Reddan finally lands a shot at the big time

MONDAY lunchtime and the media, pardon the pun, swarm around Wasps scrum-half Eoin Reddan who takes over from the multi-capped (79) Peter Stringer for Friday night’s Pool D clash with France.

Reddan is backed up against a wall in the team hotel, which could be a metaphor for where Ireland are at the moment. But, for the man of the moment, it must be a liberating feeling to be finally first-choice in his position.

His electric form for his club during the knockout stages of last season’s Heineken Cup catapulted him into serious reckoning as Stringer’s number two, but the Limerick man, who has won three caps so far, had to wait for the second test in Argentina to make his first Ireland start. The Pumas won 16-0 and it was difficult for any players to extract any positives from a forgettable night in Buenos Aires. From Reddan’s perspective, his international future didn’t look rosy.