Rugby: Declan Kidney could be forgiven for wondering what exactly he has done to anger the rugby gods. Having witnessed his misfiring side slump to yet another defeat, the fourth of a miserable summer series, the Ireland coach had his worst fears confirmed as David Wallace was ruled out of the World Cup with a serious knee injury.
The Ireland flanker was in obvious distress after his studs got stuck in the turf when shipping a heavy Manu Tuilagi tackle in the first half and required lengthy treatment before being stretchered from the pitch. And while the exact nature of the injury won’t be revealed until scans are undertaken, Kidney confirmed this evening the problem was serious enough to keep Wallace out of the tournament.
“David took a very bad bang on the knee and while we don’t know the exact prognosis, he has unfortunately been ruled out of the World Cup,” a grim faced Kidney told reporters. “David took the news like the man he is. There’s a word I’m not supposed to say in public, but it happens.
“You have to deal with these things. He’s 35 and I’ve never seen a man as physically fit as he is right now. It’s heartbreaking for him and his family. It’s extremely disappointing for us but will be good news for someone else. That’s the cut-throat nature of sport.”
Kidney has yet to decide on a replacement, preferring to discuss it with his management team before making an announcement tomorrow. Should he opt for a specialist openside then Shane Jennings is the obvious choice. However, the coach may choose to deploy Seán O’Brien at number seven and bring in either Kevin McLaughlin or Mike McCarthy.
After an extremely physical encounter, in which Kidney admitted his side were bullied at the breakdown, there were plenty of other bumps and bruises, with Jerry Flannery (shin), Cian Healy (eye) and Jamie Heaslip (concussion) all called ashore before the end. While all three are likely to give cause for concern, Kidney said he expected to have them available for selection when the Ireland face the USA on September 11th.
The coach also expressed relief that a hand injury to Stephen Ferris, which the medical team initially thought could have been a broken bone, turned out to be nothing more serious that bruising.
After being outscored by two tries to nil, Kidney was not about to paper over the cracks but insisted that the encounter will stand to his players in the coming weeks.
“We wanted to challenge ourselves against England and France to know exactly where we are, and we know now. We’ve lost four in the series, which is extremely disappointing. That’s not what we aimed for.
“No excuses to camouflage results, we’re here to get results. We’ll keep working and will get better . . . there’s a maxim I like to live by. ‘Losers make excuses, winners make promises’. These players have promised me they will continue to work hard and improve and that’s all you can ask for.”
