On the subject of Cave, I have never said he should be selected for Ireland, that I can remember.
What I do wish for him is that he was given a chance. "Given a chance" is not playing at 13 one week and 12 the next against Argentina B for Ireland A. It is not playing a Wednesday game against an out of seasons Babas in Limerick, neither is it getting 80 minutes against dung in the RWC only for two of Ireland's most self-centred players to press their own claims at the expense of the rest of the team.
I don't expect he will ever "be given a chance" by FibberJose, but thems the breaks. What I know as absolute fact is that Ulster's backline works better with him at 13 rather than Payne, though I understand he has no issue playing with Payne as a partnership.
The guarantee you get with FibberJose is that he has players, such as Payne, who he relies upon to do the job he is given and in Payne's case it is a pretty narrow role based on being solid but rather definitely unspectacular. Payne does it well, within the narrow confines of what Fibber wants. BOD he is not.
Kearney Major will play full back, it is written in stone, the cold hard stone that is FibberJose's Kiwi heart. Ireland have so many positions where there is no question of the selection assuming the player us fit. It is a weakness that FibberJose, the latest failed Irish RWC coach, turns into a strength as the chosen ones give their fealty to the great coach.
Can there really be anyone in the country - apart from you lot barring maybe one, two at a stretch, who doesn't realise that Henshaw is by a distance the best 13 in the country and though making a good fist of 12, is actually being wasted. I have accused Fibber of being a dodgy selector so many times but the partnership that he admits is "manufactured" is wasting the natural talents of both players.
There, suck on that one yis biys yis.
Bob Kearney has had a decent Ireland career but in my opinion he is not the best 15 in Ireland, I'd take Payne any day of every week, Kearney though is one of Fibber's most loyal lieutenants and it would need a massive crowbar and hefty block and tackle to shift him.
Mexicana, eh? Feckers, ruining the bloody country.
Och, sure whilst I'm at it, I find FibberJoses search for the Swiss Army Knife of international players really poor judgement and it led to him playing square pegs in round holes e.g. Keet in the centre.
Great coach, average selector. I heard Sir Cliff Woodentop saying today the most important thing about the coach's job is selection. I think he's right.