RUGBY: Leinster's current position of second on the Celtic League table suggests coach Declan Kidney is doing just fine in the opening phase of matches.
Still, the need to produce a winning team for Sunday's game against Edinburgh in Donnybrook in tandem with the demands of his side's fast-approaching Heineken European Cup opener, against Treviso on October 23rd, mean his need to strengthen the side even further is becoming acute.
That imperative applies to all three of the provinces involved in the European Cup, who are now looking at two more weekends before the first round of matches. Scrambling for the best line-ups and dusting the rust from various international players appear now to be races against time.
That is why Ireland full back Girvan Dempsey and the utility player - and last year's in-form centre - Gordon D'Arcy may well come into contention for the first time this season when the Leinster team is selected today.
While Kidney has spoken about the difficulty involved in slotting the international players seamlessly into the team with little or no match practice and expecting them to play to form, the urge to select Dempsey and D'Arcy following a difficult weekend for the team against The Dragons must be reasonably strong.
D'Arcy's game-breaking ability in the middle of the park and Dempsey's traditional strength and reliability at number 15 are qualities Kidney will want to avail of.
Just where they might come in is probably the principal issue. In Leinster's one-sided 34-13 defeat at the weekend, Denis Hickie started the match at full back with Shane Horgan and Gary Brown on the flanks. Brian O'Driscoll and Christian Warner played in the centre, O'Driscoll at 13.
If Dempsey and D'Arcy are brought in to start against Edinburgh, it may be Brown who will have to move aside to accommodate the shuffle. But even there Kidney will be bearing in mind that his winger is currently joint top try scorer in the league along with Munster's Christian Cullen and David Bishop of Ospreys, each on four tries. Tough choices ahead.
Munster's Alan Gaffney has similarly hard calls to make. While several of his frontliners have already played their first games, a few niggling injuries hang over the squad. Ireland scrumhalf Peter Stringer didn't play in training yesterday because of a thumb injury while second-row Donncha O'Callaghan is struggling to be fit for Saturday week's game against Cardiff Blues, having torn a calf muscle in training last week.
Elsewhere Paul Devlin, the Widnes Viking rugby league convert to Sale and now with Munster, had his first official run-out in Limerick yesterday. The 22-year-old Devlin, who has been registered with the team in time to take part in the European Cup, is a former England under-18 player and a former Ireland under-21 team-mate of Denis Leamy.
Positive news in the camp is that Mossie Lawlor has returned from injury to training.
Ulster, also with their opening European Cup match looming, against Cardiff on October 22nd, face The Dragons at Ravenhill Road on Friday night. Seeking their first home win of the season, coach Mark McCall has made five personnel and one positional change ahead of the game.
After a week's lay-off, Ulster may benefit from coming into the match fresh. New Zealander Paul Steinmetz comes back into the inside-centre position instead of Jonny Bell, who has been named in the replacements, with Kevin Maggs moving to outside centre to accommodate the Kiwi.
Having come on as a replacement against The Ospreys, Ireland winger Tyrone Howe is also back in the starting side at the expense of young Andrew Maxwell, who misses out this week.
Kieran Campbell is named in the side for the first time since the pre-season friendly against NEC Harlequins, while the vastly experienced Gary Longwell returns to action in the second row, where he partners Matt McCullough.
Campbell Feather links up with Neil Best and Roger Wilson in the back row.
Neil McMillan and Andy Ward were unavailable for selection due to injury. Once again David Humphreys captains the side.
ULSTER: B Cunningham; T Bowe, K Maggs, P Steinmetz, T Howe; D Humphreys (capt), K Campbell; S Best, P Shields, R Moore, G Longwell, M McCullough, C Feather, S Best, R Wilson. Replacements: N Brady, R McCormack, R Frost, M Mustchin, N Doak, P Wallace, J Bell.
