RUGBY/Ireland team: v Scotland, Murrayfield, Sunday (3.0): Just when it seemed David Humphreys had been confined to a bit part role for the foreseeable future Ireland have been obliged to thrust him centre stage in light of Ronan O'Gara's ankle injury for Sunday's opening Six Nations game against Scotland. And as stand-ins go, few know their lines as well as he does. Gerry Thornley reports
It is an unexpected opportunity for Ireland's record points' scorer, as well as a huge responsibility. He'll know that much of Ireland's chances of averting a 10th successive defeat at Murrayfield rest on his tactical leadership and goalkicking, and also that if he doesn't grasp the chance he mightn't have another for some time to come. Then again, Humphreys has been in this position before.
It's true O'Gara, who has started seven of Ireland's last eight internationals, has looked in better nick this season. Never was this more apparent than in the final round of Heineken European Cup pool games a month ago, when Humphreys was unusually awry in his goalkicking and distribution against Northampton, whereas the next day O'Gara mastermined Munster's four-try heroics against Gloucester.
Admitting O'Gara "just had the edge on David in performances" lately, Eddie O'Sullivan said: "David is a seasoned pro now and I know he sees this as an opportunity for him. I don't have any reservations about David going in to Murrayfield."
O'Sullivan confirmed that the decision to rule O'Gara out had been made yesterday. "Even if we gave him another two or three days it's very unlikely he would have made it so I think we've made the right decision at this time."
O'Sullivan is hopeful O'Gara will be available for the Italian match on Saturday week.
Humphreys has played in the last six meetings with the Scots, though only as a replacement in the Murrayfield defeat of two years ago, while he also played a starring role in the last two home wins over Scotland, by 44-22 (as a replacement) and 43-22.
As two of Humphreys's 47 caps were at full back, on Sunday he will equal Jack Kyle's record of 46 Tests at outhalf, and Humphreys is also within 17 points of emulating Michael Kiernan's Irish record of 207 points in the championship.
However, a more feasible landmark on Sunday would be an all-time Irish record of seven successive wins, and were Brian O'Driscoll to mark the occasion with a try he would eclipse Brendan Mullin's Irish record of 17 tries in Test rugby.
Anthony Foley will also equal Willie Duggan's haul of 39 caps on Sunday, though as four of Foley's first five caps were as a number six he will have to wait until the concluding Six Nations game, at home to England, to become Ireland's most capped number eight.
There's also a bit of a myth about this being a youthful Irish side, though in fact the inclusion of a fifth thirtysomething in the 31-year-old Humphreys takes the average age of the team to 28¼. As they also average over 27 caps per man, far from being greenhorns this is a team of players mostly in their prime.
Ironically the captain is the youngest player in the squad.
Former Ireland coach Warren Gatland has created a minor hornet's nest by claiming Ireland's campaign "will be seriously undermined by the choice of Brian O'Driscoll's as captain", expressing instead a preference for Anthony Foley as captain, in large part because of their positions.
No one was too inclined to bring this up with O'Sullivan yesterday.
"There's a number of things he brings, outside of the general captaincy role but certainly come game time there's a belief that he's going to produce a big performance and he always does," says O'Sullivan. "The fact that he's going to stay calm at the right moments and that when we need someone to put thought or structure into something he'll come up with the right thing to say."
An interesting feature of an impressive looking A team is the inclusion of Gordon D'Arcy at outside centre, with O'Sullivan admitting, "we need to find an outside centre. It's just a chance to give him a run there and see what happens."
Yesterday was, as the team's press officer John Redmond put it, "unfortunately a sad day too" as assistant coach Declan Kidney was attending the funeral of his father, Joe.
IRELAND A (v Scotland A at Bridgehaugh, Stirling, on Saturday, February 15th (7:30pm): Jeremy Staunton (Munster/Garrryowen); James Topping (Ulster/Ballymena), Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster/Lansdowne), Rob Henderson (Munster/Young Munster), John Kelly (Munster/Cork Constitution); Barry Everitt (London Irish), Neil Doak (Ulster/Belfast Harlequins) capt; Justin Fitzpatrick (Ulster/Dungannon), Paul Shields (Ulster/Belfast Harlequins), Simon Best (Ulster/Belfast Harlequins), Donnacha O'Callaghan (Munster/Cork Constitution), Mick O'Driscoll (Munster/Cork Constitution), Simon Easterby (Llanelli), Kieron Dawson (London Irish), Eric Miller (Leinster/Terenure). Replacements: James Blaney (Munster/Shannon), Peter Bracken (Connacht/Galwegians), Bob Casey (London Irish), Aidan McCullen (Leinster/Lansdowne), Brian O'Meara (Leinster/Cork Constitution), Bryn Cunningham (Ulster/Dungannon), David Quinlan (Leinster/Blackrock).
