Gerry Thornley talks to the injured Ireland captain, Keith Wood, who believes Sunday's Gland Slam match is just too tight to call.
It seems a little cruel really. He's soldiered through so many of the dark days, played as instrumental a part as anyone in generating the good days, and yet is now obliged to sit out Ireland's first tilt at a Grand Slam in 21 years. Somehow Keith Wood deserved better.
He wouldn't be human if his enjoyment of Ireland's odyssey this season wasn't tinged with a little personal sadness over missing out himself. From captain, to non-playing captain, to pundit/fan can't have been an easy journey to make.
Yet, as you'd expect of him, he wears it well. It helps, assuredly, he now has a family to occupy his time away from the game, and yesterday he spoke after taking his son Alexander for a walk in London.
"I don't know if it's cruel, per se. I think it's the fall of the dice, if you want to use a cliché," he says phlegmatically. "I tell you what, it would be cruel if I got injured last weekend and I couldn't play in the grand finale. That would be cruel.
"I've been pretty damn unfortunate; injury on top of injury. I knew a month or two months ago I wouldn't have any involvement in any of these matches. And while I was hoping against hope that I might be able to get there, but I had got used to the fact I wouldn't be able to play so I'm able to enjoy it wholeheartedly like any supporter. I'd rather be playing, there's no doubt about that, but I'm not. So that's the end of that."
Viewed in that light, Girvan Dempsey, Shane Horgan and Reggie Corrigan have probably suffered more mental anguish.
Wood admits his rehabilitation from the tendon problems in his shoulder is "very slow", delaying his return to contact training in a couple of weeks' time. Nonetheless, his surgeon told him on Monday his recovery had speeded up again.
"He has absolutely no doubt that I will get back to play. What he is in doubt about is when that will be," says Wood, who is targeting a few comeback games for Harlequins before the end of the season. Then he effectively will become unattached, may or may not make Ireland's June rendezvous with Australia in Perth, and will (touch wood) be back on board for the August friendlies and the World Cup.
The list of pundits and fans alike who believe Ireland might even be better off without the talismanic bald wonder grows by the week. For sure Shane Byrne's darts have been consistently hitting the bulls' eye with a regularity any hooker in the world would be proud of. But the lineout would have improved anyway.
For the last few seasons, Ireland's standard ploy was to hit the tail of the lineout, usually Simon Easterby or Eric Miller off the top, for Peter Stringer to launch Kevin Maggs or Rob Henderson up the middle over the gain line, and then take it from there.
The problem was that opposing lineouts began to read Ireland's ploy like an open book, especially last season. This season, there's been far more movement and variation, thereby keeping the opposition guessing to the last second before delivery. And with the increased potency of the Irish maul, they can do more with these greater options too. Less back-line penetration alas, but a more winning lineout.
The scrum is stronger too, and it's a credit to Byrne's performances that the absence of Wood has hardly been noticed. However it was less than a year and a half ago when Wood was the darling of Lansdowne Road, after playing a starring, world-class, man-of-the-match, try-scoring, captain-from-the-front role in the win over England. Oh how we forget, fickle lot that we are.
Wood is the first to commend Byrne's performances in his absence. "I think Shane has played very well; his improvement over the last two years has been fairly stark. He's made great strides. For Leinster last year I thought he played very, very well, and again for Leinster this year."
As for Brian O'Driscoll's captaincy (now seven wins out of seven), Wood says: "Drico has done what he's done all his career. He's made every aspect of the sport look easy to him. I don't think it's affected his performances. He's still on fire but I think the opposition are targeting him more."
Moving on to Sunday's grand finale then.
"I would think we'll win by 25 points," he says with exaggerated confidence, before admitting. "I'd actually settle for one point playing like a bag of spanners. England are favourites. We need to have an enough respect for them, but only enough. There are an awful lot of things in our favour. There's only been five occasions when it's come down to the last match, and all five were won by the home side," Wood points out.
"I said a couple of years ago that we needed everything to go our way, and a lot did go our way with (Martin) Johnson, (Lawrence) Dallaglio and (Phil) Vickery not playing. Ultimately it hinged on Peter Stringer's tap tackle and if that hadn't happened I don't have any doubt that we would have lost because I don't think the team was as strong as the team is now.
"Having said that we have been a bit nervous in the last couple of games and I'm hoping that's the nerves out of the way. Now we need to be looking for big performances from a lot of players."
Wood agrees with the view that England are a more balanced attacking unit with Josh Lewsey at 15, and Jason Robinson more difficult to mark from the wing.
"I think the Welsh got away with an awful lot in the scrums last Saturday and I wouldn't be so certain that Jonathan Kaplan will let England away with the same. The back row will also be an interesting match-up. Dallaglio is improving all the time and (Anthony) Foley has had a fantastic season. I don't think you can over-estimate the amount of impact he has on the team."
Wood will be there, naturally, in his working roles with the the BBC and the RBS.
"I am hopeful. I don't think you can view it in any other fashion. I think we have a really good chance but I'm not making a call. I think it's actually too tight to call."
