players..and remember there have been plenty of examples of rugby players in super rugby whom have been ignored by their provinces I will write a few names & let you make a judgement on their abilities. Doug Howlett,Nick Evans,Mike delany,Aaron Cruden,Caleb Ralph,Lelia masaga,Mike Harris
Posted 02:52 02nd November 2012
oceansnz says...
Good on him, but this situation is a joke.
He is not a product of Irish Rugby.
Posted 01:55 02nd November 2012
three6three6 says...
Thank godness Ireland have dropped 'A Soldiers Song' as the National Anthem.... he has much more chance of learning the words to the alternative 'anthem' in the three days available.
All joking aside..... The promotion of Bent into a likely national squad ONLY highlights the technical & skill requirements at tighthead prop. Look at what happened at Twickenham earlier in the year when Mike Ross was forced off due to injury. With the move to two props on the bench, there is clearly a need for a specialist loosehead & tighthead. Many a forwards coach would argue that the man wearing no. 3 is the most important forward on the pitch (possibly most important player)
Posted 01:28 02nd November 2012
Ferdie says...
Taranaki Daily News today: Last night Michael Bent was recognised for his outstanding provincial season when he was named Taranaki Rugby Player of the Year, and also Sportsman of the Year (the players' player of the year - who best demonstrated excellence on and off the field). He'd been told of his player-of-the-year award before he left, Bent recorded a video message, which was played to the crowd of more than 300 at last night's prizegiving at Yarrow Stadium.
Congrats MB.
Posted 22:59 01st November 2012
Michtymauler says...
I'm a bit shocked!! I didn't realise Ireland were so short of front row players! Now Scotland on the other hand really are struggling in that area due to injury an lack of form! This all rings of a Brendan Laney type situation!!!
Posted 22:42 01st November 2012
Michtymauler says...
I'm a bit shocked!! I didn't realise Ireland were so short of front row players! Now Scotland on the other hand really are struggling in that area due to injury an lack of form! This all rings of a Brendan Laney type situation!!!
Posted 22:42 01st November 2012
dermo says...
@connaughtabu - stop writing drivel to this site, please learn some facts firsts. It does not matter if we win or loose the Novemeber tests accept to the players and management win bonuses. We should be blooding players in these games. We are currently ranked 7th and not 8th. Argentina are ranked 8th, we will only drop to 8th if we loose to both South Africa and Argentina. Scotland are ranked 9th and for them to rise above us, they need to beat both the All Blacks and South Africa and that is not going to happen. Please stop believing all the media spout being used by both the media and by the Irish management.
Posted 22:27 01st November 2012
side_stepper says...
Could be a revelation in light green colours..let's hope he is.
Posted 18:07 01st November 2012
Sincero says...
Ah 'ah sure, to be fair, *avoids eye-contact* Linstor did well to find him'. In the same way that Leinster did well to bring back the tight-head Kidney had banished, Rosser? Now we bring in another I.-Q. tight-head... and sure, to be fair... we did well? Saved this moron's skin is what we did... AGAIN.
Posted 18:06 01st November 2012
Sincero says...
It only really sums up the incompetence of the I.R.F.U.- I remind you Kidney refused to call up Mike Ross (whom he'd previously rejected) until the level of criticism became a roar of imminent revolution. His plan for the World Cup was to bring an ancient John the Bull Hayes and have Tony 'looks like a beast, scrums like a teddy-bear' Buckley as back-up. It's an idiotic parish-pump bias combined with an utter inabilty to think about the immediate future. Sack the national scrum coach, then wonder why we're not magically producing props. Ingenious.
Posted 18:04 01st November 2012
davodiablo says...
This sort of thing is inevitable with so many Kiwi coaches in Ireland. Good luck to him but its feels wrong even though he easily qualifies. We'll miss him in the Naki .
Posted 17:59 01st November 2012
schmidtyforpres says...
Fair play to him and good to see someone with Irish blood in him too.
Posted 13:08 01st November 2012
passtheball says...
As long as the rules aren't bent.
Posted 12:58 01st November 2012
GoWalesGo says...
Lol
Posted 12:26 01st November 2012
connaughtabu says...
Well, let's see how he get on for Leinster vs the Ospreys. If he can't scrummage, his deficiencies will be clear against a Welsh pack. I hope the Kidney has put the word in "over the water" to give him a good going over.
Now when Springboks rumble into town, it may be a different matter entirely!
There is only one international mach of importance to Ireland in November, that is the game against the Pumas. Victory and we stay at No8 in world (2nd tier) - defeat and we drop to No9 (3rd tier) which would have severe consequences when it come to RWC group selection.
:-))
Posted 11:05 01st November 2012