Another Wednesday and another productive Irish squad session. Forty players went through their paces under the watchful eye of Brian Ashton at the ALSAA complex near Dublin Airport yesterday but, arguably, the best news concerned one of the two absentees. Simon Geoghegan, touch wood, is finally on the road back.
The blond bombshell, last seen strutting his stuff on the Irish wing against England the season before last and sidelined virtually ever since with a bone disorder in his foot which required three operations, successfully came through a friendly for Bath at Ebbw Vale on Tuesday evening.
Though he didn't see Geoghegan play himself, Ashton said yesterday: "I phoned someone who went to watch him play on my behalf. He played a full 80 minutes. Didn't get much of the ball, but he spent a lot of time roaming around the field doing a lot of tackling and he had no reaction.
"He said to me that he would be here next week so all being well, and he doesn't grow another bone in his foot, he'll be here."
The news concerning Geoghegan's long-time sidekick on the pitch and close friend off it, Jim Staples, is less encouraging. Here, the problems are two-fold: Ireland's captain in his last international is still troubled by a back complaint and is prevented from training under Harlequins' new day-time regime due to his work.
The only other absentee from yesterday's session was Victor Costello, whose ill-timed broken finger meant he was the only one of the seven additions to the 35-man squad who was unable to attend. His St Mary's and Leinster teammate, John McWeeney, did make his first appearance at an international squad session, as did the Connacht pair of Graham Heaslip and Pat Duignan.
Of the remainder, Jeremy Davidson (eye injury), Jonathan Bell (hamstring), Gabriel Fulcher (hamstring), Dylan O'Grady (knee) and Justin Fitzpatrick (ankle) were spectators.
Another glorious if windy day contributed to what Ashton called a productive day. "The weather being good made it easier. it allowed us to do things rather than just talking about organisation.
The squad worked out for more than two hours in the morning. After an hour of combined drills, the forwards broke up for line-out drills under Mike Ruddock, while Ashton oversaw back moves off loose ball with the emphasis on individual decision making as opposed to planned moves. Referee Murray White was called in for the afternoon drills, after which the forwards and backs again splintered.
The Irish management are examining the possibility of adding an extra session on October 22nd, and will shortly consider pruning the squad so as to concentrate in more detail on the game against the All Blacks on November 15th.
Ashton, who saw Ulster lose to Wasps last Sunday, will watch London Irish for the first time this season against Dax this weekend. Manager Pat Whelan will take in the Munster-Cardiff game in Cardiff on Saturday, while Donal Lenihan, recently co-opted on to the selection panel as the third man (or, as Ashton used to put it, Harry Lime) will watch Connacht at home to Nice.
