Primed to attack left or right

PLAYER INTERVIEW TOMMY BOWE:THE DYNAMICS of being an international rugby player and the attendant responsibilities sit easily on Tommy Bowe's broad shoulders. It wasn't always the case but the young man, who probably endured rather than enjoyed his first handful of caps, has blossomed into a fine player.

He exudes an easy charm and is unflustered about Saturday, for which the specifics of his assignment have yet to be finalised. The injury problems threatening the participation of Geordan Murphy and Girvan Dempsey mean Ireland's back three for the match against Wales is unlikely to be finalised before tomorrow midday.

The knock-on effect is that Bowe remains unsure which wing he will start on. If both of the aforementioned players are ruled out Rob Kearney will start at fullback, Bowe will switch from right to left wing and Shane Horgan will wear number 14. If Murphy or Dempsey make it Bowe will play on the right wing, where he scored two tries the last day against Scotland.

The uncertainty has doubled his workload in terms of video analysis but he shrugs it off.

"As things stand I will be up against Shane Williams (Wales left wing) but in practice I find myself frequently attacking down the opposite wing so I need to basically study the opposition in terms of the 13, 14, 15 and 11 positions to see their defensive patterns.

"It would be something I would study in depth anyway . . . I have played against both wingers (Shane Williams and Mark Jones) on numerous occasions and I don't have any huge dramas about playing against either of them."

The most obvious permutation would pit Bowe against Williams, a player for whom he has a high regard: "He's got the stage in world rugby (in terms of his reputation) by doing things that people don't ordinarily expect.

"You don't compile a try-scoring record like his by being an orthodox player. You can do all the video analysis you want but it is the top players that manage to produce the unexpected. I've played against him enough times to know that he is jinky and very fast.

"What I will be trying to do is to put him under pressure, give him no room or time. He is not the biggest man in the world so if you get your hands on him you have to make the most of it."

A much peddled theory is that Ireland would look to exploit Williams's lack of height by employing Ronan O'Gara's pinpoint cross-kicks. Bowe stands about seven inches taller but doesn't believe it's quite so straightforward.

"Wales . . . know every team considers that option in terms of Williams. He may not be the tallest but he doesn't seem to have too many problems dealing with cross-kicks. He won't necessarily be defending out on the touchline."

Just as Bowe doesn't expect the Welsh to be blind to potential gambits from the home side he has expanded from the narrow remit that accompanied his early caps on the wing, where he was content to wait for the ball to find him.

"The problem I had with Ireland the last time (his previous spell in the national side) was that I was happy to be the last man to receive a pass, hugging the touchline. In the last season or two I have been encouraged to up my work-rate and be hungry for ball.

"I know the strongest part of my game is getting my hands on it and taking on defenders . . . Last time out against the Scots I tried to go looking for the ball but it didn't seem to come my way through us not having a whole lot of possession (he still managed two tries).

"I want to produce a massive work-rate at the weekend and if I get the ball in my hands I can cause Wales a few problems."