O’Sullivan may ask Foley to lead Ireland against Australia

IRELAND will have to find a new captain for their three-match tour next month to Australia, Tonga and Samoa. Keith Wood will travel with the 41-strong party of players but will take no part outside of training, while Brian O’Driscoll has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

The likelihood, therefore, is that coach Eddie O'Sullivan will call upon Munster's Anthony Foley to lead Ireland into battle against Australia in Perth on May 7, even though there has been no confirmation of that.

Injuries have ruled out O'Driscoll (hamstring), Shane Horgan (thigh), John Hayes (groin), Jeremy Staunton (groin) and Neil Doak (shoulder) from Ireland's upcoming tour, but despite that, O'Sullivan remains upbeat about the prospects of beating the Wallabies for a second successive time.

Although his recent coaching record is hugely impressive (10 out of 11 wins this season), O'Sullivan admitted that the priority is the Australian game. Without any disrespect to Tonga and Samoa, these games will be of far less importance and a number of top-ranking players will be allowed leave for home after the June 7 game.

O'Sullivan confirmed yesterday that a team captain will be named prior to each Test but didn't deny that Foley would be a strong candidate. Indeed, there are precious few other candidates apart from Reggie Corrigan, the current Leinster leader and David Humphreys, although the Ulster outhalf may find it difficult to get into the starting lineup for more than one of the two less important games.

Evidence that Foley and Corrigan are front-runners to take up the cudgel is reflected in the selection of two teams to participate in a training game at Thomond Park on Friday (5.30). Foley will captain the Blues (coached by Alan Gaffney) and Corrigan will lead the Whites (coached by Matt Williams).

The good news for former Lion David Wallace is that he has also been included in the 41-man squad, and with little enough rugby behind him this season, he seems certain to be retained in the party for the duration of the tour.

Donnacha O'Callaghan has been rewarded for some fine performances with Munster when also named in the squad. In the pre-tour game, O'Sullivan has decided to experiment and allow some players to be rested. Amongst them is Humphreys, and he gives an opportunity to Mark McHugh and Brian O'Riordan to pitch their talents against Ronan O'Gara and Brian O'Meara.

McHugh is included in the Irish touring squad, while rising star O'Riordan is on stand-by. The three scrum halves in the Irish party are Peter Stringer, Guy Easterby and O'Meara.

Irish squad: Forwards: S. Best (Ulster - Belfast Harlequins), E. Byrne (St. Mary's - Leinster), S. Byrne (Leinster - Blackrock), R. Corrigan (Leinster - Greystones), L. Cullen (Leinster - Blackrock College), V. Costello (Leinster - St. Mary's), K. Dawson (London Irish), S. Easterby (Llanelli), J. Fitzpatrick (Dungannon - Ulster), A. Foley (Munster - Shannon), K. Gleeson (Leinster -St. Mary's), M. Horan (Munster - Shannon), G. Longwell ( Ulster - Ballymena), E. Miller (Leinster Terenure), D. O'Callaghan (Munster - Cork Con), P. O'Connell (Munster - Young Munster), M. O'Kelly (Leinster - St. Mary's), A. Quinlan (Munster - Shannon), F. Sheahan (Munster Cork Con), P. Shields (Ulster - Ballymena), D. Wallace (Munster - Garryowen).

Backs: J. Bell (Ulster- Dungannon), P. Burke (Harlequins), G. D'Arcy (Leinster-Lansdowne), G. Dempsey (Leinster-Terenure ), G. Easterby (Llanelli), Rob Henderson (Munster-Young Munster), D. Hickie (Leinster-St. Mary's ), A. Horgan (Munster-Cork Con), T. Howe (Ulster Dungannon), D. Humphreys (Ulster-Dungannon), J. Kelly (Munster-Cork Con), M. McHugh (Connacht St. Mary's), K. Maggs (Bath), G. Murphy (Leicester), R. O'Gara (Munster-Cork Co), B. O'Meara (Leinster Cork Con), D. Quinlan (Leinster-Blackrock), P. Stringer (Munster-Shannon), J. Topping (Ulster-Ballymena), P. Wallace (Ulster-Ballymena).

Pre-tour game at Thomond Park: WHITES: G. Dempsey (Leinster Terenure); G. D'Arcy (Leinster Lansdowne), J. Kelly (Munster Cork Con), D. Quinlan (Leinster Blackrock), T. Howe (Ulster Dungannon); M. McHugh (Connacht St. Mary's), B. O'Riordan (Leinster UCD), R. Corrigan (Leinster Greystones) , Captain, F. Sheahan (Munster Cork Con), E. Byrne (Leinster St. Mary's), G. Longwell (Ulster Ballymena), P. O'Connell (Munster Young Munster), V. Costello (Leinster St. Mary's), D. Wallace (Munster Garryowen), E. Miller (Leinster Terenure.

Replacements: B. Jackman (Clontarf), M. Cahill (Munster Buccaneers), T. Hogan (Shannon), A. McCullen (Leinster Lansdowne), K. Campbell (Ulster Dungannon), B. Everitt (London Irish), M. Mullins (Munster Old Crescent).

BLUES: P. Wallace (Ulster Ballymena); J. Topping (Ulster Ballymena), G. Duffy (Connacht Galwegians), R. Henderson (Munster Young Munster), D.Hickie (Leinster St. Mary's); R. O'Gara (Munster Cork Con), B. O' Meara (Leinster Cork Con); J. Fitzpatrick (Ulster Dungannon), S. Byrne (Leinster Blackrock), S. Best (Ulster Belfast Harlequins), L. Cullen (Leinster Blackrock), M.O'Kelly (Leinster St. Mary's), A. Quinlan (Munster Shannon), K. Gleeson (Leinster St. Mary's), A. Foley (Munster Shannon), captain.

Replacements: P. Shields (Ulster Ballymena), M. Horan (Munster Shannon), D. O'Callaghan (Munster Cork Con), K. Dawson (London Irish), E. Reddan (Connacht-Old Crescent), B. Cunningham (Ulster-Dungannon), A. Horgan (Munster Cork Con).

* Not considered owing to injury: B. O'Driscoll (Leinster- Blackrock ), (hamstring), J. Hayes (Munster Shannon), (groin), J. Staunton (Munster- Garryowen), (groin), S. Horgan (Leinster Lansdowne), (thigh), N. Doak (Ulster Belfast Harlequins), (shoulder), M. Prendergast (Munster Young Munster (shoulder), M. O'Driscoll (Munster Cork Constitution) (facial).