Six Nations Championship: Props have become something of an endangered species in the modern game, nowhere more so than in Irish rugby, and Eddie O'Sullivan's options in this department were almost down to the bare bones last night after Marcus Horan was ruled out of the Six Nations opener away to France next Saturday with a back injury.
The strain has eventually told on Horan, whose Heineken Cup campaign has been blighted by injury. Reggie Corrigan, himself troubled by a leg injury last week, will definitely start while Simon Best and Justin Fitzpartick have both been added to the squad.
Best would seem to be the prefered choice on the bench, although he too sustained a rib injury in Ulster's Celtic League win over Llanelli last Friday night. Fitzpatrick has been playing fairly regularly for his new club Castres this season, making a good impression in their triumphant League Cup campaign.
It could be that both will travel to France. Indeed, it's conceivable that Ireland will take a party of 24 players as the indications are that Brian O'Driscoll will be named in the team pending a decision on his fitness later in the week.
The Irish captain sustained a torn hamstring in Leinster's Heineken Cup defeat at home to Sale just over four weeks ago and though the estimated timeframe for recovery of four to six weeks' leaves him in a race against time, O'Sullivan is keen to give his talismanic outside centre every opportunity of playing, as is the player himself.
Beyond that, the tighter selection calls would appear to be between Shane Byrne and Frankie Sheahan at hooker, Malcolm O'Kelly and Donncha O'Callaghan at lock and perming three from Simon Easterby, Anthony Foley, Keith Gleeson and Victor Costello in the backrow.
Based on the World Cup pecking order and the need for both experience, it would appear that Byrne and O'Kelly are the likelier options. Similarly, World Cup preferences along with the superior defensive workrate of Simon Easterby and current good form of Anthony Foley may mean an impact replacement role for Costello.
There is, as ever, a tight call to be made at number 10 between two of the vice-captains, David Humphreys and Ronan O'Gara. Humphreys has been the more consistent performer since the World Cup, even running in tries from his own half, though O'Gara made a full return to form in Munster's recent win over Bourgoin when mixing his game sublimely.
Where the in-form Gordon D'Arcy will be accomodated is an interesting one.
In the event of O'Driscoll not making the starting line-up, D'Arcy looks the only credible alternative at outside centre. Otherwise it looks like the much criticised Girvan Dempsey will be prefered at full-back for this assignment, which could leave O'Sullivan with the choice of D'Arcy or Tyrone Howe on the wing.
The French coach Bernard Laporte will also unveil his hand today, and with continuity also very much in his mind, les Bleus may name nine or 10 of the starting line-up which beat Ireland 43-21 in the World Cup quarter-finals.
"We have to look after the future," commented Laporte, also contracted through to the 2007 World Cup, "but first we have to deal with the present. When you play in the Six Nations, you play to win it. The policy is to pick the players who are in good form."
Hence, what changes there have been to the 22-man squad have largely been enforced. Of the team that played Ireland in Melbourne, scrumhalf Fabien Galthie has retired as has another former captain, hooker Raphael Ibanez, while the lock Jerome Thion and centre Tony Marsh are injured, and winger Aurelien Rougerie is out of form. Big-tackling reserve backrower Sebastien Chabal has lost out to the rejuvenated Thomas Lievremont
The close calls here are in the composition of the front-row, where the uncapped William Servat may be picked ahead of his more experienced fellow Toulouse hooker Yannick Bru, and in the second-row, where Laporte may likewise be tempted to pick one of France's great white hopes, the dynamic 23-year-old Bourgoin lock Pascal Pape, ahead of David Auradou alongside re-instated captain Fabien Pelous.
Jean-Baptiste Elissalde is expected to form his Toulouse half-back partnership with Frederic Michalak ahead of Dimitri Yachvili, while Damien Traille is vying with Brian Liebenberg for the outside centre slot.
ENGLAND (v Italy): I Balshaw (Bath); J Lewsey (Wasps), W Greenwood (Harlequins), J Robinson (Sale Sharks), B Cohen (Northampton); P Grayson (Northampton), A Gomarsall (Gloucester); T Woodman (Gloucester), S Thompson (Northampton), P Vickery (Gloucester), D Grewcock (Bath), B Kay (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps), R Hill (Saracens), L Dallaglio (Wasps, captain). Replacements: M Regan (Leeds), J Leonard (Harlequins), S Borthwick (Bath), C Jones (Sale Sharks), M Dawson (Northampton), O Barkley (Bath), H Paul (Gloucester).
