Lock forwards

Huge onus on the big man. As he showed with his tour de force against England, O'Connell is the heartbeat of the Irish pack; where he goes, the rest often follow. Ireland need him to be dominant in the air, rumble in the loose, make big hits and come up with big plays. At his prime, not much to ask.

More a workhorse and not as eye-catching as O'Connell, but selflessly sacrifices himself to the team effort by often leading the tackle count and/or hitting rucks, and every pack needs one of his kind. Like O'Connell should be well primed and in his prime come Coupe du Monde.

The freakishly gifted legend is now easily Ireland's most capped player. Although he looked rusty on Saturday, the first test in Argentina was a reminder that he remains peerless in the air. Should have another couple of big tests left in him as well as providing something different from the bench.

Unsurprisingly, the hero of Adelaide four years ago forced his way into a third World Cup almost as much by sheer force of will as by his performance in Buenos Aires. It's tough on the other locks, but Quinlan will add versatility and that Munster dog as well as being an ultra-positive squad presence.