Kidney likely to go with same starting XV
Ireland’s main injury concerns arising from the bruising 30-22 victory in Cardiff last Saturday, were set to be cleared to play when they reported back to camp at Carton House after a down day yesterday. And with Gordon D’Arcy, Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien and Keith Earls all set to resume training today, Kidney will be free to announce an unchanged team at lunchtime today.
A tightened calf had seen O’Brien sit out training on Wednesday for a session which saw D’Arcy (dead leg), Earls (shoulder) and O’Mahony (head), all take a full part.
D’Arcy’s recovery will mean he retains his place at inside centre alongside former captain Brian O’Driscoll for a world record 48th Test appearance as a centre partnership.
“He’s a hugely important player in my game just because of the comfort that he gives me, particularly from a defensive point of view,” O’Driscoll said of D’Arcy. “He’s the best defensive centre that I’ve played with in that department. It’s not that we have a case of telepathy but we don’t always need to speak to one another to understand the body language and what each of us are doing. That always helps a player, be it a centre partner, a winger, a 10 the more you get to understand their mannerisms their ways, how they react to situations off the back of that.”
England may restore Manu Tuilagi to outside centre when head coach Stuart Lancaster names his team today.
Said O’Driscoll: “He delivers a momentum gainline that gives them good phases thereafter and if you continually soak you end up back on your own line, so it’s about trying to shut down that space.”
IRELAND (probable): R Kearney; S Zebo, B O’Driscoll, G D’Arcy, C Gilroy; J Sexton, C Murray; C Healy, R Best, M Ross; M McCarthy, D Ryan; P O’Mahony, S O’Brien, J Heaslip.
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