RUGBY:IRELAND TEAM manager Paul McNaughton confirmed that coach Declan Kidney will have a full complement to select from when he announces at lunch-time today the team to take on Australia in Croke Park on Sunday in the first of three November Test matches.
Injuries and illness that sidelined or limited the participation of more than half a dozen players during training sessions over the last week are no longer an issue. McNaughton explained: “The lads had a good session today; everyone trained fully. Denis Leamy, Paddy Wallace and Tomas O’Leary, who had colds last week, all trained.
“The four or five guys who had knocks last week and didn’t participate fully (in training) all participated fully today. Touch wood it is looking pretty good on the sickness and injury front.”
The Ireland team manager confirmed that hooker Jerry Flannery had taken a full part in training and that “he is 100 per cent up for selection.” The expectation is that Flannery will be named in the starting team with Leinster’s John Fogarty and Sean Cronin of Connacht fighting for a place on the bench. The hooker to miss out will head to Belfast where he’ll play for Ireland A against Tonga on Friday night.
McNaughton also spoke briefly about Munster and Ireland prop Marcus Horan who recently underwent surgery following comprehensive tests. “Marcus went through a successful procedure. He’s fine, at home and in good form. He’s recovered well. I have a text from him saying that he is in great form and looking forward to watching the matches. We are expecting him back playing in the new year.”
When asked to specify the nature of the surgery McNaughton pointed out: “I am not a doctor so I am not going to get into it. It was a fairly routine procedure by today’s standards. It was done and he was back home the next day.”
Matters then turned to Sunday’s game initially via Australia’s performance in victory over England at Twickenham last weekend. Lions’ captain and Ireland secondrow Paul O’Connell enthused: “They were very good, a good win for them. I thought they played really well. They have lost a few games recently but those matches have been against the two best teams in the world probably. I think beating England at Twickenham would be a big boost to their confidence.”
O’Connell argued that despite Australia winning just a single match in the Tri-Nations – they beat South Africa – all bar one game were close contests. He singled out the Australians’ kicking game from the weekend and the impact of young players like Quade Copper in the centre and Will Genia at scrumhalf.
There is one Wallaby player for whom O’Connell has particular respect: Rocky Elsom. “I thought he was the best player in Ireland last year club-wise. I thought he was incredible. Whenever we played against Leinster he was outstanding; he was outstanding in that semi-final and all through the Heineken Cup.
“He’s the right man to have captaining Australia and I think he’s probably one of the best players in the world at the moment. He’s a seriously impressive player, one that all the Munster players and obviously all the Leinster players and probably everyone in Ireland, admires.” Elsom’s work at the lineout is one particular facet of his game where he excels. O’Connell concurred: “He’s a very good jumper both in defence and attack and from what the Leinster guys would say and from what I’ve read in the past he seems to be very astute tactically in the lineout as well.
“It’s a great luxury for a secondrow to have that in a backrow (colleague); to have another voice and another few ideas coming defensively. Because very often you’re in the middle of the lineout and there’s stuff going on behind you. There are opportunities that you can’t see but if you have a good backrow operator there like Rocky to spot these opportunities and fill you in, it can make your day a lot easier.”
Confidence gleaned from a Grand Slam puts Ireland in a different place mentally from this time last year but O’Connell believes that success was achieved on a collaboration of hard work and several other factors. “I suppose we had a few new players who came in and really gave the team a lift. We had a few guys who have been around for a long time, finding a good patch of form.
“It just came together well with a new freshness from the coaching staff. I don’t think we were doing a lot of stuff differently in terms of what we had been trying to do under Eddie (O’Sullivan) but it just kind of came together last year: a lot of years work and I suppose a bit of form from a few players coupled with freshness from some new ones.”
