Sherry keen to move up pecking order

Mike Sherry has had to re-assess this past week on what might be required to break back into the Irish squad after being overlooked by head coach Declan Kidney.

Sherry believes the time could be right to take the gloves off in his ongoing battle to secure the number one hooking spot in Munster, following a recent series of 50-50 calls with his provincial colleague Damien Varley.

While both hookers have been pacified and grateful to Munster coach Rob Penney for being given an equal share of responsibility in all the big matches so far — Sherry has had four RaboDirect starts and Varley three — the 24-year-old now wonders if it might be time for one of them to break free.

He said: “Definitely one of us has to grab the opportunity and have two or three outstanding games to get in front of the other. I think both of us are playing very well and making the decision hard for Rob but from that point of view I think once of us needs to grab it and run with it.”

Sherry’s disappointment stems from lost opportunity — of being called into Ireland’s 2011 World Cup squad as cover and not being given any game time on the summer tour to New Zealand — but he has no axe to grind with Kidney’s selection policy , even though home-grown hookers such as Sean Cronin, Varley and himself were initially excluded to the benefit of Leinster’s now naturalised South African Richardt Strauss.

But Sherry wasn’t in the least bit surprised by Strauss’s call-up.

“It is in the rule book [that it can be done] and I don’t think they are doing wrong. In fairness to Strauss, he has played very, very well over the last two or three years and he deserves his place. Good luck to him. He has won two Heineken Cups with Leinster, he has been a cornerstone of their team. It didn’t surprise me. Again, I was disappointed but it didn’t shock me that he was there at all.”

His understanding of the situation still didn’t mask his disappointment when the squad was announced a week ago.

“You are always disappointed, you want to make that squad. I was there over the summer and I loved being there so the goal is to get back in.,” he said.

Kidney is not usually one to close doors, but the selection of the now injured Rory Best as number one, Strauss as number two and clearly Sean Cronin as number three leaves Sherry to battle it out with Varley for whatever might be available down the pecking order; more clearly a chance to impress when Fiji play the Irish Wolfhounds in Thomond Park on November 17.

He added: “I know the competition is fairly competitive up there [in the Irish camp]. Rory Best is gone now it seems for a few weeks, so hopefully, I am looking at the Fiji game. They might rest somebody and maybe I might get in for that. I still have ‘Varles’ to compete with down here, but it is all up for grabs.”

Munster full back Denis Hurley has been drafted into the Ireland squad as an extra back following the withdrawal of Brian O’Driscoll.

Prop Declan Fitzpatrick, who was being managed on a graduated return to play programme for a concussion sustained last Friday night, suffered a setback and will now be rested until Monday at which time he will recommence the testing procedures.

This makes him unavailable until he has completed this programme.