The Oireachtas rugby team, despite a poor turnout of deputies and senators on the last outing (the Rugby World Cup in England and Wales), is playing again this morning. The XV will meet a team from the Lords and the Commons at the London-Irish grounds in Sunbury at 11.30 a.m., before they all head off to the International at Twickenham. Team captain as usual is Kerry's Jimmy Deenihan, who along with his faithful lieutenant, Cork's Simon Coveney, were the only two who soldiered forth from the Oireachtas to meet the world's best in October.
Deenihan maintains they will be joined this morning by Deputies Michael Creed, Gerry Reynolds, Michael Ahern and Billy Kelleher as well as Senator Liam Cosgrave, former deputy M.J. Nolan, a couple of Coveneys, Ruairi Quinn's son Malachi and Cllr John Foran of Edenderry. The Westminster XV will be led by Lord Addington and includes Lords Rennell, Mackay of Drumadoon, Injean and Reesdale and MPs Brian Gardiner, Graham Allen, Ian Davidson, Nick Hawkins and Leslie Colwyn. The ref as usual is PD Senator, John Dardis.
While the Westminster squad have been training in their own gym Deenihan has been taking his lads on training runs. They say, however, that to have a level playing field a gym must be included in the new building currently under construction at Leinster House. Let's hope the eve-of-match reception in the House of Commons hasn't done for them all this morning.