Kiss backs McFadden to deliver

Ireland’s coaching staff are backing Fergus McFadden to comfortably fill the breach created by the late withdrawal of Keith Earls from Ireland’s starting line-up to face Wales tomorrow.

Earls’ week-old daughter Ella-Maye was readmitted to hospital last Wednesday and Ireland head coach Declan Kidney moved swiftly to ensure the Munster player was with his partner Edel McGee and their first child in Limerick.

Leinster’s McFadden, initially named on the replacements’ bench, was told on Thursday of his promotion to a midfield partnership with Gordon D’Arcy. Defence coach Les Kiss said the late change in the outside centre berth previously vacated by injured Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll, would not be an issue heading into such an important fixture.

“Keith was with us a couple of sessions last week and slotted in straight away,” Kiss said.

“It’s a loss but then Fergus has been working with us all week and he’s also one of the form players in the midfield for Ireland throughout the provincial teams and he’s slotted in nicely.

“Has it shifted our tactics? I think Ferg will bring his own strengths to the game in that position and he’s looking forward to the challenge. It’s a great challenge but he’ll be up for it.

“We’ve been working on certain strategies and tactics in the game and he’s been a part of that anyway.”

The importance of getting the midfield right was underlined by Wales’s selection of World Cup standout Jamie Roberts at inside centre who, along with fly-half Rhys Priestland, was passed fit yesterday after a week of speculation that knee injuries would rule both men out.

“I don’t think we expected anything less to tell you the truth,” Kiss said.

“They threw out a lot of noise during the week about injuries but I’m sure they haven’t been sitting there saying we haven’t got Brian O’Driscoll, Denis Leamy, Luke Fitzgerald, David Wallace.

“They haven’t worried about that. They’ve just got on with the job. We just prepared expecting the best they could throw out there and that’s what they’ve come up with.”

Wales head coach Warren Gatland makes five changes from the side which defeated Ireland in the World Cup quarter-finals last October. The four changes in the pack are all due to injuries to frontline players with Saracens loosehead prop Rhys Gill replacing Gethin Jenkins, Bradley Davies and Ian Evans in for locks Alun Wyn Jones and Luke Charteris and Ryan Jones taking over at blindside from Dan Lydiate.

Cardiff Blues wing Alex Cuthbert, who made his debut against Australia before Christmas, makes his first start, profiting from the retirement of Wales’ top try scorer Shane Williams, with Scarlets’ George North switching flanks to take Williams’ number 11 jersey.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for them in that they’ll back the players that did them well in the World Cup,” Kiss added.

“It’s a massive challenge, that’s for sure, with those guys there. It’s the first match in the Six Nations and there’s a lot on the line.”