Hayes set to return against Namibia
Anthony Foley underwent a scan on his knee yesterday morning, which showed-up nothing more than a slight bruising around the cartilage; Keith Wood has been avoiding physical contact in training after a dead leg sustained against Romania, while Gary Longwell has taken longer than expected to recover from a slight calf strain.
However, coach Eddie O’Sullivan insisted all three players would be available for selection when the side is named this morning.
O’Sullivan refused to confirm that Hayes would make his first start since the Grand Slam decider against England, but admitted that he was delighted with the player’s performance when introduced against Romania.
“He had a major impact when he came on. John, like any prop, needs games and we were trying to manage him and get him right.
“I was a bit worried about how he would react to the game beforehand. I knew he was fit because we’d taken every possible precaution. But coming in as a prop in a test game having been out of the loop for so long is a big ask and to his credit, he made a great impact.
“It’s a big relief to everyone because when you’re holding someone back, there’s always the worry that you’re doing things wrong, you have him medically right but he’s not rugby right. But he said he was very comfortable, which is positive for us.”
Following a few nights of intensive video analysis at the team hotel in Terrigal - with the help of former Ireland ‘A’ international Mervyn Murphy - O’Sullivan has insisted he’s more than happy with his side’s efforts.
“Everything wasn’t perfect, there were certain things we didn’t do well at times, but it was a difficult situation with the wind. And from watching it, I actually think Romania put in a great performance.
“It was their best in a long, long time. They’ve improved rapidly since we played them in Limerick last year and they dominated possession and made us work very hard defensively.”
And the coach also believes the tough workout offered by the Romanians will do Ireland a lot of good as the tournament progresses.
England, New Zealand, France and South Africa’s dismantling of their respective opponents was all very well, but, according the coach, Ireland would have learned a lot more about themselves then any of the above sides.
“We’ll have a better picture out of that than other teams who have played and won a lot easier. That is one of the advantages in a tough group - you will find out what you’re about fairly quickly.”
Meanwhile, Irish manager Brian O'Brien addressed students at Central Coast Grammar yesterday, the site of Ireland’s training ground in the Terrigal area.
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