Having held down the scrumhalf slot for eight successive internationals, from last summer's first Test in Brisbane to the Twickenham mauling, Tom Tierney's unfortunate downturn in fortunes continued yesterday when the 22-year-old Garryowen player was obliged to pull out of the Ireland A squad.
Tierney picked up a groin strain in Garryowen's surprise defeat to Clontarf last Saturday. Ironically, Tierney's ill-luck means there is a call-up to the A squad for Brian O'Meara, himself sidelined with injury since early January after kicking his heels as third choice scrumhalf for Munster.
The Irish team to play Italy in Saturday's Six Nations encounter at Lansdowne Road, as well as the Irish A team and replacements to play their Italian counterparts on Friday at Donnybrook, will be announced today following a morning training session in Dr Hickey Park. The senior squad came through a training session in Greystones yesterday afternoon unharmed.
By contrast, Italy will be without their back row Carlo Caione after the Roma player missed training through injury yesterday. Italy's New Zealand coach, Brad Johnstone, has not called up a direct replacement, but has reshuffled his scrum by bringing in Laurent Travini from the Italian A squad and re-routing Walter Cristofoletto in return.
The 27-timed capped Cristofoletto had been called up to the senior squad after the 4716 defeat to Wales in Cardiff last Saturday week, and would have been in line for his third appearance at Lansdowne Road, having also played in Italy's win in Bologna two seasons ago.
The Squadra Azzurra, who beat Scotland in their Six Nations opener but then lost to Wales, are currently training at Tirrenia, near Livorno on Italy's Mediterranean coast. Diego Dominguez and co will arrive in Dublin tomorrow evening, and will train at the ALSAA complex at Dublin Airport Friday morning.
Aside from being the least traditional and, perhaps, glamorous Championship opponents, the Italians will be taking up only about 400 of their 4,800 ticket allocation. It is a significant contrast to the Scots, who bring an estimated 12,000 to Lansdowne Road on international match days, or the 17,000 or so who support Wales and 20,000-plus who travel from England.
However, to assuage fears of a half-empty Lansdowne Road in the aftermath of Ireland's record Twickenham defeat, tickets for Saturday's match have been selling quite well through the ticket hotline (01-2469900) in light of the record win over Scotland. The IRFU's initial forecast of a 30,000-plus crowd has been revised to 45,000.
Similar optimism is unlikely to be extended to the A international on Friday evening, where Ireland will be seeking a third consecutive win. Tradition and the post-match committees' dinner decrees that the game will kick-off at the spectator-unfriendly time of 5.0 p.m. It's literally a case of catering for the committees as opposed to the public.
By contrast, as with the under-21 international a fortnight ago, Friday's under-age contest will have a more popular kick-off of 7.0 p.m. There will also be an under-19 international at Anglesea Road on Saturday morning.
There are also a couple of important AIB league division two games on Sunday featuring three of the eight clubs chasing the four automatic promotion places and one play-off spot.
UCD play host to Belfast Harlequins and Bective Rangers entertain Galwegians. While the Belfast club and Galwegians will keep their fingers crossed regarding Sheldon Coulter and Eric Elwood in Friday night's A match, UCD wait on their quintet of players involved in the under-21 match.
Meanwhile, England coach Clive Woodward has named an unchanged team for Saturday's clash against Wales at Twickenham.
It is the first time since Woodward took charge two-anda-half years ago that he has been able to say "same again" for three successive matches.
With no injury problems to worry about, Woodward had no hesitation in retaining the same starting line-up and substitutes that did him proud against Ireland and France.
England, who have not lost against Wales at Twickenham since 1988, are firm favourites to complete the third leg of a possible grand slam.
Finally, as the French prepare to face Scotland at Murrayfield, head coach Bernard Laporte fears that as many as nine starters could be missing due to various injuries.
And he blames an overcrowded and unrealistic European rugby schedule for the rash of injuries.
"After the World Cup final on November 6th, the Australians had the benefit of three months off before resuming competition last week with the Super 12. The French didn't stop," he said.
ENGLAND (v Wales): M Perry (Bath); A Healey (Leicester), M Tindall (Bath), M Catt (Bath), B Cohen (Northampton); J Wilkinson (Newcastle), M Dawson (Northampton, capt); J Leonard (Harlequins), P Greening (Sale), P Vickery (Gloucester), G Archer (Bristol), S Shaw (Wasps), R Hill (Saracens), N Back (Leicester), L Dallaglio (Wasps). Replace- ments: I Balshaw (Bath), A King (Wasps), A Gomarsall (Bedford), M Corry (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps), T Woodman (Gloucester), N McCarthy (Gloucester).
Brian O'Meara: called up.
