Lack of match practice costs Staunton Irish place

LACK of game time at Wasps has cost Jeremy Staunton a place on the Irish squad for the two-match Test series in Argentina.

Staunton has been back in training having recovered from a broken hand, but he lost out on a place on the Wasps squad for this weekend’s Heineken Cup final. And his misery was compounded yesterday when Irish coach Eddie O’Sullivan, who originally pencilled him for Argentina, transferred him to the Churchill Cup squad for next week’s tournament in England.

O’Sullivan called up Luke Fitzgerald to make up the 30 travelling to Argentina and raised a few eyebrows by nominating a non-specialist back-up for the number 10 jersey.

For the second time in a year, O’Sullivan has said he would use Leicester and Irish full back/wing Geordan Murphy as cover at out half. Last year in New Zealand and Australia, Murphy was covering for Ronan O’Gara; in the next couple of weeks it will be for Paddy Wallace.

“When we named the squad, we said that Jeremy would be given time to recover and to prove his fitness. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had any game time and we simply couldn’t take a risk. I’m sure he will get an opportunity in the Churchill Cup, so he is not out of our plans.”

Fitzgerald joined up with the squad in Limerick yesterday and O’Sullivan said: “I’d say his reaction to the call-up has been enthusiastic.”

The coach admitted that the preparation would be difficult, despite the enthusiasm within a new-look squad.

“It’s early days yet, we’re just a couple of days into training and we have about eight more full days to go. We will be looking at new combinations in midfield, half back and the back three, back row and even front rows, so there is quite a bit of work to be done.”

O’Sullivan isn’t worried so much about the physical preparation as the mental. “It’s about getting clear minds and a clear focus on what they need to do to make this a successful tour; it’s certainly not going to be easy because it’s a very difficult place, as many other international sides have found out to their cost over the years.”

Although it is a weakened squad, O’Sullivan is looking forward to the challenge, as it forces his hand to use more back-up players than he would have had he brought a full-strength squad.

“It gives a lot of guys an opportunity to throw down a marker in advance of the World Cup. Our time frame, in comparison to the 2003 tournament, is a lot tighter because the squad has to be named before we finish our warm-up series. It will be named after the first of those August games, so that means the two games against Argentina take on added importance for those pushing for places.”

The coach hopes to give as many players as possible an opportunity to play, but he is mindful of the goals — two more Test wins.

“If you look at the structure of the squad — 17 forwards and 13 backs as against the norm of 16 and 14 — it is top-heavy with forwards because we have so many back row players challenging for places, and that doesn’t exclude Roger Wilson or Johnny O’Connor, who are going to the Churchill Cup. Because that’s an area with so much competition, it’s an area that should change from the first and second matches.”

He also mentioned the Irish players involved with both Leicester and Wasps in the Heineken Cup, who don’t arrive in Argentina until Tuesday. “Because they’re in so late, some of them obviously won’t figure in the first game and they will need to be facilitated on week two.

“The tough part of selection on this trip is that guys might only get one shot, so it’s going to be even more demanding on those guys to produce a performance that will enhance their prospects of being selected for the World Cup,” he said.

O’Sullivan responded to recent suggestions that the Irish system had this year damaged the prospects of the provinces in Celtic and European competitions.“We have the same system in place for the last couple of years. There were no complaints last year when Ulster won the Magners, Munster the Heineken Cup and Leinster made it to the semi-final.

“There was a dip in form, but I can’t quite put my finger on why it happened. I certainly don’t believe it had anything to do with the system.”