SIX NATIONS: Paul O'Connell will have even more mixed feelings about his try-scoring debut now that he has been ruled out of Ireland's next Six Nations game away to England on Saturday week. The 22-year-old Munster lock must undergo a mandatory three-week rest after sustaining concussion in the first-half of Sunday's record win over Wales.
This news intensifies the need for Malcolm O'Kelly to recover from the damaged cheekbone which ruled him out of Leinster's European Cup quarter-final defeat in Leicester and the Welsh game. The prognosis on O'Kelly is more promising than on Keith Wood, whose slow recovery from a torn calf will almost certainly rule him out of the England game as well, especially as he's little or no hope of playing for Harlequins this weekend.
O'Kelly has been included in a 23-man Irish squad which will assemble in Dublin tomorrow and Thursday, mostly for video analysis, as has Eric Miller, who should be available again after recovering from the stomach virus which laid him low last week and most likely cost him a starting place against Wales. Both Miller and O'Kelly will probably be looking to play for their clubs this weekend.
The consequences of Ireland's big win were reverbarating around Wales last night when a senior member of the Welsh Rugby Union called on the Wales coach Graham Henry to resign after the record defeat.
The vice-chairman of the WRU, Les Williams, said it was time for the New Zealander to quit his £235,000-a-year sterling post for the sake of the long-suffering fans. The WRU's general committee will on Thursday discuss the 54-10 thrashing by Ireland, the third consecutive year that Wales have opened their championship campaign with a record reverse, and Henry's position is looking precarious, even though it would cost the union, which is struggling financially, £400,000 to pay him off.
England, meanwhile, harbour no fears about losing Jonny Wilkinson after their record points scorer suffered a shin injury in the second-half of last Saturday's win over Scotland. Wilkinson sustained the knock following one of his trademark big hits on Gregor Townsend, but though his shin was temporarily numbed he quickly recovered. Kyron Bracken, another casualty of that win when suffering a dead leg, has also expressed his belief that he will recover in time for the game, although given his history of injuries there will be a bigger doubt there. It is also not anticipated that Mike Catt or Phil Vickery will be fit enough to come back into the equation, and England may well announce an unchanged side next Monday.
Attention will briefly switch to the European Cup this evening when the draw for the semi-finals will be made in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. The draw will be shown live on RTE's Six One News and can also be viewed live on the European Rugby Cup's official website at www.ercrugby.com.
Gareth Edwards and the ERC chairman Jean-Pierre Lux will conduct the draw which, of course, features Munster, Leicester, Llanelli and Castres. The teams drawn first and third will have 'home' advantage against the teams drawn second and fourth respectively. In the event of Munster being drawn at home their semi-final will take place at Lansdowne Road.
