Elsom: D’Arcy ideal for Super 14

ROCKY ELSOM believes late Lions call-up Gordon D’Arcy is an ideal candidate to be a marquee foreign player in the Super 14.

The Leinster centre, called up by the British and Irish Lions yesterday because of injury concerns in their back division, would perfectly suit the style of game played in the Super 14, Elsom said yesterday after inking a deal to return to Australia with the ACT Brumbies.

“I don’t know exactly what he is thinking, but he is a player who would suit the style down here because he is really quick,” Elsom said. “He is really good in traffic and like you saw in the (Barbarians) game against England last weekend, he is just phenomenal at making breaks. You’d think he would be a good fit.”

At 29 years of age, D’Arcy would also be at the right time of his career to consider playing outside Ireland.

There are tax incentives for veteran Irish Test players to finish their careers in Ireland while younger players are trying to establish themselves as internationals.

“Gordon would be around the right age to go and come back,” Elsom said. “There are a lot of players in the northern hemisphere who would like to join the Super 14 if they could.”

D’Arcy is on his way to South Africa today after head coach Ian McGeechan decided he required cover due to Riki Flutey’s knee ligament strain, Keith Earls’ shoulder injury and Luke Fitzgerald’s chest infection.

“While the injuries are being treated by the medical team we felt it prudent to provide extra cover in midfield. Gordon’s partnership with Brian O’Driscoll is a proven one, and can only benefit the Lions’ squad here in South Africa,” said McGeechan.

“Gordon has shown that he is back to his best. He was on our reserve list and we had no hesitation in calling him up to the squad.”

D’Arcy could be summoned straight into action on Saturday for the third tour match against the Cheetahs, depending on the speed of recovery of Flutey and Earls. Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Roberts are currently the only fit specialist centres.

D’Arcy, 29, was sidelined with a broken arm in 2008 but returned to form to help Ireland capture the Six Nations Grand Slam and Leinster the Heineken Cup. He will remain with the squad for the remainder of the tour.

O’Driscoll last night praised his Leinster centre partner’s ability to bounce back from injury in style: “It’s great for Gordon to be getting this chance. He showed a huge amount of patience coming back from his injury - hopefully he will fit right in. He picks things up very quickly, and that should work in his favour.”