Scrum geek Ross ready for Italians

IT has been a long journey but a worthwhile one for Mike Ross as Declan Kidney named him in the Ireland team to face Italy in the RBS 6 Nations opener in Rome on Saturday.

As much as former Harlequins coach Dean Richards took a chance on a man with a flimsy rugby CV six years ago, the Cork-born prop forward’s move to Dublin last season was fraught with risk given the presence of the highly-rated Stan Wright. The Cook Islander continued as first choice tight head prop until injury struck in a pre-season friendly in September, an achilles tendon problem that has sidelined him since.

In the meantime, Ross has flourished and become a key figure in a Leinster team that flew impressively through their Heineken Cup pool to secure a home quarter-final draw against Leicester Tigers in April.