Body language tells a lot. On a crisp, sun-kissed Argentinian winter's day first off the team bus on arrival at the San Cirano club for training yesterday was a thoughtful looking David Humphreys, well ahead of everyone else.
Back in the group was a smiling Ronan O'Gara, who was being given a sympathetic pat on the back by a team-mate before the opening drills. Humphreys was back.
Sure enough, when the chosen XV for tomorrow's test against the Pumas lined up for some team practice, Humphreys was back calling the shots and O'Gara was one of those with blue tackle padding. The return of Humphreys, along with debuts for Peter McKenna and David Wallace, were the most notable selections.
As the only unenforced change from the team which played Wales in Ireland's concluding championship match - the other four are all injury induced - the outhalf selection was arguably the most surprising, though it transpires that the ankle strain O'Gara picked up after about 10 minutes of the European Cup final was still causing him some trouble.
"We felt that he wasn't just right," admitted Brian O'Brien, "and in the interests of everyone involved, we didn't want to risk aggravating the problem so this was a call for this game".
Encouraged by an under-strength team's performance against the Barbarians, the Irish manager added that one of the prime purposes of this tour was to "try to develop a second string as good as the first string".
O'Gara's ankle was, then, a factor, but possibly not the major one. O'Gara has had an awful lot of high-profile rugby in the last three and a half months of a season that is now ten months old, and is carrying the mental baggage of last Saturday's anti-climactic Twickenham defeat with Munster and his own missed 80th-minute penalty.
Even in one break from representative duty, he was obliged to play three times in eight days for Cork Constitution. By contrast, Humphreys played his first game in eight weeks last Sunday against the Barbarians after having his tonsils removed and is the fresher player, mentally as much as physically.
He admits he needed the game, but it helped that the match was relatively structured, albeit at a high tempo, as opposed to end-ofseason, exhibition pyjama rugby.
Humphreys, undoubtedly, played his way into the test last Sunday, when, not alone did he move the line well, but also defended very impressively.
The sudden unexpected absence of Brian O'Driscoll and Denis Hickie out wide, plus McKenna's call-up in the absence of Girvan Dempsey, may also have swayed the management toward picking the more experienced Humphreys at outhalf.
Rob Henderson has the onerous task of inheriting O'Driscoll's number 13 jersey, while, for McKenna, this past week continues a fluctuating season in which the 24-year-old was denied an A campaign by injury.
Dominic Crotty duly played his way into the Irish squad via his performances for Munster and Ireland A, but was granted permission to go ahead with his wedding this Monday before linking up with the Irish squad in Manchester, New Hampshire next week.
Thus, following Dempsey's broken jaw against the Barbarians, McKenna (like James Topping and Tyrone Howe) was contacted in Paris on Sunday night, where the Irish squad were based for the Air France Sevens, linked up with the senior squad for the first time prior to departure on Monday, and now finds himself in the test team.
"He's quick, his angles of running and timing into the line are very good," said O'Brien. "The door has opened fortuitously for him but he's grasped his chance with open arms. That's life."
Wallace, 24 next week, finally emulates his elder brothers, Richard and Paul, in becoming the third of the clan to play for his country.
His selection is belated confirmation of a serious all-round footballing talent who has suffered for being moved across the back row after being taken to New Zealand and South Africa three and two summers ago ostensibly as a specialist number seven.
Belatedly given a season in that position, he has emerged as the prime alternative to the absent Kieron Dawson.
"In fairness to Wally, his graph has been rising the whole season," observed O'Brien. That said, he'll bring different talents to the table. He is not so much of a continuity-orientated groundhog that Dawson is, but, though he gets his hands on the ball less, when he does have possession Wallace is the more explosive runner.
It says everything about the more changed climate in the Irish team that only five of the side beaten by the Pumas in that Lens World Cup nightmare renew hostilities with the same opposition.
Newly installed Argentinian coach Daniel Lofreda, on the other hand, has predictably made a statement of faith in the World Cup quarter-finalists by retaining 11 of that line-up - basically in every position possible save for the unavailable European based trio of winger Gonzalo Camardon, centre Lisandro Arbizu and prop Omar Hasan, as well as the suspended hooker Mario Ledesma.
The one relative surprise is a recall for the Hindu outhalf and mouthful Juan de la Cruz Fernandez Miranda at centre, as Lofreda wants an alternative outhalf on the pitch to the prolific, but sometimes ponderous, Gonzalo Quesada.
Fernandez Miranda last played for the Pumas in an 18-all draw with Italy in the Latin Cup two years ago, when he scuffed a late penalty to win the game along the deck.
Saturday's game will be refereed by South African Andre Watson, who will adhere to IRB guidelines in more rigidly applying the law which penalises passes behind decoy runners if close to the gainline. The game will kick-off at 3.40 local time, 7.40 p.m. Irish time.
The Teams
IRELAND P McKENNA St Mary's S Horgan Lansdowne R Henderson Wasps K Maggs Bath J Bishop London Irish D Humphreys Dungannon P Stringer Shannon P Clohessy Young Munster K Wood Garryowen J Hayes Shannon M Galwey Shannon M O'Kelly St Mary's S Easterby Llanelli A Foley Shannon D Wallace Garryowen
ARGENTINA I Corleto; O Bartolucci, E Simone, J Firandez Miranda, D Albanese; G Quesada, A Pichot (capt); M Reggiardo, F Mendez, M Scelzo, I Fernandez Lobbe, A Allub, S Phelan, G Longo, R Martin.
