“A tough call, but Shane edged it”

“I WOULD refuse to be drawn into any comment on where players come from. That’s ludicrous,” was Irish manager Eddie O’Sullivan’s caustic reply when asked about Leinster’s many representatives in Saturday’s team to play Australia.

"We have three provinces playing in Europe, a fourth in the Shield. We pick our best team from all the available players, plus the cross-channel players. I thought we'd left all that nonsense way behind, that sort of parochialism does nothing for Irish rugby," he said.

Team manager Brian O'Brien agreed.

Admirable sentiment, backed up by action, in that O'Sullivan and O'Brien, with Declan Kidney and Niall O'Donovan, the four who make up the Irish team management, are from Munster.

Nevertheless, all four should know different. Parochialism does everything, not just for Irish rugby, but for Irish sport in general.

In O'Sullivan's own native east Cork, parochialism has propelled some of the smallest clubs in the county into major forces operating at the highest level. In O'Brien's Limerick, the rugby parochialism is legendary, with reverberations that have been felt all the way to the deepest corners of New Zealand, while few know better than Kidney and O'Donovan the value of rivalry in their native Cork.

Those four should also know that this week, down in Munster, questions will be asked about the balance of the selection for this weekend and about two positions in particular, 6 and 14. Shannon's abrasive Alan Quinlan had been the only specialist number 6 named in the original squad and the feeling was that he would be an automatic. Instead, Leinster's bullocking, line-breaking, in-form number 8, Victor Costello, gets the nod.

"We feel Victor is on a good run of form at the moment, been playing well for Leinster, so we put him into the back row," O'Sullivan explained.

"He's been bubbling for a while, putting pressure on, and with Simon Easterby out, his opportunity comes. People will ask why 6 I don't think that's a major issue in the modern game, whether you play 6 or 8. There are very few positions left on a rugby pitch that are very specialist, apart from 2 and 9."

On the right wing, Cork Con's John Kelly has been doing a fine job in the absence of Shane Horgan, but with the Meathman back to full fitness, Kelly finds himself back on the bench, with the possibility of a start if left-winger Denis Hickie doesn't recover from his wrist injury.

"A tough call, but Shane edged it. These are good calls to have to make, for the squad, not easy on us, but good calls, in the bigger picture, keeps everybody focused. The more of those we have to make, the better."

A closer examination of the previous remarks also reveals, perhaps, some of the thinking behind the controversial choices.

Mention of Kelly in the wing dilemma, no mention of Quinlan at 6. Form is certainly a factor, and Costello has been absolutely outstanding for

Leinster, in recent games and recent seasons. But abrasion is another and probably the answer.

Though his discipline and self-control has improved in recent years, it's obvious that the Irish management team still don't trust Quinlan over an 80-minute game.

His ability is beyond question, but there is surely a message for the Tipp-man in this team announcement.

On the wing, it's difficult to argue with O'Sullivan's logic. Though inside-centre is his preferred position, a perfect foil for the genius O'Driscoll with Leinster, Horgan does have a

superb record on the wing for Ireland. Mind you, against one of the best-organised defences world rugby has seen, he probably won't have a lot of reason to concern himself with that this Saturday.

"Their back three is very strong, strong runners, talented guys on both sides of the ball. They're a threat, and it's very important that we put in the first-up tackles," Horgan said.

"But they have big men all over the field. As a 6'4" winger, you'd expect to have the physical advantage over most guys you face, but not against Australia, they're all equally big, and in the case of Wendall Taylor, quite a good deal bigger!.

"There was a twinge of disappointment when I wasn't selected at 12, but that soon disappears when you're told you're playing at 14, that puts a smile back on the face!

"As long as I'm playing in one of the positions, I don't mind at all," he added.

Victor Costello is probably saying the same thing this week, as would Alan Quinlan and John Kelly.

Hopefully, both Munster men will accept the challenge thrown down to them by their Leinster counterparts. And pick it up in the right way.