Dropping Foley 'a tough call', says O'Sullivan

Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan today recalled Victor Costello for Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against France in place of the unfortunate Anthony Foley.

Costello missed last weekend’s heart-stopping 17-16 Pool A defeat to Australia with a thigh injury, but got the nod after returning to full fitness and will start at number eight as the only tactical change to Ireland’s line-up.

Winger John Kelly replaces the injured Denis Hickie, who flew home on Tuesday after rupturing his Achilles tendon just before half-time against the Wallabies.

Kelly made a significant contribution to Ireland’s cause after entering the fray last weekend, not least in setting up a Brian O’Driscoll try in the corner.

While that decision was a formality for O’Sullivan, dropping Foley was a tough call but, he insisted, the right one. After all, this weekend is “all or nothing stuff“.

Costello will link in the back row with Keith Gleeson and blindside flanker Simon Easterby in a trio O’Sullivan believes is the best combination to combat the dangerous French loose forwards.

“It is really about getting a balance to this back row and getting the right combination,” he said today.

“We are in a position to do that because of the quality of players we have in that sector and so it makes sense to pick a combination that suits a typical gameplan.

“It is often tough on the guys who are often out of the team not having done anything wrong, but that’s how it works.

“If you have that sort of latitude in your squad, it is smart to use it. It is back to the old adage of horses for courses. We think this is the best combination for this game. It’s as simple as that.”

O’Sullivan was full of praise for Foley, for the professionalism and team unity he has always displayed, but which is often hard to bring to the fore when faced with the disappointment of not making the side.

“It’s very tough to leave a player of Anthony Foley’s calibre out of the team,” he said.

“Anthony Foley is one of the best rugby brains in the back row anywhere in the world. He has been a stalwart for us in the last few years in the back row.

“This is a tournament scenario and we said we would always try and get the best combination on the field for each particular game.

“If we make the semi-final the door will open again for everybody in the back row. Knowing Anthony, there is no better man to deal with this. He was on his toes in training this morning like it never happened.

“He is a consummate professional and he backs the management, so that if we think it is the right thing for the team, then it is the right thing for everybody.

“It was a tough call but I do believe we have done the right thing for the team.”

Ireland’s record against France over recent years is particularly impressive, but their three victories since 2000 will all become largely irrelevant come Sunday night under the Telstra Dome roof.

“This is all or nothing stuff. We have got to win on Sunday or we go home on Monday,” said O’Sullivan.

“It’s a one-off shot at the game. If we win we go on to the semi-final.

“I don’t think it changes what we have achieved in the World Cup so far, but as a team we feel there is more to come.

“Our plan is to not be going home on Monday.”

Where those recent successes do become relevant are in terms of psychology, not so much against the French but in fostering a burning self-belief in the Irish camp.

“Having beaten France does feed the belief that we can go and do it again,” said O’Sullivan.

“You have to remember that when you are playing a world-class side like France, if we get things right on the day then it is very possible we can win the game.

“But if we get things wrong it is very possible to get a hiding for our troubles, which happened in 2002.

“It is that balancing act of getting things right to win the game.”

The balancing act that brought Costello into the side, also saw Ronan O’Gara retained at fly-half for the first time this World Cup ahead of David Humphreys.

Peter Stringer is set to win his 41st cap and in doing so would become the most capped Irish scrum-half of all time, beating Michael Bradley’s record set between 1984 and 1995.

Ireland team: G Dempsey; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, K Maggs, J Kelly; R O'Gara, P Stringer; R Corrigan, K Wood (captain), J Hayes, M O'Kelly, P O'Connell, S Easterby, K Gleeson, V Costello.

Replacements: S Byrne, M Horan, D O'Callaghan, E Miller, G Easterby, D Humphreys, A Foley.