Rugby - Ireland v Italy team news:ULTIMATELY, THE hardest decision was deferred for another day, and we'll never know whether Declan Kidney and his coaches would have recalled Ronan O'Gara for Saturday's Six Nations opener against Italy at Croke Park. Perhaps O'Gara would have been recalled in any case.
But the chances are that, like the hors de combat Stephen Ferris, Jonathan Sexton could yet be ruled out of the French game on Saturday week as well.
Kidney admitted yesterday Sexton has been suffering from a dead leg “for the last number of weeks”, apparently since before Leinster’s Heineken Cup draw away to London Irish.
“So we thought it would be prudent to send him for a scan,” added Kidney, which revealed that “there was a little bit of a tear there below the haematoma”.
Perhaps the duel between O’Gara and Sexton contributed to the latter aggravating the injury by pushing himself too soon in training.
As to whether he would have recalled O’Gara, Kidney, utterly true to type, didn’t bite. Giggling, and then smiling broadly, he said: “You learn in this job you never make a decision until you have to.
“The players know it’s very important that that’s the challenge to me, to be as fair as I can with the players, and to let them know where we stand. And once they know that, that’s all that matters.”
The Irish coach said they were hopeful about both Sexton and Ferris, who has a troublesome knee injury.
With Ferris out, Kidney and co have opted for the most physical and specialist blindside alternative to the Ulsterman, ie, Leinster’s Kevin McLaughlin. The 25-year-old also has a decade on Alan Quinlan, who was at his most irresistible and irrepressible self in Munster’s win over Northampton.
Confidently expecting trench warfare close-in and around the fringes, McLaughlin has been picked to meet the Azzurri head on. As a former Irish Schools number eight, he also provides a lineout option.
It is quite a turnaround for the Gonzaga boy, who was seriously considering abandoning professional rugby last season and turning instead to the, eh, banking sector, and to that end he was on placement in Anglo for some weeks last season. As career options go, all things considered, sticking with rugby isn’t turning out too badly.
Referring to the way McLaughlin has made light of Rocky Elsom’s departure at Leinster, Kidney ventured: “We felt that he was going well in November, but we felt that he had put such an effort into September and October that we didn’t want to over-play him in November, but thinking that, if we needed to, we could call upon him. And then he backed that up in December and January.
“The way he’s gone about his business I think he’s a credit to himself, and my hope is that he will enjoy the week and do no more and no less than what he’s been doing for Leinster on a constant basis since September.”
With injuries having contributed to those two changes to whatever degree, the other two changes from the starting XV from the 15-10 win over South Africa see Gordon D’Arcy continue at inside centre in place of Paddy Wallace (whom he replaced after 25 minutes that day), while, a tad more surprisingly, Andrew Trimble replaces Keith Earls in the absence of Luke Fitzgerald.
Trimble adds to the horses-for-courses feel of this selection, with the in-form and fit-again Ulster winger also providing an ultra-physical target up the middle. Ironically, Earls’ desire to play in midfield for Munster may have contributed to him losing his Irish place, albeit temporarily. He’s too good not to come back before long.
“I think left wing is a fairly technical position in its own right,” ventured Kidney.
“In the same way as tighthead and loosehead are different, I think there’s quite a difference between right and left wing. I think he fits the bill for us there.
“Then you’re leaving someone like Keith out, but somebody is going to lose out. Shane (Horgan) was another guy in the mix there too, very much so.”
There’s a bit of a gamble in selecting Jerry Flannery and his understudy Rory Best, given neither can be fully match-fit, but the desire to develop more of a squad culture remains paramount.
McLaughlin’s first Test and Trimble’s return means that come kick-off on Saturday Ireland will have started 25 players and used 28 in four Tests this season.
“I think in trying to build a squad, you try not to get to the place where you have a preferred XV in the game of rugby, because anybody at any stage can pick up a bang or a knock,” said Kidney.
“We had quite a number of them last week, but if you stop and wait for guys to get back you’ll never move forward. I think the lads that are playing deserve to be playing; I think they’re all playing very well, and I believe it’s the best team to be playing on Saturday.”
Italian coach Nick Mallett will finalise his team tomorrow.
