O’Connell waiting on O’Sullivan’s crucial call

PAUL O’CONNELL’S importance to Ireland’s RBS Six Nations Championship aspirations was clear in the team announcement to meet Scotland, made yesterday by coach Eddie O’Sullivan.

Two vacancies have been left in the side, as O’Sullivan waits until tomorrow - to give O’Connell every chance of recovering from a shoulder injury. That means O’Connell’s Munster colleagues, Donncha O’Callaghan and Mick O’Driscoll, as well as Malcolm O’Kelly, have to sweat it out.

O’Connell, if he proves his fitness, will be named in the team, while either O’Callaghan or O’Kelly will drop to the bench, leaving O’Driscoll out in the cold. ! The good news is that O’Connell believes he will be fit for the fray, while O’Sullivan believes he has every right to be given the chance to play, particularly given the most up-to-date medical reports.