Bergamasco likely to be banned for striking

IRELAND’S loss of Paul O’Connell for Saturday’s crucial RBS Six Nations clash with Italy in Rome may well be counteracted by the likely absence of Mauro Bergamasco from the Italian line-up.

Just as O’Connell is a talismanic figure in the Irish pack, so, too, is Mauro Bergamasco for the Azzurri. The Stade Francais flanker scored the match-winning try against Wales on Saturday last and was a hugely influential figure in his side’s controversial 23-20 victory. However, confirmation last night that he has been cited for throwing a punch during that game means that he will almost certainly face a minimum suspension of two weeks when his case is heard in London today.

Mick O’Driscoll will be confirmed as O’Connell’s replacement in Rome when O’Sullivan reveals his match 22 squad at lunch time today. It will be an eighth cap for the 28-year-old former PBC and Cork Constitution second-row since he first pulled on the green jersey against Romania in Bucharest in June 2001. He made his Six Nations debut as a replacement against Wales in 2006.