O'Sullivan delighted with strongest squad

Eddie O’Sullivan today warned Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations rivals that his triple crown holders enter the championship in the best shape of his reign.

While England and France have been ham-strung by a mass of injuries, O’Sullivan has been able to name his strongest XV for Sunday’s tournament opener against Italy at the Stadio Flaminio.

“This is the strongest squad we’ve had together. Up until now we’ve always gone into a competition or series of matches without someone,” said the Ireland coach.

“Last year we started the Six Nations without Brian O’Driscoll, while Keith Wood had just retired. Geordan Murphy was out for the World Cup, and in the autumn internationals Gordon D’Arcy was missing.

“There has always been at least one player missing, but now just about everyone is available. It’s left me with some hard decisions to make, but they’re the sort of decisions I want.”

One of the biggest conundrums facing O’Sullivan was who to select at openside, and on this occasion Munster’s Denis Leamy has been given the nod over the most unlucky Johnny O’Connor of Wasps.

O’Connor performed with distinction against South Africa and Argentina during the November internationals, but Leamy’s form in helping Munster to the Heineken Cup quarter-finals has made his claim impossible to ignore.

“The back row is always going to be tough. Johnny loses out. He acquitted himself very well against South Africa and Argentina, but Denis has been chomping at the bit and has had a very big Heineken Cup campaign,” he said.

Leamy will add to the single cap he won against the United States during the autumn, but O’Sullivan declared that his horses-for-courses approach to selection could see the number seven jersey change hands once again.

He said: “The call between Johnny and Denis wasn’t made on form, because Johnny has also been playing very well. They are slightly different types of player.

“I think the Italy game will probably suit Denis a bit more. It’s an embarrassment of riches we have in the back row, and I opted for the best combination for the game. It was a very difficult decision, but this is a very good Irish team.”

The one remaining change to the team which edged past Argentina in November sees D’Arcy restored to the midfield alongside O’Driscoll, with Geordan Murphy switching to full-back and Girvan Dempsey dropping to the bench.

Dempsey has rarely let Ireland down but he was always the most likely victim of D’Arcy’s return from injury, and his demotion is sure to have inflicted less soul searching on O’Sullivan than who to pick at openside.

“Girvan has been a stalwart at full-back, so it was hard to leave him out. He played in the autumn – but with Gordon D’Arcy coming back, we needed to shuffle things about. It was a tough call,” he said.

“This is the first occasion for some time that we’ve been able to select from a full deck. This is the strongest back line I’ve fielded for some time.”

O’Sullivan – who will give Reggie Corrigan a fitness test on Friday after the Leinster prop’s knee seized up in training on Monday – acknowledges Ireland have a magnificent chance to end their 20-year wait for championship glory.

But the former school headmaster is careful to point out the ever-improving Italians have a history of causing upsets – especially at the Stadio Flaminio where Scotland and Wales have both come unstuck in the past.

“I would agree that this Ireland side has a great opportunity to win the Six Nations – but the one thing we must do is make sure we don’t get ahead of ourselves,” he said.

“The key is to jump the fence ahead of you and not the one two jumps away - if you do you’ll fall flat on your face. The most important thing for us is to dig out a result in Rome.

“It won’t be easy, because the Italians will be fresh. They’re a big physical team and they’ve caught out teams like Wales and Scotland before. We don’t want to be the next victim in Rome.”