RUGBY/International news and Celtic League: The Irish 22-man squad to do duty in the first of 14 Test matches this season against Romania on Saturday week in Thomond Park was announced yesterday, and given the predictable return to the squad of Denis Hickie, Rob Henderson, Kevin Maggs and Eric Miller, the trickier selection posers for the management will be sorting out the starting XV and replacements.
By Gerry Thornley
The return of the aforementioned quartet, who were all ruled out of the two Tests in New Zealand, come at the expense of Geordan Murphy, Justin Bishop, Mel Deane and Alan Quinlan. Like Murphy, Paul O'Connell, David Wallace, Shane Horgan and Anthony Horgan were all ruled out through injury, so Leo Cullen (a debutant in the second Test) retains his place in the squad.
The starting team and replacements will be announced next Tuesday after training in Limerick, and as has been the case since the Six Nations campaign three seasons ago, one of the main conundrums facing Eddie O'Sullivan and his fellow management will be to choose between Ronan O'Gara and David Humphreys.
Of the last 25 Tests since the beginning of 2000, Humphreys has started 13 to O'Gara's 12, although such is the regularity with which one replaces the other that in only three of those games has one of them not been capped.
More often than not, their respective form for Munster and Ulster has been the deciding factor. Humphreys effectively regained his place at out-half near the start of last season following the 32-10 defeat to Murrayfield on the back of a rich and prolific vein of form for Ulster, but then lost his place in the starting team for the New Zealand Tests in the main due to his lack of rugby with Ulster after the Six Nations due to injury.
In both Tests, however, O'Gara had an unhappy time when place-kicking with the vexed adidas ball and was replaced each time by Humphreys. Now, though, like everyone else in the squad, neither of them has any current form to go on, highlighting one of the vagaries of another September start to the international season. As much as their performances for Munster and Ulster away to Llanelli and Ebbw Vale this weekend (when both will be watched), how they've looked in the closed two-week training camp might be the determining factor.
Similar criteria, on the presumption that the versatile John Kelly returns to the wing, will apply to their choice at inside centre between Henderson and Maggs, both of whom will also be watched this weekend, for Munster away to Llanelli on Saturday night and Bath away to London Irish on Sunday afternoon.
Thus, allowing for the return of Hickie on the left wing, the rest of the team should fall along similar lines to that which played the All Blacks in Auckland, and as this fixture against the Romanians is purely and simply a warm-up for the World Cup qualifier away to Russia in Siberia a fortnight subsequently, ideally O'Sullivan would like the starting XV to be the same in both games.
As an aside, the IRFU's claims that the second Test in Auckland was Ireland's 500th international match have been disputed by statistician Des Daly, and it now seems as if the game against Romania will provide the milestone.
With one eye on the Celtic League, which the Irish players will miss at least three and probably four rounds of, significantly Leinster have 10 players names, Munster six and Ulster two, with four from overseas.
Ulster's duo, David Humphreys and Gary Longwell, feature in a strong-looking starting XV for their opening Celtic League Pool A game away to Ebbw Vale, with the only notable omission being the injured James Topping, who is again replaced by Sheldon Coulter. It is a measure of Alan Solomons' stronger hand up front that regulars in the pack last season such as Justin Fitzpatrick and Paul Shields now find themselves on the bench.
Instead there are debuts in a new, beefed up front-row for former Springbok prop Robbie Kempston and ex-Canterbury hooker Matt Sexton, as well as a first Celtic League appearance for another South African, back-rower Warren Brosnihan. Interestingly too, the elusive running skills of Australian centre Ryan Constable - who scored six tries from only four starts and seven appearances off the bench last season - have been preferred to Adam Larkin.
Leinster and Munster will announce their opening hands today. However, Llanelli are likely to be without Scott Quinnell, new second-row signing Robert Sidoli, full-back Emry Lewis and Shaun James, while Pontypridd will be missing Neil Jenkins, who injured an ankle pre-season.
Gavin Duffy has been forced to cry off the side to play Scottish Borders at Selkirk on Friday with a leg injury.
IRELAND (Squad v Romania, at Thomond Park on Saturday, September 7th, kick-off 1.30pm): Backs: Girvan Dempsey (Leinster - Terenure College), John Kelly (Munster - Cork Constitution), Denis Hickie (Leinster - St. Mary's College), Kevin Maggs (Bath), Rob Henderson (Munster - Young Munster), Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster - Blackrock College), David Humphreys (Ulster - Dungannon), Ronan O'Gara (Munster - Cork Constitution), Peter Stringer (Munster - Shannon), Guy Easterby (Llanelli). Forwards: Reggie Corrigan (Leinster - Greystones), John Hayes (Munster - Shannon), Paul Wallace (Leinster - Blackrock College), Keith Wood (Harlequins), Shane Byrne (Leinster - Blackrock College), Gary Longwell (Ulster - Ballymena), Malcolm O'Kelly (Leinster - St. Mary's College), Leo Cullen (Leinster - Blackrock College), Simon Easterby (Llanelli), Anthony Foley (Munster - Shannon), Eric Miller (Leinster - Terenure College), Keith Gleeson (Leinster - St. Mary's College).
Terrace tickets are on public sale. They can be purchased on-line through www.irishrugby.ie and collected from the IRFU offices at Lansdowne Road. Terrace tickets may also be purchased at the Munster Branch offices at Thomond Park and Musgrave Park (Monday to Friday) or usual Cork and Limerick outlets. Stand tickets are sold out.
ULSTER (v Ebbw Vale): P Wallace; S Coulter, R Constable, J Bell, T Howe; D Humphreys, N Doak; R Kempson, M Sexton, S Best, G Longwell, J Davidson, A Ward (capt),T McWhirter, W Brosnihan. Replacements: J Fitzpatrick, P Shields, M Blair, N McMillan, K Campbell, A Larkin, B Cunningham.
