Sport

Provinces delay selection of teams

WITH the doubts surrounding the release of players still not resolved and compounded bye injury problems, the Munster, Leinster…

By EDMUND VAN ESBECK
Tue Oct 08 1996 - 01:00

WITH the doubts surrounding the release of players still not resolved and compounded bye injury problems, the Munster, Leinster and Ulster selectors have all delayed selection of their teams for their European engagements at the weekend until later in the week.

Connacht, who play in the European Conference against Padova next Saturday and do not have any players from English League clubs in their squad, will announce their side tomorrow night.

But Ulster suffered a major setback yesterday when centre Mark McCall injured a shoulder and will be out of the game for about a month.

Ironically McCall, not a member of the national squad but well worthy of inclusion in it, sustained the injury while training with the Ireland squad in Belfast yesterday. He had been called into the session because of injuries to other squad members.

READ MORE

He was taken to hospital for an X ray and while the injury is not as bad as feared, Ulster manager, Ken Reid, said last night: "The indications are that he will be out for about a month. It is bad blow to us and to the player who has performed so well during the interprovincials."

He was one of four Ulster players who joined in the Irish training sessions yesterday. The others were flanker Stuart Duncan, three quarter Sheldon Coulter and the Queen's University player Niall McCluskey.

On Sunday Munster flanker Eddie Halvey chipped an ankle bone - and will miss Munster's European - Cup match against Milan on Saturday and is expected to be out of action for about 10 days.

Meanwhile, the Australians have now accepted that they will not be playing against England on their forthcoming tour of these islands. The Wallabies will meet Ireland, Scotland and Wales and wanted to, add England to the itinerary. That would have meant that the match against the Barbarians would have had to be cancelled. The Home Unions tours committee made it clear that they did not support such a suggestion.

Following a meeting in Rome at the weekend, the Australians reluctantly accepted the situation but expressed their disappointment at it.