SHANE HORGAN insisted Ireland can face the two-Test summer tour to New Zealand and Australia with "confidence and belief" following a good performance at Kingsholm last night. Ireland managed five tries - two each from Horgan, who captained his country for the first time in the absence of Brian O'Driscoll, and Jamie Heaslip as well as Tommy Bowe's opening effort - in a 39-14 victory.
The Leinster and Ireland wing underlined what was a largely positive night for Irish rugby; at least on the pitch. "It was a very good performance, particularly from the younger lads. It was a performance of energy and belief at the start of what is a new era because we have a new manager. We will go down to New Zealand and Australia with a lot of hope and belief. I really enjoyed the opportunity to captain an Ireland team and am very proud to have been given the honour. The rugby was really enjoyable."
Ireland's new coach Declan Kidney was required in Cork for Munster's civic reception after their Heineken Cup success but the man who will stand-in for him in Gloucester and on the summer tour, Michael Bradley, enthused: "We enjoyed ourselves today. There was a lot of lovely rugby played, particularly by ourselves. We put a lot of pressure on the Baa Baas and we were probably that bit more organised, but it was a good result and a good performance.
"They are a very strong side on paper but in the true tradition of the Barbarians, it took them time to bond - but I expect they will perform to a higher level against England. We could only do what we could do and we're happy with the way we played. Now we can look forward to New Zealand and Australia. Hopefully we can make a statement out there and improve on our world ranking."
In terms of last night's game Bradley explained: "We set out our stall in terms of defence and a couple of other objectives. We had worked on our offloading game and those were the two areas we performed very well."
The day though will be tinged with sadness, the tragic death of a close friend of Brian O'Driscoll. He was informed at lunch-time yesterday and left immediately for Dublin. Ireland secondrow Bob Casey, who will lead the A side the Churchill Cup next month, summed up the feelings of the Irish squad. "It is a very sad day our and thoughts are with Brian, (his friend's) family and all of his loved ones. The boys have been very professional. They spoke about it beforehand. The reaction from the guys just shows you how much they think of Brian."
Harlequins prop Mike Ross picked up a category one strain to a knee ligament but it won't affect his participation in the Churchill Cup.
He should be fine within a fortnight and the problem might only stop him being available for the first match in the tournament.
