End is nigh for veteran O’Kelly

VETERAN second row forward Malcolm O’Kelly has been excluded from the Irish squad for next week’s autumn international against Canada, prompting speculation that his illustrious international career could be over.

O’Kelly, Ireland’s longest serving and most capped international (91), is the one big name left out of the squad which was yesterday cut from 41 to 34, and it appears he has now reached the end of the line in the green jersey.

Irish coach Declan Kidney has named Ryan Caldwell, Donncha Ryan and Mick O’Driscoll as possible alternatives to first choice second rowers Paul O’Connell and Donncha O’Callaghan, with Bob Casey of London Irish paying the price for his unavailability to train this week.

Caldwell and Ryan are both 24 and two of the most promising players to emerge recently from Ireland’s under-age structure.

An athletic and ground-guzzling second row, Caldwell made his Ireland ‘A’ bow in last year’s Churchill Cup tournament. He quickly emerged as one of Ulster’s first choice locks when still a member of the IRFU’s High Performance Select Group, despite the presence of internationals Justin Harrison and Carlo Del Fava in the squad.

Caldwell, who played in two Under-21 World Championships, signed a new two-year deal with Ulster in January and ended the season with two tries in his last four games for the province.

Ryan, another teak-tough graduate of the Munster pack, had his best season when helping Munster win the Heineken Cup in a season when he was also part of the IRFU High Performance Select Group.

Capped at Youth and Under-21 levels, the Nenagh man made his Ireland ‘A’ debut against England Saxons in February.

A strong lineout operator and big tackler in the loose, he has been an AIB League and Cup winner with Shannon and is equally comfortable in the second row or back row.

Meanwhile, the big London Irish second row Casey, Mike Ross (Harlequins) and Roger Wilson (Northampton) have lost out — apparently because they were denied permission by their clubs to train with Ireland.

Of the four players who failed to travel from England, only Geordan Murphy (Leicester) remains in the squad, while Kidney has decided to give the bulk of his larger squad another few days together before he cuts it to the match-day 22 on Tuesday.

Home based players Barry Murphy, Gavin Duffy and Tom Court join O’Kelly on the outside looking in.

There are six uncapped players included in the squad. Jonathan Sexton, Keith Earls and Ian Dowling are named in the backs while Caldwell, Ryan and Cian Healy are included in the forwards.

Some of these, particularly Earls, could well be primed for an international debut at Thomond Park on Saturday.

Ireland squad

Backs: T Bowe (Ospreys), I Dowling (Shannon — Munster), G Dempsey (Terenure College — Leinster), K Earls (Young Munster — Munster), L Fitzgerald (Blackrock College — Leinster), S Horgan (Boyne — Leinster), R Kearney (UCD — Leinster), G Murphy (Leicester), B O’Driscoll (UCD — Leinster) (capt), R O’Gara (Cork Constitution — Munster), T O’Leary (Dolphin — Munster), E Reddan (Wasps), J Sexton (St. Mary’s College — Leinster), P Stringer (Shannon — Munster), A Trimble (Ballymena — Ulster), P Wallace (Ballymena — Ulster).

Forwards: R Best (Banbridge — Ulster), T Buckley (Shannon — Munster), R Caldwell (Dungannon — Ulster), S Ferris (Dungannon — Ulster), J Flannery (Shannon — Munster), J Hayes (Bruff — Munster), C Healy (Clontarf — Leinster), J Heaslip (Naas — Leinster), M Horan (Shannon — Munster), B Jackman (Clontarf — Leinster), S Jennings (St. Mary’s College — Leinster), D Leamy (Cork Constitution — Munster), D O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution — Munster), P O’Connell (Young Munster — Munster), M O’Driscoll (Cork Constitution — Munster), A Quinlan (Shannon — Munster), D Ryan (Shannon — Munster), D Wallace (Garryowen — Munster).