Gatland jibe adds fuel to fire for Croker clash

SERIOUS injury doubts concerning Geordan Murphy and Girvan Dempsey in the build-up to Saturday’s RBS Six Nations game against Wales won’t be resolved until this morning.

Although neither of Eddie O’Sullivan’s full-back options has yet been ruled out, it is believed that Murphy (Achilles tendon strain) and Dempsey (bruised hip) face an uphill battle to be fit in time for what is turning more and more into a “needle” affair because of the strain between the rival coaches.

There has been little or no love lost between O’Sullivan and Warren Gatland since they worked together with Ireland for a couple of years at the beginning of the new millennium. The coolness was compounded following a few ill chosen words from the New Zealander over the weekend.