Adding to the impression that something of a curse hangs over the Irish scrum-half slot, Brian O'Meara yesterday withdrew from the Irish squad for the forthcoming tour of Australia. His replacement is Garryowen's Tom Tierney.

The 23-year-old Cork Constitution scrum-half, who recently led his club to their first AIB League title in nine years, apparently sustained a thumb injury in the semi-final win over Buccaneers. The injury flared up again in the final against Garryowen, and an X-ray has since revealed that he sustained a fracture which requires surgery.

It's a cruel blow for O'Meara, who had possibly been brought on too soon in the 1997-98 season, and had recovered from both a poor showing in South Africa last summer and a knee injury which sidelined him for much of Munster's campaign this season.

"Brian is shattered by the news and I feel very sorry for him," admitted Donal Lenihan yesterday, "but as I told him last night, at least he will be back in six to eight weeks and so will be available for the interpros in August."

Thus, as both Lenihan and Warren Gatland emphasised yesterday, that brings O'Meara back into contention for the World Cup, although as the Irish coach also stated "the other side of the equation is that it gives two young players a great opportunity to make a case for themselves."

Admittedly, the promotion of the uncapped Tierney alongside the four-times capped Ciaran Scally leaves Ireland with scrum-halves aged 22 and 20 respectively. Lenihan admitted that the Munster and Irish under-21 scrum-half, Peter Stringer, along with the 28-year-old London Scottish and Irish A scrum-half, Guy Easterby, had been considered.

But the unlucky Stringer, in many observer's eyes the best passing scrum-half in the country, was considered a physically lighter and more inexperienced version, while Easterby's experience was confined almost exclusively to club rugby, and his form for the Irish As was thought of as solid without being spectacular. "We know we've taken a risk, but to a degree our hands were tied," said Lenihan of their preference for an additional investment in youth.

Tierney, a product of junior youths' rugby with first Richmond and then Garryowen, has played for Ireland Youths, under-21s and A. He might well have broken into the Irish test squad sooner than this but for the unfortunate post-match drugs' test following last season's under-21 international in France, arising from which he was eventually reprimanded by the IRFU after an Independent Tribunal hearing.

Although no suspension was meted out to Tierney, the case hung over him throughout last summer and autumn, possibly preventing his elevation to the senior squad for South Africa last year and probably stunting his representative progress with Munster and Ireland A.

O'Meara, like others to miss out on the Australian tour, at least has early-season avenues back into the Irish squad before the World Cup. It is intended that three rounds of the interpros will be played in August, although plans to have the English-based members of the Irish squad eligible for the interpros have been scuppered due to them being part of ERC's qualifying procedures for the European Cup.

Instead, an Irish squad of 22 will be announced some time around mid-August, after which Ireland will play Connacht and the visiting Argentineans (on August 28th) with Leinster playing Argentina A in between. The Irish World Cup squad of 30 will be submitted by the deadline of September 1st, after which Ireland will play internal friendlies against both Munster and Leinster, which will not contravene the embargo on nominated World Cup players partaking in competitive matches during September.

The Leinster flanker, Declan O'Brien, will rejoin his former club DLSP following their promotion to the first division of the AIB league.

After his unexpected recovery from a knee injury in time for Clontarf's successful escape from relegation, the departure of the 25-year-old converted lock, who will again take up a full contract with Leinster next season, provides another blow for the Castle Avenue club a day after the announcement that their coach Brent Pope would be rejoining St Mary's.

O'Brien is currently on holidays and thus unavailable to Clontarf for this week's Leinster Senior Cup semi-finals. However, it had been widely expected that O'Brien would rejoin the club with whom he broke into senior rugby once they had earned first division status.