Nigel Melville: Manoa, Ngwenya To Face Ireland

Nigel Melville has tweeted that both Samu Manoa and Taku Ngwenya will in Houston with the Eagles to take on Ireland on June 8th. Both players had been called up to play with the Barbarians in their fixtures against England on May 26the and the British & Irish Lions on June 1st, and there was question whether or not they would be rested for the Ireland match, as well as the tour to Japan, in order to be rested for the World Cup qualifiers in August. Now it appears that they will face Ireland.

Barbarian players will be with the Eagles in Houston to play against Ireland..broadcast will be Universal Sports guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/201…
— Nigel Melville (@NigelMelville) May 10, 2013

Melville issued that tweet response to a great article from The Guardian on the impact of having two Americans in the Barbarians squad (we're also mentioned!!). Melville is quoted in the article as noting the players were never going to be available for the May 25th match against Canada because it doesn't fall during the international window (something we pointed out earlier) but that they would be available in June. Now it appears Melville has specifically noted that they will play against Ireland.

Take the jump to read more.

Whether it is the best decision to have these players play against Ireland is another question. There is no doubt that assembling the best team to play against Ireland is what fans and sponsors want to see. But at the same time having both Ngwenya and Manoa available for World Cup qualifying is probably more important. Both players could easily play in both but that wouldn't go down well with their clubs. Dealing with clubs has been tricky in the past but the IRB recently said they would work to ensure players were available, despite threats from their club. Another factor to consider is that both Ngwenya and Manoa have earned enough of a reputation that they can demand availability from their club. There is no way Northampton would threaten Manoa with a reduction in salary just for making himself available for the Eagles. He would simply go somewhere else for a better wage.

Also of note, Melville shared that the Barbarians match against will be aired on beIN Sports, a sports network that has recently purchased the rights to many high profile sporting events.

beIN Sports have the rights to the Barbarians v Lions games in Hong Kong, now all I have to do s find out where we can find beIN Sport...
— Nigel Melville (@NigelMelville) May 10, 2013