O’Sullivan denies home player bias

WOULD Geordan Murphy have played full-back on the Irish team for the last decade had he been playing in Ireland rather than with the Leicester Tigers in England?

It’s a question that has often exercised the minds of rugby fans and will no doubt continue to so at least until next Tuesday when Eddie O’Sullivan announces his side for the crunch clash with Wales at Croke Park.

The coach has signalled for some time that Girvan Dempsey is his favoured choice at number 15 and in spite of Murphy’s ‘man of the match’ performance against Scotland, it would appear he doesn’t intend to change his mind. There will be an uproar should Dempsey get the nod ahead of Murphy and it will only serve to highlight the alleged preference O’Sullivan holds for home based players.