Eddie must continue his spring cleaning

DON’T stop now Eddie! That’s the message from Irish rugby fans to the national coach ahead of the announcement of the team to play Scotland at Croke Park on Saturday.

Eddie O’Sullivan probably went against his natural instincts handing a starting place to Bernard Jackman and Jamie Heaslip against France.

Neither man let him down and with Scotland coming to Dublin on the back of several poor performances this is the time to go a step further.

Given that O’Sullivan never had much time for Geordan Murphy, it is reasonable to assume that the Leicester player will suffer the ultimate penalty after his torrid time at the Stade de France. It would be easy to recall Shane Horgan on the right wing and leave the back line at that but hopefully Eddie will add one or two more alterations this time round.

Few could complain should Horgan get the call. He has seldom let the side down, especially when playing on the wing. But the Ulster — soon to be an Osprey — wing Tommy Bowe has demonstrated he could be worthy of a place at the highest level while Rob Kearney did sufficiently well in Paris to merit retention on the left wing.

Even then, there is scope for further manoeuvre.

The side lacks pace in the back three, especially since Denis Hickie retired, and I believe Saturday represents the ideal time to give Luke Fitzgerald his head in his favoured full-back berth.

Of course Girvan Dempsey has done little to merit the guillotine. But that’s just the problem with the multi-capped full-back. Alas he has also done little to merit retention! He has served O’Sullivan well but has been repaid in spades by the coach and now is the time to move on.

Former Irish Examiner National Junior Sports Star, Fitzgerald scored two tries in a recent Heineken Cup match for Leinster; he got another when they needed it badly against Cardiff on Saturday night. These scores come the 20-year-old’s way largely because he combines footballing expertise with speed and excellent lines of running.

He is exciting to watch and to play alongside. His time has come.

My back line on Saturday would be Fitzgerald; Horgan, O’Driscoll, Trimble, Kearney; O’Gara, Reddan.

There are two issues at stake up front — whether Bernard Jackman or Rory Best should start at hooker and if Mick O’Driscoll is to be handed a starting place in the second-row ahead of Malcolm O’Kelly. Jackman deserves a second chance after Paris and O’Driscoll should be well ahead of O’Kelly in the pecking order after that game. Doubtless, the coach would like to put Paul O’Connell on the bench with a view to bringing him into the action for the final quarter or so. However, he hasn’t completed 80 minutes of game time since the last World Cup game against Argentina at the end of September. If there is any risk involved, O’Sullivan will likely keep O’Connell for the eagerly-awaited visit of Warren Gatland’s Wales a fortnight later. In that case, the second-row spot on the bench should go to the big-hearted Leo Cullen.