RUGBY: It seems ridiculously early to be talking about international matches in August but though the competitive season only kicks off this weekend, a 22-man Irish squad will be announced today for the first of 14 Tests this season, against Romania on Saturday week in Thomond Park.
Already four players have definitely been ruled out of consideration, namely Geordan Murphy, Paul O'Connell, David Wallace and Anthony Horgan, though the initial prognosis that the Munster winger would be out for six months has now been revised to three months. Shane Horgan is also likely to be ruled out of consideration for this game after twisting an ankle in the first week of a two-week national training camp in Limerick. While the injury was not as serious as was initially feared, and it is not the same ankle which troubled him last season, the estimated timespan before his return was three weeks.
Against that, several players are returning from injuries which ruled them out of the New Zealand tour, such as Denis Hickie, Kevin Maggs and Rob Henderson and it is the renewed competitiveness for the inside centre and wing positions which may well provide the Irish management with their biggest selection poser.
Presuming the names of Girvan Dempsey, Hickie and Brian O'Driscoll are cast in stone, that leaves three slots in the 22 to be filled by Henderson, Maggs, John Kelly and Justin Bishop, with perhaps Tyrone Howe and Jonathan Bell also in the reckoning according to Irish manager Brian O'Brien yesterday.
Kelly's versatility should see him retained, though most likely in returning to the wing, while despite the same adaptability, Bishop might just miss out to the returning Maggs and Henderson.
O'Brien said they would be looking to pick their strongest squad in readiness for the World Cup qualifier against Russia in Siberia on September 21st. "This is an international test in preparation for the World Cup qualifiers and our game against Russia is the most important game of the whole season at the moment."
With that in mind, the four half-backs and five front-row forwards ought to be the same as were on duty in the Tests against New Zealand, and likewise Leo Cullen (who won his first cap in the second game against the All Blacks) should remain given the absence of O'Connell.
The other competitive area of selection is the back row where Eric Miller, ruled out on tour of both Tests, may return at the expense of Alan Quinlan, who was sinbinned after being brought on in Auckland. So the squad may read something like: Dempsey, Hickie, Kelly, O'Driscoll, Maggs, Henderson, O'Gara, Humphreys, Stringer, G Easterby; Wood, Byrne, Corrigan, Hayes, Wallace, Longwell, O'Kelly, Cullen, S Easterby, Gleeson, Foley and Miller.
Meanwhile, Gavin Duffy has been named in the Connacht line-up for their opening Celtic League match against the newly formed Scottish Borders in Selkirk on Friday night after initial fears that he had damaged his ankle in the 40-33 win over Munster proved unfounded. There is still a doubt about Duffy's participation, but the expectation is that he and Warwick Waugh, ruled out of last Friday's game with a hamstring strain, will play.
Like Waugh, Eric Peters has also been named to make his competitive debut for the province, while Steph Nel has made Tim Allnutt his captain for the season. Ronan McCormack has been named ahead of Dan McFarland at loosehead while new acquisitions John and Dermot O'Sullivan have brought been into the 22, the former edging out his fellow Garryowen back-rower Paul Neville. The player not considered through injury was lock Damien Browne, whose back problem will sideline him for several more weeks.
Celtic League organisers have confirmed that the Super 12 bonus points system will be used in this season's competition, whereby teams will earn four points for a win, two for a draw and one bonus point for either losing by seven points or less, or for scoring four tries or more. This is despite the objections of the Welsh clubs, who had favoured retaining the format of two points for a win and one point for a draw.
CONNACHT (v Borders in Selkirk, Friday, 7.30): G Duffy; T Robinson, T Allnutt, D Yapp, W Munn; E Elwood, E Reddan; R McCormack, M Uijs, P Bracken, W Waugh, R Frost, M Swift, E Peters, J O'Connor. Replacements: D McFarland, H Bourke, C Rigney, J O'Sullivan, C Keane, M McHugh, D O'Sullivan.
