Double injury blow can be overcome

THE ABSENCE of Brian O’Driscoll and Peter Stringer from the Irish side to take on France in the Six Nations Championship at Croke Park tomorrow is a disaster for the players themselves if not quite as serious for the team.

Obviously, no side would like to be without a player of the calibre of O’Driscoll, the best and most inspirational second centre three-quarter in the world, while Stringer’s vast experience garnered in his 73 appearances for Ireland will also make him a huge loss. Being the kind of people they are, O’Driscoll and Stringer will keep their chins up and encourage the remodelled team with the same level of enthusiasm that has for so long characterised their attitudes on the pitch. How they are feeling in their more private moments can only be imagined.

Eddie O’Sullivan owes a debt of gratitude to his medical staff and especially physiotherapist Brian Green for the amazing work they put in to get Shane Horgan back to full fitness two weeks earlier than expected. He now takes over from O’Driscoll in the centre and that comes as a huge relief given that it would have been very difficult to place any degree of confidence in the alternative choice, Andrew Trimble, to shore up this crucial channel.

Full marks, too, to O’Sullivan for biting the bullet and filling the gap created on the right wing not with Trimble, who looked decidedly uncertain for much of the game against Wales, but with Geordan Murphy, who, in contrast, again proved himself the class act for the few minutes he was on the field in Cardiff. As for the scrum-half situation, O’Sullivan believes Ireland is well off for replacements; tomorrow certainly represents a massive opportunity for Isaac Boss, the New Zealand native so highly rated by Ulster supporters, to step up to the plate.

Meanwhile, Paul O’Connell is clearly unfazed at the prospect of leading the Irish side out at Croke Park. He is the current Munster captain and has fulfilled the role for Ireland twice in the past. He was saddened to see O’Driscoll unable to prove his fitness in yesterday’s fairly intensive forty minute session on the Croke Park pitch. The hamstring tightened up again, leaving O’Driscoll to accept that it wouldn’t last the eighty minutes of a Six Nations clash with France.

“Now we have to get on with it and there isn’t a whole lot of difference between the roles of captain and pack leader,” O’Connell maintained.

“The game plan is laid down beforehand with Eddie and the coaching staff although we have to be flexible once the game is under way. I tend to chat to the ref anyway because Brian is out in the centre. I have found the captaincy a motivating factor in the past and it has helped me to play better.”

Given that the team never really clicked in Cardiff, it was reassuring to hear O’Connell underline the need for improvement in just about every area but most especially in drastically reducing the number of unforced errors and improving their tactical play.

For all his tactical genius, Ronan O’Gara doesn’t reach his target as often as one would like when he kicks for touch. That could prove fatal against the French counter- attack which is fired by the elusive back three of Clement Poitrenaud, Vincent Clerc and Christian Dominici.

On top of that in centre Yannick Jauzion they possess one of the great three-quarters of the modern era and for good measure he stands 6 ft 4 ins and weighs 15 stone, so he won’t fear a head to head with the equally powerfully built Shane Horgan.

There is little doubt that the five changes made by the French coach Bernard Laporte won’t weaken the visitors. Indeed, Eddie O’Sullivan suspects they may even be stronger than they were in whipping Italy 39-3 last week.

Nevertheless, there are areas where Les Bleus are susceptible to attack. The out-half position has been a major problem for Laporte and the current incumbent, David Skrela of Stade Francais, is unproven at this level. Indeed, many astute French judges are of the opinion that he won’t make their World Cup squad in the autumn, never mind command the number ten jersey. Nor have they a whole lot of faith in scrum-half Pierre Mignoni so the likelihood is that the French half-backs will receive a special Croke Park welcome.

As always, though, the outcome will be decided by what happens in the forward battle, one that promises to be of ferocious intensity with the flaky and all too vocal New Zealand referee Steve Walsh put to the pin of his collar to cope. True, Marcus Horan, Rory Best and John Hayes will do well to contain the threat posed by the veteran French trio of Sylvain Marconnet, Richard Ibanez and Pieter de Villiers (although Hayes might have feared Olivier Milloud even more), but O’Connell and Donncha O’Callaghan, aided by Simon Easterby and Denis Leamy and more recently by David Wallace, should have what it takes to trouble the Castres pair Lionel Nallet and Pascal Pape and Imanol Harinordoquy in the line-out.

Last week, we confidently predicted an Irish win in Cardiff, but we will sit a little nervously on the fence on this occasion. Ireland were poor against Wales, France quite outstanding against Italy. It’s as good a reason as any for sounding a note of caution although the huge sense of occasion and the all consuming desire for an Irish victory in the first rugby match at Croke Park may just tilt the balance in favour of the home side.