Wood warns of danger of raucous Russia

KEITH Wood is ready to put a traumatic week behind him when he leads Ireland into the unknown on Saturday, when they travel to Siberia to face Russia in a World Cup qualifier.

Wood’s return is the only change from the team that saw off Romania in Thomond Park two weeks ago. Brian O’Driscoll has recovered from his thigh strain, while other injury doubts, Ronan O’Gara, Girvan Dempsey and Peter Stringer are all fighting fit and ready to face 30,000 passionate Siberians.

O’Gara is on the mend from his ear laceration, which means David Humphreys will start on the bench. The out half, whose ear is still stitched, was rested by Munster last weekend and knows the dangers of taking the unheralded Russians too lightly.

“It is a game that is difficult to prepare for. With other teams, we know what to expect, but we really don’t know what to expect in Saturday. That gives us a different kind of nervous energy.

“There is a fear factor there, because we are going into the Lion’s Den, they will have something like 30-40,000 Siberians supporting them, we will have about 12 supporters.

“It will be an interesting place to see too, people there are a lot less well off, so it will be just interesting to see what Siberia is like.”

Wood was looking forward to it, but warned: “I would imagine it to be fairly raucous. I think it will be a cracking occasion. It will be the first opportunity for Russia to get in with a major side. They take their rugby pretty seriously. I can’t think, personally, of a reason I would go there on holiday. So, it should be an experience,” he said.

Russia are a few rungs below Romania on the world ratings ladder and will bring many of the same skills.

“I think they’ll play a fairly similar style. One of the things that has changed is that all the rugby games now tend to be incredibly physical. So, it doesn’t matter, how well you’re playing, you're going to get battered around left, right and centre anyway. It's part and parcel (of the game). It’ll be very tough,” said Wood.

Brian O’Driscoll was quick to accept the good and bad aspects of an awkward situation: “On the hassle front, it’s our own fault for doing so badly in 1999 and, adventure-wise, you are not likely to have another trip up to that part of the world.

“We have to take it for what it is and enjoy it. I’m sure, either way, we are not going to forget it in a hurry.”

Coach Eddie O’Sulivan has seen the Russian tapes. “We think we know what they are about. They have a very pacy full back and quite a big, athletic back row with a South African influence in it and they can kick their points as well. There’s not too much wrong with them as a team.

“This is a different game, a different environment and a different challenge for us. We’ve never been to Russia before. I think it is going to be a fairly hostile environment with 30,000 people who will be very partisan. It will be a good test of character for us.

Saturday’s game is the original in the hiding to nothing game. Destroy Russia by fifty points and people will shrug their shoulders, grind out a result in the face of 40,000 Siberians, and the team will arrive home to a barrage of criticism.

“People are right to expect us to win,” O’Gara says. “They are entitled to that, we are all professional football players and we should be expected to be winning these games. It has never suited Ireland being favourites before, but we should be beating teams like Russia.

“What we need to do is bridge the gap between us and the top five nations in the world. That has to be our aim for this year, to push hard and compete with them. Our goal is to get to the World Cup, which is still an awful long time away, but a win on Saturday will certainly set the right tone for the season ahead.”

With O’Gara’s starting berth at out half assured, the team has a reasonably familiar look to it, although Kevin Maggs, who has been in impressive form for Bath, gets the nod ahead of Rob Henderson while Eddie O’Sullivan and his selectors have faith in Keith Glesson, after his brace of tries for Leinster last Friday night. Simon Easterby keeps his place, as Eric Miller is still out injured.

IRELAND (v. Russia): G. Dempsey, J. Kelly, B. O'Driscoll, K. Maggs, D. Hickie, R. O’Gara, P. Stringer; R. Corrigan, K. Wood (capt), J. Hayes, G. Longwell, M. O’Kelly, S. Easterby, K. Gleeson, A. Foley.

Replacements: S. Byrne, P. Wallace, L. Cullen, A. Quinlan, G. Easterby, D. Humphreys, R. Henderson.