This season's demanding triple assault at European Cup, Celtic League and Test levels contributed to Ireland suffering a triple whammy yesterday in their preparations for next Sunday's Six Nations match at home to Wales.
As expected, the lunchtime bulletins from the Ireland camp confirmed the withdrawal of Keith Wood and Malcolm O'Kelly, and by the afternoon Shane Horgan had been ruled out as well.
The loss of both Wood (torn calf) and O'Kelly, whose injury is now described as a damaged eye socket and cheekbone, will oblige Ireland to reconstruct their line-out this week, which is liable to test even the coaching skills of renowned lineout co-ordinator Niall O'Donovan in his first match week as forwards coach.
Following Paul O'Connell's promotion from the A squad on Saturday as cover for O'Kelly, Shane Byrne followed the same route yesterday after Wood's withdrawal. The Irish captain, who turned 30 on Sunday, had desperately wanted to lead the side out in the new regime's first match.
For all Mick Galwey's undoubted leadership qualities, the likelihood is that the captaincy will again reside in Killaloe, with Anthony Foley resuming where he was interrupted halfway through the Samoan match. Longer term, Foley is the more likely successor anyway and he's also more likely to see through the 80 minutes.
Rob Henderson had already been promoted from the A squad as cover for Horgan before the Leinster centre, who would have been liable to have been retained on the right-wing when the team is announced tomorrow, was then ruled out with damaged ribs.
The net result is that Frankie Sheahan is likely to win his fifth cap and start his first championship match after two full campaigns on the bench, with Byrne among the replacements.
The upwardly mobile O'Connell will probably cover for Galwey and Gary Longwell while the gifted Geordan Murphy, in fine form this season and Leicester's top scorer with 11 tries from 16 starts, looks set to win his seventh cap from the start on the right wing, with Henderson on the bench.
The vacancies left in the A squad by O'Connell (Munster) and, from last Friday by Jonathan Bell (Ulster), have been filled by Mick O'Driscoll (Munster) and Mike Mullins (Munster) respectively, while Byrne's replacement on the A squad will be announced later.
The under-21 team to play their Wales counterparts in Donnybrook features David Humphreys' younger brother Ian.
Wales, having already whittled their squad down to 22, unveiled a largely predictable starting line-up which shows seven changes from the team beaten by Australia two months ago. With an eye on the World Cup, the 23-year-old Cardiff winger Craig Morgan is the one debutant, in place of the already-demoted Gareth Thomas.
This Test is a first game as forwards' coach for former Canterbury Crusaders coach Steve Hansen and his influence - placing a greater emphasis on hitherto notorious Welsh fitness levels - has already been felt with the selection of Chris Anthony at loosehead and the recall of Nathan Budgett at blindside in place of the dropped Darren Morris and Colin Charvis.
Given a choice of going ahead with a trip to the Caribbean which he had already booked, or attending a recently-arranged Welsh training session last week, Charvis opted for the former. This gave Graham Henry and Hansen little choice.
Fit-again Lions winger Dafydd James regains his place at the expense of Anthony Sullivan and in further changes up front locks Craig Quinnell and Chris Wyatt, and openside Martyn Williams are also recalled in place of Andy Moore, Ian Gough and Brett Sinkinson; the latter two join the uncapped Newport centre Andy Marinos on the bench.
One of Henry's more intriguing posers will be who to trust with the place-kicking. Iestyn Harris is the resident goalkicker and he's liable to remain so at the outset on Sunday, even though Stephen Jones has landed 16 penalties out of 16 (and kicked a drop goal) in Llanelli's back-to-back Heineken Cup wins over Leicester and Bath.
• The draw for the Heineken Cup semi-finals will be made on Tuesday February 5th - and not on Wednesday February 6th as stated in yesterday's editions - at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff at 6.45 p.m.
The draw, involving Munster, holders Leicester, Llanelli and Castres, will by televised live by BBC Wales. The first and third teams drawn will have "home" advantage i.e. a venue in that team's country and at a stadium capable of accommodating over 20,000.
IRISH UNDER-21S (v Wales under-21s, Donnybrook, Saturday 2.30): S Young (Ballymena); M Mc Phail (UL Bohemians), B Lynn ( St Mary's), C O'Sullivan (UCC), C McPhillips (St Mary's), I Humphreys (Dungannon), B O'Riordan (UCD); S Phillips (Saracens), K Corrigan (UCD), B Young (Ballymena), S Keogh (UCC), M McCullough (Ballymena, capt), D Leamy (UCC), R Wilson (Dublin University), N McMillan (Ballymena). Replacements: R Best (Newcastle), J Lyne (Lansdowne), M Carroll (Blackrock), C Hartigan (Garryowen), F Murphy (UCC), P Devlin (Sale), J Norton (St Mary's).
WALES A (v Ireland A in Musgrave Park, Saturday 2.00): A Durston (Bridgend); G Wyatt (Pontypridd), T Shanklin (Saracens), G Thomas (Bridgend), S Williams (Neath); L Jarvis (Neath), G Cooper (Bath); I Thomas (Ebbw Vale), M Davies (Pontypridd, capt), A Millward (Neath), M Voyle (Newport), G Llewellyn (Neath), A Popham (Newport), G Thomas (Bath), G Lewis (Swansea). Replacements: G Williams (Bridgend), M Madden (Llanelli), D Jones (Bridgend), N Thomas (Bath), A Moore (Neath), C Warlow (Bridgend), MJ Watkins (Newport).
