Kidney: This is not the end for O’Callaghan

Another international career over or a straightforward tactical decision for a specific match?

They’re the considerations veteran lock Donncha O’Callaghan was mulling over last night after being excluded by Declan Kidney from tomorrow’s Six Nations visit to Rome.

The 33-year-old O’Callaghan was part of the Ireland U19 team that won the World Cup under Kidney in 1998 and the big, brave second row has gone on to earn 94 caps in a 10-year international career that also brought further riches in the form of selection for the British and Irish Lions.

Given the prevailing winds of change, O’Callaghan’s exclusion is easy to interpret as the end of his international career, although the coach went to great pains to insist that it was a tactical move to include Devin Toner in his stead.

It won’t be any consolation to the combative O’Callaghan, but this is how Kidney worded his explanation of the call: “It’s tough on Donncha, it’s always tough on anyone whether it’s their first cap or a 100th. I would say Donncha is a long way from his last cap. That’s just the selection for this match. There’s many more to come. He’ll be playing away next year as well and there’s nothing to say he won’t be in for the next match when that’s selected; it’s just for the match that’s ahead of us this weekend really.

“Devin has worked really hard, especially in the off-season, he has come through good and strong and he’s been a great servant for Leinster over the last couple of years. It’s just been a measure of the quality of secondrows we’ve had really that he probably hasn’t got a few more caps under his belt. He’s been stoic the way he’s kept at it. He’s been positive every time he’s come into training, they’re the bits that you don’t see and they’re the bits that are recognised now. Devin is a purely selection issue. The Italian lineout is very strong so it’s just prudent to have a balance on that side of things this time.”

Kidney and his captain Jamie Heaslip will be acutely aware of what faces them tomorrow and praying for a dry pitch, Kidney suspects Italy already smell blood following a tremendous display in Twickenham last week.

He also hopes for a bit of luck: “A dry track would be great obviously, given some of the conditions we’ve been playing in. But Italy are playing really strong too; if we can go out, represent Ireland to the best of our ability, and come out with a win it would be some achievement given everything that has been thrown at the lads.

“That’s a recognition of how strong Italy have become. This is their third year in the Rabo, they’ve been getting stronger every year. Two years ago, it was a last-minute drop goal that got us the win. I’m sure that Italy are sniffing a little bit of blood against us, judging by the comments after their last match, they probably sense that we’re a little vulnerable. So to get a result would be quite an achievement.”

He bases his views on Italy’s new found ability to keep hold of the ball: “They keep possession through eight, nine or 10 phases [these days], they don’t panic now like before when, if you kept them going through three or four phases, you could rush them into throwing the ball away. I’d have a lot of time for their coach, Jacques Brunel, who I’ve come up with before against Perpignan. His sides will play to the 80th minute.”