D’Arcy aching to re-enter fray

GORDON D’ARCY’S return to action for Leinster could be less than a fortnight away with the news that the Irish back has returned to full contact training with the province this week.

Leinster hope to draft the Wexford man into the squad to play Ulster in the Celtic League at Donnybrook on December 27. If not, he will definitely be pencilled in for the following game against Munster at Musgrave Park on New Year’s Day.

D’Arcy has been sidelined since Leinster’s Heineken Cup win against Bath at the end of October when he suffered the recurrence of a groin strain first picked up on the summer tour with South Africa with the international side.

In all, he has started only two games this season and missed out on Ireland’s three autumn internationals against South Africa, the USA and Argentina. The flip side, of course, is that he should be in prime condition for Leinster’s last two Heineken Cup group ties in January as well as the Six Nations.

“I’ve got an isokinetic test on my leg (today) and that’s the final one. That basically gauges the strength of one leg compared to the other and that will tell me exactly what I need to work on over the next six to eight months. Medically, I’ve been cleared to go,” said D’Arcy yesterday.

Yesterday’s squad announcement contained one or two AN Others, prompting suggestions - quickly shot down by Leinster - that D’Arcy could be parachuted in as cover, especially in the absence of Brian O’Driscoll and Denis Hickie who are being rested after their exertions over the last few months. With a number of injury concerns, coach Declan Kidney will confirm the starting XV later in the week.

“Declan Kidney will decide on when I come back,” said D’Arcy. “We’ve spoken about it. Last week I had (Leinster fitness coach) Mike McGurn down and while the lads were away in Bourgoin I was getting four days of fitness in back in Dublin.

“That wasn’t easy, I can tell you. I’ve got plenty of miles on the clock. My fitness is pretty good and my body feels pretty good. I’m just aching to go at this stage, but the time has to be right and the game has to be right.”

The recent inactivity hasn’t been easy for D’Arcy to bear, especially after his stop-start career finally found top gear with some superb performances in this year’s Six Nations. The Triple Crown seems almost a distant memory for the man by now.

“The whole season was great for me and it was just unfortunate that I finished it with a bad injury and then redid the same injury again. It’s been a tough last five months and that’s more at the forefront of my mind now than the Six Nations.

“The Six Nations is nice to look back on, but every day I still have to wake up and do rehab and watch the lads getting better and better. If I was playing it would be easier to look back at things.

“The next Six Nations is still a long way away for me. The immediate goal is to get on the bench, then start a game, then two or three games. I’ll be looking to hit full fitness then towards the European Cup in January. Fingers crossed then I can stay fit for the rest of the season.”

Manage that and the likelihood is his season will end with a much anticipated business trip to New Zealand. The very mention of the Lions is met with a quiet chuckle from D’Arcy who, like every other player in the same situation, deals with it like a hot potato.

“I’m not trying to throw people off but the Lions tour is the furthest thing from my mind at the moment. I didn’t make the World Cup last year and six months later I’m in the Irish team. Six months later I pick up an injury that’s kept me out for five months. I’m not even in the starting Leinster team at the moment. Some guy asked me to sign a Lions jersey (recently) and I wasn’t too keen on it. I don’t want to look that far ahead.”

A fair point, really, considering the amount of rugby between now and then. Christmas is no time for a let-up either, with the Cardiff, Ulster and Munster leaving little time for last-minute shopping or gastronomic overindulgence.

Even with his itchy feet, D’Arcy concedes it’s not how he would like to be spending the holidays, but a job still needs doing, claims the Ireland centre.

“You can’t let that sort of thinking into your mind. As soon as you do you’ll drop points and there are 15 points up for grabs over the Christmas.

“That’s the difference between us being in the top four and competing for the Celtic League or dropping down the table and having Ulster and Connacht breathing down our necks. There’s a lot at stake over Christmas and traditionally, we would have slipped up down the years a team at this time of year, too.”

LEINSTER squad v Cardiff Blues, Arms Park on Saturday (ko 5.30pm)

LIVE coverage on Setanta/S4C

Backs: G. Easterby, B. O’Meara, D. Holwell, F. Contepomi, G. Brown, D. Quinlan, K. Lewis, S. Horgan, J. Norton, J. McWeeney, G. Dempsey, AN Other

Forwards: R. Corrigan (Captain), E. Byrne, P. Coyle, R. Nebbett, S. Byrne, G. Hickie, M. O’Kelly, B. Gissing, C. Potts, S. Jennings, A. McCullen, E. Miller, V. Costello.