Malcolm O'Kelly, recalled to the Irish side, can't wait to do battle with England captain Martin Johnson, writes Johnny Watterson

When  Martin Johnson punched Robert Russell last week, leaving him with six stitches below the eye, not many were surprised. That the English captain habitually reverts to clubbing opponents was not lost yesterday on Eddie O'Sullivan, when Malcolm O'Kelly was brought into the second row after a month on the sidelines with a cheek fracture received while playing for Leinster.

The clear message was that despite his time out, the Irish management are content to lay their trust in O'Kelly's ability against England's talismanic figure.

"I always relish the chance to play against Martin Johnson. I've played against him before and I think I always get the best out of myself when I do," says O'Kelly. "He leads them in times of trouble, but he's a penalty machine as well. He gives them away.

"You always want to prove everyone wrong and see how hard he really is. But, you know I'm just happy to be playing. I really don't care about Johnson. I don't care about (Ben) Kay and I don't care about what's happening here in the Glenview Hotel or in Greystones. It's just another away fixture we want to win.

"It is great that they (management) have the faith in me, especially after a massive win against Wales. Paul O'Connell got injured and maybe he's due another game. But he came in for me. Swings and roundabouts, I suppose."

The lineout is one competitive area where O'Kelly's expertise will be seen as pivotal to Ireland's performance. But again the lock talks down the pressure. Understated confidence flourishes.

"I've had to deal with lineout pressure now for years," he says. "The English will put pressure on us but we've got the moves to win ball against any side."

The Lions trip last summer was a quite an education. Having unilaterally decided to use English lineout calls for Lions matches, England arrived in Lansdowne Road last autumn and used the same ones against Ireland. It took O'Kelly a while to twig the calls but England's decision came across as monumental stupidity, arrogance, or both.

"Yeah, they used the English calls on the Lions trip, whatever way you want to see that. The fact is they used them without talking to the rest of us. The English forwards' coach used them. They must have thought I wasn't paying attention. It's a shame it got out after the last match (knowing the calls) because I didn't tell them."

O'Kelly resists simple formulae to describe what shape the match will take. Much depends on weather conditions and on Ireland's capacity to live up to the reputation they have built for themselves over the last four months. Two years ago the team walked into Twickenham with high expectations.

"We went out thinking we could turn them over and what happened? We got ripped apart. One thing we know - we keep close this time and we're in for a really good game, a humdinger."

O'Kelly's cheek bone has been declared strong enough for him to play. Medical prudence alone kept him out of the action for so long. But he knows that whether Johnson is there bearing down on him or not, there will be few concerned inquiries from the opposition about the state of his cheek.

"It is going to be really tough," he says. "Playing against those guys always is. They don't give an inch. I absolutely expect to come off after this match in bits. But they will come off the same way. I wouldn't be here if I was afraid of getting my body cut up "

Lions coach Graham Henry couldn't see it, O'Sullivan does. O'Kelly will go in as an equal.