Drico backs young guns to deliver

IRISH skipper Brian O’Driscoll has given the new-look back three of the team to produce the goods in the RBS Six Nations opener in Rome on Saturday.

O’Driscoll gave a collective vote of confidence to Luke Fitzgerald, Keith Earls and Fergus McFadden who hold down the three important positions in an injury ravaged area of the team.

Those who watched Luke Fitzgerald struggle on the wing for Leinster since his comeback from long-term injury might be concerned that playing him full back, or even at all, is a big call.

O’Driscoll disagrees and predicted there would be a happy conclusion even though he expects the Italians to target a below-strength Irish side.

He described Fitzgerald thus: “He is very dangerous (to the opposition) at (his) best; when he is really booming with confidence he’s very good and he’s able to mix his game well at full back.

“Anyone who hadn’t played a huge amount of rugby over the last couple of months, you just (want to) encourage him to do the simple things well and not try to do the amazing; that could come as the game unfolds but he knows himself what’s expected and I don’t envisage any issues. He has that ability to break tackles and offload and that gives (the rest of) the team opportunity.”

The captain was quick to publicly acknowledge the impact McFadden has made since getting a more regular slot for Leinster in recent weeks but also pointed to his track record at a higher level. “He was player of the tournament when Ireland won the Churchill Cup in the summer of 2009 and he has really stepped it up from then.

“When Joe (Schmidt) put him on the wing (for Leinster), the thinking was to get your best players on the pitch; sometimes it’s out of position but you have to balance that up with getting the most out of your attacking weapons and that’s where he has fitted in this year.”

Although Leinster provides five of the back division, O’Driscoll doesn’t believe either Tomás O’Leary or particularly Earls in the back three should feel outsiders. On Earls, he said: “He is seasoned enough to make his input and feel it is as important as anyone else; he was adding to the menu of play as much as anyone this week. We’re not trying to push on anyone any particular style; it’s an Irish style we want. We sat down a long time ago and decided what way we wanted to play and we’re all buying into that. He (Earls) is such a great footballer that he could fit into any back line at any stage.”

On a personal level as he enters his 12th Six Nations tournament, O’Driscoll sent this chilling warning to the Azzurri: “I’m as hungry as ever, it (the tournament) still holds as much appeal now as it ever did, if not more, probably because you don’t know how many more you get to play in.

“I see this particular Six Nations as being very open, it’s hard to put a (favourites) tag on anyone and that heightens that anticipation for everyone in the squad and the public.”