SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP:JAMIE HEASLIP and Tommy Bowe have been ruled out of the Ireland squad for the opening match in the Six Nations Championship against Italy in the Stadio Flaminio on Saturday week joining a casualty list that includes John Hayes, Shane Horgan, Geordan Murphy, Andrew Trimble, Rob Kearney and Jerry Flannery who will miss part of or the entire tournament.
Ireland coach Declan Kidney received the specialists’ reports on Heaslip and Bowe after returning from the Hurlingham Club in London yesterday where, alongside captain Brian O’Driscoll, he attended the launch of the Six Nations.
Yesterday afternoon Kidney harboured a glimmer of hope Heaslip and Bowe might be fit for the Italian match but on his return to Dublin in the evening was appraised of the medical updates. Bowe had travelled to Chester on Tuesday to consult with a knee specialist and yesterday saw a surgeon in Dublin. There was a consensus he would not be fit for the game against Italy but that surgery is not required.
Heaslip travelled to London to meet a consultant yesterday to examine his troublesome ankle injury; the findings were unequivocal with regard to his participation in Rome. An IRFU statement read: “Tommy Bowe has been carrying a knee injury which was reviewed by both the Ospreys and Ireland medical teams and respective specialist consultants.
“It was concluded that Bowe would not be fit to play for the Italy game and the Ireland medical team will continue to liaise with the Ospreys to determine when he will be fit to return to play.
“Jamie Heaslip also had his ankle injury reviewed by a specialist and confirmed that he will not be available for selection for the Italy game. Heaslip will continue his rehabilitation and has not been ruled out of contention for the France game at this point.”
Kidney was able to confirm, “Stephen Ferris looks like he has a good chance of being okay for next week.” He continued: “You never like to see guys injured – we know how much playing for Ireland means to those guys. They’d be gutted were they to lose out at this stage of the season. But we’ve also tried to build a squad over the last few years and this will be the test of that.”
The injury theme was taken up by O’Driscoll who is about to embrace his 12th consecutive tournament. “The Six Nations has definitely got harder over the years. The game has become harder, more physical, more demanding.
“If you asked 100 players in the Six Nations how many of them were 100 per cent fit; 99 would say they had some niggle and the other person would be a liar. It’s impossible to go out 100 per cent fit these days because of the physicality, both at provincial and international level. But adrenaline is brilliant at getting you through those small ailments. The feeling you get in a winning dressingroom makes you forget the sore muscles and bones for a couple of hours.”
He later admitted he had stopped suggesting an end point for his career, instead pointing out if the mind was willing and the flesh compliant he would continue to play for as long as possible.
England coach Martin Johnson defended hooker Dylan Hartley following some mischievous comments made by his Welsh counterpart Warren Gatland. The Kiwi lit the touch paper for the contest when he branded Hartley a choker, questioned the hooker’s temperament and suggested his evidence in a recent disciplinary hearing ensured Cardiff scrumhalf Richie Rees was given a longer ban than he might have suffered.
Gatland said of Hartley on Monday: “He’s always got a lot to say, hasn’t he? Let’s see what he has got to offer and how he fronts up against us on February 4th. He was responsible with some of his evidence for Richie Rees being banned for a long period, and he was not prepared to step outside to the back of the stand with Gareth Williams when invited to do so, so we will see how he fronts up against us.”
Johnson’s reply could have been accompanied by a world weary sigh. “It’s about pressure and how people react to it. Where Wales are, they are under pressure as a team with their performances and not winning a game for a while. “Warren’s had a blast. It’s pretty obvious what he is trying to do. Dylan will take it in his stride . . . It brings the team together.”
England and Wales meet in the opening match tomorrow week at the Millennium Stadium. It will be the last Friday night game in the Six Nations for at least two seasons. Matches will continue to be played on a Saturday and Sunday with all three games on the final weekend on the Saturday.
Leinster first up for quarter-final
LEINSTER will be the first of the Irish provinces in action when they take the field against the Leicester Tigers in their Heineken Cup quarter-final at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, April 9th (6pm) in a repeat of the 2009 European final at Murrayfield, writes John O'Sullivan.
A spokesperson for the Irish province confirmed tickets for that match would go on sale to season ticket holders first at the beginning of next week and that he felt they would “remain competitive”, with the prices for the pool match against Clermont Auvergne at the same venue. Tickets were priced from €20-€50 for adults outside the premium and corporate levels.
Ulster must wait until the following day, Sunday, April 10th when they travel to the 21,500-Stadium:mk in Milton Keynes for their quarter-final against the Northampton Saints. Both matches will be televised live on Sky Sports.
The first match and last matches in the quarter-finals take place in Spain with Perpignan hosting Toulon in Barcelona and Biarritz Olympique making reigning champions Toulouse travel to San Sebastien.
HEINEKEN CUP QUARTER-FINALS
Saturday, April 9th: Perpignan v Toulon, Olympic stadium, Barcelona (3.30, Irish time, live on FR2); Leinster v Leicester Tigers, Aviva Stadium (6.0, live on Sky Sports).
Sunday, April 10th: Northampton Saints v Ulster, stadium:mk, Milton Keynes (2.0, live on Sky Sports); Biarritz Olympique v Toulouse, Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastian (4.30, Irish time, live on FR2).
AMLIN CHALLENGE CUP
QUARTER-FINALS:(1) Stade Francais Paris v Montpellier (8); (2) Brive v Munster (7); (3) La Rochelle v ASM Clermont Auvergne (6); (4) Harlequins v London Wasps (5). Matches, to be played the weekend of April 8th, 9th, 10th.
SEMI-FINALS:(To be played 30 April 30th, May 1st): Semi-final 1: Stade Francais Paris or Montpellier v La Rochelle or ASM Clermont Auvergne. Semi-final 2: Brive or Munster v Harlequins or London Wasps.
