Mick Galwey's strained medial knee ligaments, sustained during Munster's defeat in Bath, will almost certainly rule him out of the internationals against Japan and South Africa.
At the very least he won't be named in the first Irish squad of the season, to be announced today, for next Saturday week's Test against Japan at Lansdowne Road. Coach Warren Gatland confirmed that assessment yesterday and estimated that the senior squad for this match will probably number 24, with a separate Irish under-25/Development squad of 22 to be named for Tuesday week's game in Ravenhill also being named today.
Galwey would assuredly have been named in the Test squad and indeed his form would have merited being chosen in the starting XV. Instead, it is likely that Jeremy Davidson will now start and thus renew a curiously rare `dream' pairing with Malcolm O'Kelly in the second row, with one of the emerging young tyros, Bob Casey or Mick O'Driscoll, to be named in the 24.
Galwey joins long-term casualty Simon Easterby on the absentee list, the latter's unavailability creating one of the more vexed selectorial posers for the Irish management on the blind-side of the back row. The other is the composition of the back three, or perhaps more specifically one of the wings, given Denis Hickie's blistering form makes him an automatic choice.
With Andy Ward's versatility and generally good form this season, especially in Ulster's bigger games, liable to mean his inclusion in the squad, the prime contenders for the other slot caused by Easterby's absence this season would appear to be Eric Miller and Alan Quinlan. And coupled with the latter's recurring penchant for yellow cards, Miller's fine all-round performance for Leinster last Friday night would seem well-timed.
Certainly the management trio are better placed than ever to assess early-season form, which has been given more meaning than in the past by the intensity of the interprovincial championship and the European Cup. Cumulatively, Gatland, Eddie O'Sullivan and Brian O'Brien, must have watched around 60 matches already.
Not surprisingly, on hearing that Rob Henderson was to start at outhalf for Wasps yesterday against Stade Francais, the trio abandoned their planned trip to Loftus Road and returned earlier to Dublin to go into conclave. Much of their busy itinerary and thoughts will have focussed on the outside three, where plenty of candidates have emerged, and the management will be mindful that the Japanese game probably affords them their only obvious opportunity for experimentation.
Thus while Dominic Crotty has probably been the most consistently effective performer at fullback, or perhaps even Conor O'Shea, Geordan Murphy may well get the nod today. The Leicester 22-yearold has flirted between wing and fullback this season but was one of the few successes of the Americas' tour, has real pace, great balance and is a talented footballer who is worth an investment with the 2003 World Cup in mind.
A host of wingers have been playing well this season, such as James Topping, Tyrone Howe, Gordon D'Arcy, Anthony Horgan, John Kelly, Justin Bishop, Darragh O'Mahony and even Matt Mostyn, who has rejuvenated his career by switching to Newport.
Some of those will not even make the under-25 squad or subsequent A squad to play South Africa. D'Arcy, finally fit and in-form, along with Topping, on the basis that he's been picked before with less form to go on, may head the posse. With Ross Nesdale also back in the frame, it's possible too that Frankie Sheahan could be temporarily re-routed to the under-25s, possibly even as captain, though then again the Munster hooker is the man in situ.
John Hayes' end-of-season troubles in the scrum last term were injury related and given his potential and that he'll still be a low-mileage prop come the World Cup, the investment in him is well worth continuing. By comparison, Paul Wallace's omission by Saracens last Friday - coupled with Peter Clohessy's versatility, may see him miss out.
Thus the squad may read something like the following: G Murphy, D Hickie, S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, R Henderson, M Mullins, J Topping, G D'Arcy, R O'Gara, D Humphreys, P Stringer, G Easterby; P Clohessy, K Wood, F Sheahan, J Hayes, J Fitzpatrick, M O'Kelly, J Davidson, B Casey, E Miller, A Ward, A Foley, K Dawson.
