Although the 26-man Irish squad for the proposed two-test tour to South Africa next month was named as scheduled yesterday, the cloud that hangs over the tour taking place remains.
The IRFU yesterday cancelled their proposed meeting with IRUPA chief executive Niall Woods over the vexed issues of tour fees and win bonuses pending a meeting of their Management Board today.
The latest discussions between the two parties are likely to take place today or tomorrow morning. Curiously though, the first Woods heard of the postponement of last night's meeting was through a journalist, which seems a little discourteous at best and will only fuel the players' feelings that they are being treated dismissively.
The squad are due to leave Ireland next Saturday week, June 5th, prior to the first test in Bloemfontein on June 12th. The second test takes place in Cape Town a week later, yet though the IRFU have said they notified their SARFU counterparts over the weekend about the recent developments with IRUPA, South African officials were quoted on the Planet Rugby website yesterday to the effect they knew nothing about it.
It seems almost unthinkable the tour could be cancelled and the IRFU would thereby incur the wrath not only of South Africa, who are in readiness for two tests with all the logistical implications that entails (gate receipts, TV income, hotel bookings and the like), but also of the International Board.
Although the IRFU chief executive, Philip Browne, maintains a tour fee of €4,000 has been agreed, this is not so, according to Woods.
The difference in win bonuses - the IRFU are refusing to increase a figure of €3,810, which hasn't budged in six years - and the unspecified figure the players are asking for, is not insurmountable, given a spirit of compromise.
Based on the normal annual average of eight tests, and say six Irish wins, it is more likely to cost the IRFU something in the region of 300,000, a far cry from the stated 500,000.
The union have been relatively pliable in negotiating much-improved contracts for the players in the last two years, but both sides are digging their heels in, and neither will want to be seen to back down, so the brinkmanship continues for a little while longer.
All of this must be viewed with some alarm by Eddie O'Sullivan, who will meet with senior players today. The most striking surprise of the squad he announced yesterday was the omission of Victor Costello, the only player of the 22 on duty last time out in the clinching Triple Crown victory over Scotland not to be retained.
Costello is the highest-profile player to suffer, in part because of Leinster's poor season, but primarily because Alan Quinlan and Eric Miller are deemed fit again after easing their way back with a couple of end-of-season starts apiece.
Gavin Duffy is the only uncapped player in the squad. The Harlequins full back is named among 12 backs and 14 forwards.
The other players who didn't feature against Scotland are Simon Best, who gets in ahead of Emmet Byrne, and Tyrone Howe, who gets in ahead of Paddy Wallace (a member of the World Cup squad ahead of Howe), Shaun Payne, John Kelly and Rob Henderson, who is not even one of the nine players named on standby.
The Ireland management have also named two teams to play in a pre-tour warm-up game behind closed doors in Lansdowne Road on Friday next, May 28th, who will be coached by Michael Bradley and Mark McCall.
Girvan Dempsey, Gary Longwell and Neil Best are selected pending fitness tests and Kevin Maggs subject to being released by Bath.
Matt Mostyn, David Pusey, John O'Sullivan and Darren Yapp are on standby in each instance, with additional promotions to the bench potentially in line for Conor McPhilips, Aidan Kearney and Seamus Mallon.
One player named on the Whites XV, Jason Holland, is actually injured and back in New Zealand on holidays, while Donncha O'Callaghan, Gordon D'Arcy, Henderson, Ben Gissing, Brian O'Riordan, Matt McCullough, Mark McHugh and Quinlan have all been ruled out, as have the Barbarians contingent of Brian O'Driscoll, Shane Horgan, David Humphreys, Geordan Murphy, Malcolm O'Kelly and Eric Miller.
WARM-UP GAME
Blues (coached by Michael Bradley): G Dempsey; B Burke, J Kelly, K Maggs, T Howe; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, J. Hayes, D Browne, L Cullen, S Easterby, D Wallace, A Foley (capt) Replacements: B Jackman, R McCormack, T Hogan, N McMillan, K Campbell, D Yapp, M Mostyn
Whites (coached by Mark McCall): B Cunningham; S Payne, G Duffy, J Holland, A Horgan; P Wallace, G Easterby; R Corrigan (capt), S Byrne, S Best, G Longwell, P O'Connell, R Wilson, A Quinlan, V Costello. Replacements: P Shields, E Byrne, D Pusey, N Best, B O'Meara, M Mullins, M McPhail
On duty with the Barbarians: Brian O'Driscoll, Shane Horgan, David Humphreys, Geordan Murphy, Malcolm O'Kelly, Eric Miller.
FORWARDS (14): S Best (Ulster, Belfast Harlequins), S Byrne (Leinster, Blackrock College), R Corrigan (Leinster, Greystones), S Easterby (Llanelli), A Foley (Munster, Shannon), J Hayes (Munster, Shannon), M Horan (Munster, Shannon), E Miller (Leinster, Terenure College), D O'Callaghan (Munster, Cork Constitution), P O'Connell (Munster, Young Munster), M O'Kelly (Leinster, St Mary's College), A Quinlan (Munster, Shannon), F Sheahan (Munster, Cork Constitution), D Wallace (Munster, Garryowen).
BACKS (12): G D'Arcy (Leinster, Lansdowne), G Dempsey (Leinster, Terenure College), G Duffy (Harlequins), G Easterby (Rotherham), S Horgan (Leinster, Lansdowne), T Howe (Ulster, Dungannon), D Humphreys (Ulster, Dungannon), K Maggs (Bath), G Murphy (Leicester), B O'Driscoll (captain, Leinster, Blackrock College), R O'Gara (Munster, Cork Constitution), P Stringer (Munster, Shannon).
STANDBY (9): E Byrne (Leinster, St Mary's College), V Costello (Leinster, St Mary's College), L Cullen (Leinster, Blackrock College), N Doak (Ulster, Ballymena), S Payne (Munster, Dolphin), B Jackman (Connacht, Clontarf), J Kelly (Munster, Cork Constitution), P Wallace (Ulster, Ballymena), Roger Wilson (Ulster, Belfast Harlequins).
Not considered due to injury: K Gleeson (Leinster, St Mary's College), D Hickie (Leinster, St Mary's College).
