Wood: “I won’t be found wanting in making certain that I’m fit enough”

THE road from Limerick to Gosford and Ireland’s opening World Cup match against Romania on October 11 will have been taken on two entirely different routes as far as Keith Wood and David Wallace are concerned.

The paths converged at Lansdowne Road on Saturday, though, as both men took their first meaningful strides towards reclaiming a place at the heart of Ireland's World Cup plans this

autumn, having overcome serious, long-term shoulder injuries.

But while both have the same goal, Wallace and Wood had very different points to prove during the 35-12 win over Wales.

For Wood, such are his talismanic leadership qualities, simply coming through unscathed was enough, as coach Eddie O'Sullivan confirmed when declaring the hooker's first 68 minutes in international rugby since last September as having nailed it down. The man himself was only slightly more circumspect.

"I'm happy I got out there, that I played," Wood said. "I didn't doubt it, that was for other people to do. I didn't have that doubt.

"You can't play with that (doubt) hanging over you. I'm not trying to make myself out to be a rock that I wouldn't but I've put my mind to it as best as I possibly can that it works and if it doesn't work it means I'm finished. I can take it either way.

I just focus now on going out and playing."

With just two more internationals left against Italy and Scotland before the World Cup to reach peak match fitness, Wood added: "They have to suffice. I have to push myself as hard as I physically, possibly can between now and the World Cup and if the shoulder blows up in that period of time well, then the Fates have had it that I'm not to play in the World Cup.

"I won't be found wanting in putting the time and effort in to making certain that I'm fit enough to play. I don't want to go to the World Cup and be an extra. I want to go to the World Cup and play the best rugby that I can.

"I know from in the past that for me it takes about three or four games to get fully match fit. There's games in the next month or so, a lot that has to be done but even if you're three games in and you do a huge amount of training it makes a bit of a difference as well.

"So I'm going to be like everybody else, I'm just starting a little bit further back. I have to catch up very quickly."

Wallace is further down the road in terms of match fitness but the Munster back row knows he has a lot more to do to convince the Irish selectors he is worth a place in the 30-man squad heading Down Under. After only fleeting summer appearances as a

replacement against Tonga and Samoa and having seen Alan Quinlan overtake him on Saturday as a last-minute replacement for the injured Victor Costello, the writing could have been on the wall for the Garryowen man.

But he helped his cause immeasurably against the Welsh, showing signs he is back to his rampaging, scavenging best after coming on first as a blood replacement for Quinlan on 31 minutes and staying on when Anthony Foley went off at half-time.

Just 47 seconds after the restart, he conds after the restart, he further enhanced his chances by landed his first try in a green shirt for a great and perfectly timed return to form.

"Out on tour I didn't get much playing time so it was good to get a longer game in this time," he said. "It was good to get out there as well and not be worried about the shoulder and concentrate on the rugby for once. It's nice to have turned that corner.

"I don't know if I started to feel that way on the tour because I didn't really get much time apart from in training. But since then I've been feeling the benefit and it's progressed an awful lot. I'm a lot stronger now and a lot more confident on it and I was dying to try it out really. So things are looking up.

"It was great getting my first try for Ireland and it was a long time coming I've evaded getting a try for my country, but I'm glad to have put that one to bed. Maybe I'll get a few more."

Maybe at a World Cup? "Well, we won't count our chickens. There's a lot of competition, it's unbelievable in the back row, and I think we're taking nine players between back row and second row and it's very tight; there's a very high quality there."