Bowe: Ireland looking good for another Slam success

IRELAND’s Tommy Bowe believes Declan Kidney’s men are “looking good” as they look to repeat their historic Grand Slam of 2009 in the upcoming Six Nations Championship.

Ireland’s November campaign began with a disappointing defeat to South Africa but they rounded the month off with a much-improved display against the All Blacks and a record win over Argentina.

And Ospreys back Bowe, 26, believes they are moving in the right direction.

“We are looking good. We finished November quite well, we lost to New Zealand but we showed we could play a bit of rugby, and we had a good win against Argentina. It’s now important that we get off to a good start against Italy.

“We have a few new faces in the squad but two years ago we won the Grand Slam so the pressure is on and there is an expectation level there.

“We had a few injuries but until those players come back it will be exciting for the guys that come in.”

Ireland open their campaign against Italy in Rome on February 5 having never lost a Six Nations game against the Azzurri.

He said: “To win a Grand Slam you need to win all your games and we will need to start well. But Italy will be tough to beat and their sides have done well in the Magners League. Treviso have a great home record and those players will be in their squad so it will be a difficult place to go.”

He added: “France will be difficult but we have England and them at home this year. They will be tough to beat but it’s a very open competition.”

Meanwhile Wales’s Six Nations prospects have taken another knock with the news that Ospreys prop Adam Jones has become his country’s latest major injury casualty.

The British and Irish Lions tight head is expected to be sidelined for up to eight weeks because of an elbow problem, the latest in a long line of frontline players to be ruled out ahead of the championship.

With players dropping like flies across Europe in the wake of bruising club commitments, Ireland coach Declan Kidney will be praying to get through this weekend’s final round of Heineken Cup pool matches without adding to the players he already has on the treatment table. Geordan Murphy has already been ruled out for the entirety with an ankle problem, as has John Muldoon (broken arm) while Murphy’s fellow full-back Rob Kearney (knee) and hooker Jerry Flannery (calf) will miss the opening matches and prop Marcus Horan (wrist) is only just returning to full fitness.

Wales coach Warren Gatland has suffered just as much, though, with Jones joining fellow Wales and Lions prop Gethin Jenkins in missing the whole Six Nations tournament, after damaging his elbow during the Ospreys’ Heineken Cup loss to London Irish last weekend. Gatland is seeking to halt a run of seven successive Test matches without a win when Wales open this year’s Six Nations at home to England on February 4. Centres Tom Shanklin and Andrew Bishop are absent due to injury, while back-up scrum-half Richie Rees is banned until late March.

England also have injury troubles with three key forwards — Lewis Moody, Tom Croft and Courtney Lawes — out for at least the first half of this season’s championship while Dave Attwood is suspended and full-back Delon Armitage was last night banned for eight weeks.

In Scotland, coach Andy Robinson had to name his training squad without Chris Cusiter, Alasdair Dickinson, Jim Hamilton, Phil Godman and Graeme Morrison.

Italy will face Ireland in Rome on February 5 without Mauro Bergamasco and Craig Gower while France’s only doubt is second row Romain Millo-Chluski.