Walking wounded our worry
Over the past three years he has set the Zurich Premiership alight and while it has taken a little bit longer to make a similar impact at international level, Murphy’s performances in the green jersey over the past twelve months have earmarked him for greatness. While the broken leg he sustained in Murrayfield is a shattering blow to him personally, it has also robbed Ireland of one of their twin attacking weapons.
Contrast his situation with that of Frankie Sheahan. Suspended for a period of two years, Frankie’s future in the game lay in the hands of an ERC judicial review panel. Thankfully an injustice was righted, and a hugely emotional week was sealed with his inclusion in the squad for Australia. It speaks volumes for Frankie’s temperament that he was able to perform for eighty minutes against Leinster on Friday night after the week that he had been through.
To lose both Murphy and Rob Henderson on the eve of the squad announcement was a cruel blow to Eddie O’Sullivan. On the plus side he now has four weeks to adjust to the loss.
Of greater concern at this stage is the state of health of four of the selected panel. With three of the backs on the treatment table, there will be plenty of sleepless nights ahead for O’ Sullivan and Declan Kidney. Shane Horgan has not played a full game at representative level since last February. Given the lack of cover in the centre and the injury to Jonny Bell, Horgan’s presence is vital. If he fails to play in the next two weeks then it is curtains for him. John Kelly will also miss the squad’s warm weather training in Bilbao this week in order to receive specialist treatment on his rib cartilage injury. At least the news on him is more promising.
A major talking point in the selection is the lack of cover at full back. Girvan Dempsey apart, nobody else in the squad has ever started an international in that position. Given that Dempsey has suffered his fair share of injuries over the last few seasons, this is a huge gamble. Brian O’Driscoll did play one game at No.15 on the Lions tour and made a good job of it. However, I would have thought that you would want to keep him in midfield at all costs. The nature of sport is that you will suffer injuries in the positions you can least afford them. This has already proved to be the case in the front row.
The decision to go with seventeen forwards was entirely predictable given the attritional nature of the contests with both Australia and Argentina. While John Hayes’ calf injury is slowly on the mend, his lack of match practice must be of major concern to Niall O’Donovan.
Hayes is the kind of player who needs games. Unfortunately, time is running out for him in this regard. Last Saturday finally convinced the Ireland management that Reggie Corrigan is not an option at tight head. In fact Marcus Horan solidified the scrum in the second half when he swapped sides with Corrigan. Emmet Byrne had been earmarked as the back-up to Hayes, but his failure to play for eighty minutes against Munster last Friday night was sufficient to convince O'Sullivan that a fully fit tight head must be selected as back up to Hayes. Thus Simon Best received a surprise call-up.
The other key selectorial decision was the composition of the back five forwards. Thankfully, Donnacha O’Callaghan has been included despite the lack of opportunities afforded to him on the summer tour and in the recent warm-up games. Leo Cullen was distinctly unlucky to lose out to Gary Longwell, whose scrummaging prowess was the deciding factor.
For me, it was a given certainty that six back-row forwards would have to be selected for the World Cup. With Foley, Quinlan, Costello and Gleeson assured of inclusion, the fight for the remaining two places was intense. Eric Miller seemed to be ahead of his rivals based on his contribution to the summer tour. I remain unconvinced that Millar is the back up to Keith Gleeson at open side. I think he is unsuited to the role. Ian McGeechan tried him out as a No. 7 on the Lions tour in 1997 but abandoned the experiment. David Wallace provides far better cover in this position.
Miller is worthy of his selection but Wallace for Easterby would have provided a better balance in the back row sextet. His value as a player and an impact substitute will be missed in Australia.
From the players’ perspective, the next four weeks will seem like an eternity. Once the squad is announced everybody just wants to get on the plane. At least the preparatory games have all but finished. Ireland has scored sixteen tries in their three warm-up games, which is a fair achievement at any time. However, they were never put under any serious pressure in any of the games. Whether this will be help or a hindrance remains uncertain until we face Argentina. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, let’s hope that the walking wounded in the squad get the green light as soon as possible. They will all be needed.
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