Kidney comfortable with the big calls

A WEEK ago today, Donncha O’Callaghan’s prospects of being considered for a starting place on the Irish team against England at Twickenham appeared remote at best.

He hadn’t played a match since suffering a knee injury in Munster’s Heineken Cup clash with Northampton on January 22nd and when he wasn’t included in the squad for the Magners League game against Edinburgh on Friday, it seemed the best he could have hoped for was a place on the bench against the English.

However, he was yesterday chosen to start Saturday’s game and win his 59th cap. It seems very harsh on Leo Cullen, who performed with distinction in O’Callaghan’s absence against both Italy and France when he and Paul O’Connell combined to exert serious pressure on the opposing line-outs.