Rugby analyst Matt Williams looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the two openside flankers.
DAVID WALLACE vs KEITH GLEESON
ON THE DECK: It's a hands-down verdict for Gleeson. This is no disgrace to Wallace; his Leinster rival is one of the best at this facet of the game. How he is not in the Ireland team should be a matter for another tribunal. Wallace should not be on the ground because he is so good on top of it. There is no point in having him buried under a pile of bodies just because of the number on his back.
AROUND THE PARK: David Wallace is one of the game's best runners, broken-field or otherwise. Fast, powerful and eager, he has the facility to get past people, whether backs or forwards, and is actually underused by Munster in this area. I would like to see more short-lineout running plays designed to bring this talent to the fore. Gleeson is a fine runner but is in his element on the ground, and Wallace is the man when it comes to this aspect of the position.
TACKLING: Both are powerful, eager and keen as well as being technically and tactically excellent. Their running lines from lineouts and scrums are excellent but both can over-commit and be done on the inside shoulder, though experience has helped them to greatly curb this tendency. Wallace excels at ripping away ball from an upright carrier, while Gleeson is equally adept at stripping a prone figure.
SUPPORT PLAY: Very contrasting. Gleeson is the king of the inside support line. Gordon D'Arcy, Shane Horgan and Brian O'Driscoll know "the Gleese" will be there. Wallace tends to pop up outside a runner or from the base of a ruck. The Munster man is a power runner while the Leinster man is a wonderful linkman and is able to facilitate those strike runners Leinster have in the back line. Wallace can burst a game wide open, breaking tackles in the process. That's why these two should be in the same Ireland team.
DECISION MAKING: Both are highly experienced, tend to be good leaders and decision makers with or without the ball and pride themselves on leading by deed. Pressure, though, can do strange things to players, and even the most experienced flankers are nowadays under huge pressure at the breakdown, where a referee's interpretation can become the difference between success and a bad day at the office.
