Hickie wings in to answer O’Sullivan’s Ireland call

DENIS HICKIE’S experience this week shows how a player can be one injury away from an international cap.

The Ireland and Leinster winger was due to appear for Ireland A against Australia A in Limerick last Wednesday night and was hoping a good performance might help him leap-frog Andrew Trimble into the full Irish squad.

However, he was hauled out of the A camp after Trimble suffered a hamstring strain during Ireland’s win over South Africa last week, and wins his 52nd cap against Australia on Sunday.

“That’s just the way things happen,” said Hickie, “One minute you’re not playing, then you’re back in. Injuries have gone against me in the past; this time it has worked in my favour.”

Despite Ireland’s record win over South Africa last week, there were those who felt the Springboks were not quite up to scratch — hence some diluted praise for the Irish performance. Hickie doesn’t agree: “I thought it was a very good Ireland display. A lot of the work we have been doing in training came off on the pitch. The guys mixed the game up very well; they kept South Africa guessing by varying things and we finished strongly as well.

“Overall, that was a pretty polished performance, particularly when you consider it was the first game of the season against a country with a pretty daunting record at international level.

“You can only play what’s put in front of you; if South Africa played better, the scoreline might have changed, but the fact is Ireland played well enough to win the game. It came because of the way the game plan was applied. That was determined by Ireland. The guys executed a game plan, made a few mistakes but played well enough to win, and win as comfortably as they did.”

Australia will be a different challenge. Hickie praised the Wallabies for what they have achieved in world rugby over recent decades.

“They’ve been pioneers. They have very skilful players, guys who can play in a lot of different positions; they play the game with a lot of pace, and I’m always interested in what they’re going to do. They always seem to have a different approach to whatever the norm is in the game at the time.

“This Australian team doesn’t appear to be much different; they have guys playing out of their normal positions, they’re trying things out with the World Cup in mind.”

The Leinster star sees this as an intriguing challenge for Ireland.

“Every week is different, but I suppose it’s fair to say that it was easier to read the way South Africa were likely to play. That’s the challenge for us.”

Pointing back to Ireland’s summer tour, Hickie admitted the test against Australia in Perth was the biggest disappointment of the three games on the trip. He said: “They certainly pulled away from us in the second half, but they’re always capable of doing that. They keep attacking, keep plugging away trying to break you down.”

He has no doubts but that the Ulster players Isaac Boss and Bryan Young can make a huge impact for Ireland.

He said: “In ways, Ulster have been the form team in Ireland this season, and both of the guys have been playing very well. I expect them to bring that form to the Irish team, and they will bring something different to the team.

“They have been in the squad for a while, they’ve got experience coming off the bench, and now they’re in to get a chance from the start.”