D’Arcy hails Irish intensity

GORDON D’ARCY claims he has never experienced the intense environment that currently exists in the game of rugby in this country.

D’Arcy, back into Ireland’s starting line up for Saturday’s Autumn International with Fiji at the RDS, is well aware that his performance will shape his future in Declan Kidney’s plans.

Notwithstanding the fact that the unfortunate long-term injury to Luke Fitzgerald has opened a window of opportunity for somebody to press for a vacant place in Ireland’s three-quarter line, D’Arcy says the competition within the squad as huge.

He said: “I don’t believe it has ever been this been this intense. This is probably the most competitive period, from Leinster right through to the international team. The so-called younger guys now have 15-20 caps, so they’re not exactly novices any more. They might only be 21, 22 or 23 but they can’t be called inexperienced. They’ve all played, they’ve all won a Grand Slam or achieved something big. It’s just red-hot competition — which is the way the coaches want it, I suppose.”

Having yielded a midfield position to Paddy Wallace against Australia last weekend, D’Arcy is hoping to take his chance this time around, noting that it’s so important to take chances if they arise: “That’s the thing about sport, you never know when you’re going to be in or out, so make the most of every chance you get.”

D’Arcy won’t be alone in trying to nail down a permanent spot in the side. However, while he can call on vast experience, Leinster team-mate Jonathan Sexton is given his first big chance to seriously challenge Ronan O’Gara for the number 10 jersey.

While D’Arcy is a fan of O’Gara, he also believes in his provincial colleague’s ability: “It’s been that bit of bait for him for a while, to get into the Irish team. For people who didn’t know him, he appears to have burst on the scene last season but we’ve seen him playing and training for the last two or three years and we’ve always known how talented he was.

“It has to be a good thing to have competition everywhere. I don’t need to go through Deccie’s (Kidney) speech again about building a squad of 30 but that’s what he’s been doing and you can’t just have one out-half in that. Competition is a great thing in a squad. You look at all the teams in the world that do well — they have a load of players with 20-25 caps; they have experience. With that type of competition, it basically means you can’t afford to have a bad game.”

While D’Arcy felt sorry for Fitzgerald, he said he was in no doubt that the youngster would bounce back.

“I would always be upset to see colleagues get injured. But knowing how it works, he will breeze through this and probably be back a month early.”

However, Shane Horgan’s return should be an example to any player who goes through a dip in form, according to D’Arcy.

“I didn’t read any of those so called epitaphs written about Shane. From the tail-end of last season and the beginning of this, he has been a stand-out performer,” said D’Arcy.

“It’s a just reward. You drift off the radar but if you work hard you can get back in, Shane is the prime example of that. He’s a heart-on-the-sleeve type; It makes me play better when I see him do what he does best,” he added.

D’Arcy is pleased with the choice of the RDS: “The RDS is obviously more suited for a crowd this size and will generate a better atmosphere.”

Yet, D’Arcy is conscious Fiji could still spoil the day for Ireland. He pointed out: “They’re a real tough side to play. They don’t go for a structured game and just want to get the ball in their hands. You could be on the wing marking a hooker who can throw a flip pass and juggle out of anywhere.”