Wallace reveals injury torment

DAVID WALLACE yesterday admitted his chronic ankle problem almost shattered his hopes of a first World Cup appearance.

Eddie O’Sullivan’s only recognised number seven in the squad of 30 says he’s eager to start against Namibia on Sunday in Ireland’s pool opener. All the indications are that he will start in five days’ time — his first competitive fixture since facing Edinburgh in the Magners League on May 4th.

But Wallace has been made sweat for this World Cup debut.

A week before the Ireland team reconvened in Limerick on July 30 for the countdown proper to RWC 2007, Wallace pulled up in a scrummage session with O’Sullivan describing the left ankle injury as “chronic”.

Wallace revealed the weeks of turmoil which he has endured.

“When I first picked up the injury, I wasn’t that worried because I had ankle trouble in the past.

“But, as time went on, and I had a bit of a set back after three or four weeks of pre-season and I did start to get a little bit stressed about it.

There were two or three days when you’d have a bad day or when the ankle would get swollen and very sore — you’d think ‘is it ever going to get right?’ Even up until last Thursday — because I hadn’t really done any real rugby-type work on the training paddock — I wasn’t sure it was going to be okay. But once I went out and got stuck in I was delighted with it.”

There is only so much physical work a player can endure and he says he hasn’t been immune to feelings of frustration of having to sit back and watch the rest of the squad tear into contact and ball work.

“Without a doubt it was hard,” he points out. “It’s very hard to go out and just watch all the rugby sessions. You’re doing all the hard, physical, fitness work but you can’t go out and do the stuff you really want to do – and that’s play rugby. It was very frustrating.”

A hit out against the Namibians on Sunday can’t come quick enough for the Munster man.

“I need game time now. You can’t help but become a little bit rusty but hopefully form will come back and obviously it’s such a big competition now I don’t have much time to prepare.”

But the question remains whether he will have enough time to come back up to the pace of international rugby.

“Hopefully it (preparation) this week will be enough. We’ve been in a lot of match-type situations in training as well. That will help. It was one of the reasons I wanted to get back into training, back into contact-type situations when I felt the ankle was right.”

The next worry is whether

Wallace will be playing catch up to the rest of the squad members and reaching a level of match fitness that won’t leave him looking off-colour on match day.

“Obviously there is a lot of competition in the back row for places as well but hopefully when I get out there I will get my chance and put on a performance. That’s all you can do at this stage.”

And what does he think of the importance of a fit David Wallace given the absence of a natural back-up in his position? “A few of the guys who have played seven on the team, I wouldn’t say that.

“I just want to get back and that’s the only way I’m looking at it.”