Rugby: Paul O'Connell and Tommy Bowe have been passed fit and confirmed amongst the starting line-up to face Italy in the crunch Pool C finale at the Otago Stadium on Sunday (8.30am Irish). After coming through Ireland's training session in Carisbrook this morning, they joined halfbacks Ronan O'Gara and Conor Murray in the starting XV.
“Paul trained well this morning and I’d be happy that he’d be good to go on Sunday,” said Declan Kidney after unveiling his hand against the Italians. The starting team shows eight changes from the team which beat Russia 62-10 last Sunday but, more pertinently, there are just two changes from the team which started the historic 15-6 win over Australia a fortnight ago, with Murray and O’Gara chosen ahead of Eoin Reddan and Jonathan Sexton.
It will be the first time Munster’s Magners League winning half-back combination will start a test together as they become the fifth half-back combination in Ireland’s eight tests this season.
Asked why he had chosen the 22-year-old Murray for only his second test start, Declan Kidney said: “Well, he’s a good player first and foremost. I’ve been lucky all five halfbacks have been going well for us and it’s just a case of picking the guys I think are right for this match, and I think Conor and Ronan, with what’s in front of them as a pack, and what’s behind them, they’re a good combination for us.”
Murray’s greater physicality compared to Reddan would appear to be a factor given so much of Italy’s game revolves around Sergio Parisse and co off the Azzurri scrum and close to the breakdown.
“I’m not so sure, if you said that to (Isaac) Bossy or Eoin Reddan,” said Kidney. “I think you’re talking about very thin margins and I’d hate to bracket anyone in any one area. I think it’s just a good overall combination.”
Kidney did admit to being impressed by Murray’s composed arrival in the last quarter against Australia. “He’s sort of taken things in his stride and I think he warrants his start today. He seems to be enjoying himself and that’s what we want him to continue to do.”
Likewise, the coach would not subscribe to the widespread view that place-kicking tilted the outhalf selection towards O’Gara, who has landed ten from 12 (83 per cent) compared to Sexton’s five form 13 (38 per cent). How big a factor? “I don’t know that it was,” retorted Kidney. “I don’t think I’ve ever in my life picked a fella just for his place-kicking and I don’t think that has happened now. I know for a fact it hasn't happened now. Ronan’s playing well and he deserves his start.”
Nor was he concerned by Sexton’s statistics. “If stats worried me we wouldn’t have got on the plane to come out here. We were nought for four at the end of August and we haven’t exactly recovered that yet. I’ve seen that in sport all the time. Johnny is a top-class outhalf and top-class place-kicker. He’s disappointed that he’s not starting, but when he comes on and he does his bit I’ll look forward to seeing it.”
Ireland have won the last 15 meetings but Brian O’Driscoll readily accepted that the games “have been getting harder and harder”, and, smiling, that it is “a win or bust” game “but we look forward to that element of pressure and dealing with it well.”
It was suggested that to beat Australia and end up going home on Sunday would be heartbreaking? “Yes, it would,” said O’Driscoll, although it hadn’t changed anything. “I don’t see how winning games increases the pressure on you. I think if anything we’re probably a bit more relaxed in our skin knowing that we’re capable of the performance we produced against Australia, that we haven’t forgotten about playing that way. It’s just about improving on that and I feel as if we’ll be in a good place if we manage to do that.”
Italy coach Nick Mallett has made just the solitary change to his side. Having been forced to pull out of the 27-10 victory over the USA as a precaution, Andrea Masi returns to fullback ahead of Luke McLean.
Outhalf Luciano Orquera, a try-scorer against the Eagles, and Fabio Semenzato will form the halfback partnership, while Fabio Ongaro and Paul Derbyshire are on the bench despite impressing during their cameos against the US.
IRELAND Team & Replacements (v Italy, 2011 Rugby World Cup Pool C, Otago Stadium, Sunday, October 2nd, kick-off 8:30pm local time/8:30am Irish time):R Kearney (UCD/Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (UCD/Leinster) (capt), G D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster), K Earls (Young Munster/Munster); R O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster), C Murray (Garryowen/Munster); C Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), R Best (Banbridge/Ulster), M Ross (Clontarf/Leinster); D O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), P O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster); S Ferris (Dungannon/Ulster), S O'Brien (Clontarf/Leinster), J Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
Replacements:S Cronin (Leinster), T Court (Malone/Ulster), D Ryan (Shannon/Munster), D Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster), E Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster), J Sexton (St. Mary's College/Leinster), A Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Italy (v Ireland): A Masi; T Benvenuti, G Canale, G Garcia, M Bergamasco; L Orquera, F Semenzato; S Perugini, L Ghiraldini, M Castrogiovanni; Q Geldenhuys, C van Zyl; A Zanni, M Bergamasco, S Parisse (capt).
Replacements: F Ongaro, A lo Cicero, M Bortolami, P Derbyshire, E Gori, R Bocchino, L McLean
