O'Sullivan has total faith in speedy Hickie

Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan has no fear recalling Denis Hickie to his Test line-up after insisting the Leinster winger is back to his explosive best.

Hickie has missed Ireland’s last eight Tests after rupturing his Achilles tendon against Australia during last year’s World Cup and there were concerns the 28-year-old flyer would never reclaim his lightning pace.

But some impressive performances for Leinster in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup since his comeback have eased those fears and earned Hickie an international recall for tomorrow’s clash with South Africa at Lansdowne Road.

O’Sullivan said: “Being an out-and-out speedster, the big question for Denis was would he get his speed back after suffering what is an horrific injury for a sprinter.

“But anyone who has watched him play for Leinster can see he has his pace back. He’s on top of his game at the moment and it’s good to have him back.

“He doesn’t seem to have lost anything from last year which is an amazing achievement given the nature of his injury and the position he plays. All credit to himself and the medics.”

Hickie – who is Ireland’s second highest try scorer behind skipper Brian O’Driscoll – admits he had doubts over whether he would be the same player upon completion of his rehabilitation.

“When you have a long injury like that you never quite know what is going to happen at the other end, so I’m delighted I’ve been given the chance to play for Ireland again,” he said.

“I’ve had a lot of time to train during rehab, without rugby being a part of it, and I think I’ve benefited from that. It was a general concern that I might lose some pace and a few people have mentioned it.

“I wasn’t quite sure at the start. These sort of injuries tend to dictate to you rather than the other way around. But my medical team were fantastic – they were confident that I would get back to normal and that gave me great confidence.”

Hickie will have been pleased by the selection of Test debutant Jonny O’Connor at openside as the mobile Wasps flanker will help Ireland implement the expansive gameplan coach Eddie O’Sullivan has devised to upset the Springboks.

In contrast, South Africa boss Jake White has opted not to field a specialist number seven, preferring the bigger and more robust loose trio of Schalk Burger, AJ Venter and Joe van Niekerk.

But Hickie has warned such is the talent in South Africa’s back row the tourists will not be affected by their decision to go for power over mobility.

“The Boks are a fantastic all-round team and have many great loose forwards. They might not have an out-and-out openside but guys like Burger and van Niekerk have all played six, seven and eight at different stages,” he said.

“So I don’t know how much the fact they’re not playing an out-and-out openside will affect them – we’ll have to wait and see how it goes on Saturday.

“Eddie has picked the best team and he thinks they can do a job for us. We want to play a certain way and move the ball. Having a true openside gives us a bit of leeway in that respect.”