O’Connell back for Munster

HE has been compared to Superman in the past, but Paul O’Connell must certainly possess extraordinary powers of recovery as well.

O’Connell, who began light jogging last month after suffering a back injury in October, has taken a giant step towards a starting slot against Clermont Auvergne on Sunday week after being included in the replacements for tonight’s Magners League tie against Ulster at Ravenhill (7:30pm).

Coach Declan Kidney’s penchant for mind-games inside the Munster camp is well documented but the Cork man pulled off a master stroke in deflecting attention away from the imminent return of his captain before the official unveiling of star-signing, Doug Howlett, at Charleville golf club on Wednesday. The focus outside of Howlett’s arrival was very much on Alan Quinlan’s quicker than expected recovery from ligament damage.

Kidney gave no indication two days ago that O’Connell would be in the squad for the trip north. Neither was the 28-year-old lock named in the original 25-strong squad. All the Munster coach said was that management were monitoring O’Connell’s progress, which was good, on a daily basis. However, the young Munster man’s return has caught many by surprise given the gravity of the injury he incurred three months.

While lifting weights after the World Cup, he suffered damage to a disc and it was mooted that the injury was season-ending, if not career-threatening. The fact that O’Connell only began light jogging the weekend of the return Heineken Cup fixture against Llanelli Scarlets and is now match-ready is evidence of a swift if dramatic come-back.

Kidney yesterday explained his reasons for including O’Connell, whose last competitive outing this season came against Argentina at the World Cup on September 30. “Paul’s recovery was very much a question of monitoring it on a day-to-day basis. He trained earlier in the week but, had we named him, then it might has put unnecessary focus on him so we felt it better to wait and see how he came through Wednesday’s session before including him or not. He is fine today and now there is a possibility of him getting some game time on Friday.”

An Ulster side, sapped of all confidence, must be wondering if the Gods are conspiring against them when they see who is sitting alongside O’Connell on the bench. Record test try scorer for the All Blacks, Doug Howlett is likely to see game-time though there is an argument to start him ahead of Anthony Horgan, who hasn’t played for Munster since November 10, but comes in for the injured Ian Dowling.

Kidney has made 10 changes from the team that overcame Connacht 17-0. A surprise exclusion from the 22 is Denis Leamy with the versatile Donnacha Ryan moving from the second row to six to partner David Wallace and Anthony Foley. Kidney has opted to pair Mick O’Driscoll and Donncha O’Callaghan in the second row while Jerry Flannery is preferred ahead of Frankie Sheahan, whose lineout throwing was superb in windy and wet conditions against the Westerners. Another star performer last week, Tony Buckley, makes way for John Hayes in a formidable and familiar front row completed by Marcus Horan.

“It’s a tough league and Ravenhill is a tough place to go,” says Kidney.

“The fact they lost to Leinster means we’ve to watch not to be hit on the rebound. We can only concentrate on doing what we’re doing ourselves — if Ulster were to help us by dropping the odd ball, we’d be delighted but I wouldn’t be expecting it. They’re a proud side and, when you just look at the work-rate of their players, they’re working very, very hard.”

Ulster caretaker boss Steve Williams has named an exciting backline but that he has opted to shift Ireland outhalf Paddy Wallace to inside centre to facilitate David Humphreys cannot do anything for the former’s confidence — or hopes of making Eddie O’Sullivan’s Six Nations squad. At the moment Leinster’s Jonathon Sexton appears to be ahead of Wallace in the pecking order as Ronan O’Gara’s understudy.