Novenas and candle-lit vigils will still be held for Brian O'Driscoll's tweaked hamstring so the great one can take his appointed place at the front of the Irish team that takes to Croke Park for the first time on Sunday against France.  Gerry Thornleyreports

But, failing that, suddenly the landscape doesn't look quite as bleak, thanks to the staggering news that Shane Horgan has recovered from a knee operation inside a fortnight.

Conceivably, Ireland could still field a first-choice team without a single injury and comprising a familiar, attack-laden and multi-capped back line of Denis Hickie, Gordon D'Arcy, O'Driscoll and Horgan with Girvan Dempsey behind them and Geordan Murphy on the bench.

If, however, O'Driscoll's hamstring fails to mend by Saturday, Horgan will move to midfield and Murphy will move from the bench to start on the right wing.

Andrew Trimble, who has dropped down the pecking order and out of the 22 after an unsure performance in Cardiff, would then come into the replacements.

Similarly Peter Stringer will start if the cracked bone in his hand heals fully, but if not Isaac Boss will wear the number-nine jersey and Eoin Reddan will replace him on the bench.

Jamie Heaslip is kept on board because of a slight doubt about Denis Leamy, who on Sunday night had an abscess on his side lanced, although were Leamy ruled out O'Sullivan has still to decide whether to replace him directly with Heaslip or promote Neil Best from the bench and maybe reshuffle the backrow.

Regarding his walking wounded, O'Sullivan was optimistic about Leamy's chances but admitted time was against O'Driscoll especially.

"In Brian's case obviously a hamstring is a seven-day turnaround, is right on the cusp. He's got a grade one (strain), which is a seven-to-10-day injury. He's a good healer though and he's working round the clock on it."

The additional cover for the Test team has had a ripple effect on the A team to play the England Saxons on Friday night, which features the indigenous Connacht bolter this season, Danny Riordan, and will, surprisingly, be led by Ireland's most-capped player, the 83-times-capped Malcolm O'Kelly.

O'Sullivan was at pains to stress, however, that O'Kelly's apparent demotion to fourth in the pecking order was "misleading", adding that it was a case of man management.

"Because it's a chronic injury and it's something that's been bothering him for a while, we can't take the risk of having him on the bench for Sunday if he had to come in and play a substantial part of the game."

Were he to come through the A game and possibly a Magners Celtic League game, O'Kelly would come into the reckoning for the England game in Croke Park two weeks hence.

O'Sullivan again maintained the call at hooker was not particularly close, citing Rory Best's scrummaging as a primary factor, even if Jerry Flannery made a good impact from the bench.

"I thought Rory had a great game," said O'Sullivan, absolving Best of the lost throw on the Welsh line in the second half. "The guy is doing a helluva job there and if you're going to take the shirt off a guy you've got to have a very good reason for doing it, and there wasn't really a major discussion on the hooker position."

The cloud hanging over O'Driscoll and some of his team-mates might possibly distract from the enormous sense of occasion and history on Sunday. Nevertheless, O'Sullivan expects the extra bit of edge from moving to an 82,000-capacity stadium will heighten the intensity.

"My hope is that we'll create our own little coliseum and they (France) will feel somewhat a little bit intimidated, like you can away from home," he said. "That's what we want, that surge of energy that come from the crowd that can push the team on.

"There's no question or doubt that we're at home next Sunday, and in a big way. It's a different stadium, and a different surface and a different geography, but I think that's minuscule compared to the value of playing in front of a home crowd that size."

If O'Driscoll is ruled out Paul O'Connell would captain the side, as he did in the loss in Paris in 2003 and the win in Scotland two years ago.

And the Munsterman maintained there wasn't much of a difference between captaining the side and being one of the foot soldiers, because with O'Driscoll out in midfield O'Connell talks to the referee occasionally anyway.

"I found it very motivating and it helped me play better," he said of the captaincy. "When you have the leadership role it's a great thing to have on your shoulders, and I think it helps your game."

With typical candour, O'Connell admitted his own form in Cardiff was no more than steady: "I'm probably not making the impact I'd like to make but hopefully that will come, I've just got to keep working hard."

He echoed O'Sullivan's view that there were no issues with a good, fast track in Croke Park: "Playing there is going to be great. If Brian was out it will probably be an easy game to captain, because motivation will look after itself.

"We trained there last week, it's an incredible stadium with incredible facilities, and it was great to get out there because the first time you do go there your jaw really does drop."

• Boss and Murphy will play if Stringer and O'Driscoll are unfit, with Reddan and Trimble promoted to the bench.

(Ireland v France, Croke Park, Sunday, 3pm)

15Girvan Dempsey (Leinster)

14Shane Horgan (Leinster)

13*Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt)

12Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster)

11Denis Hickie (Leinster)

10Ronan O'Gara (Munster)

9*Peter Stringer (Munster)

1Marcus Horan (Munster)

2Rory Best (Ulster)

3John Hayes (Munster)

4Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster)

5Paul O'Connell (Munster)

6Simon Easterby (Llanelli)

7David Wallace (Munster)

8Denis Leamy (Munster).

Replacements:Jerry Flannery (Munster), Simon Best (Ulster), Mick O'Driscoll (Munster), Neil Best (Ulster), *Isaac Boss (Ulster), Paddy Wallace (Ulster), *Geordan Murphy (Leicester). On standby:Andrew Trimble (Ulster), Eoin Reddan (Wasps), Jamie Heaslip (Leinster).