With the squad marooned in a snowbound Glenview Hotel in Wicklow yesterday prior to an afternoon session indoors, an unchanged team was announced for Ireland's Six Nations game against Wales - a match that was later cancelled due to the foot-and-mouth crisis.
However, the Irish management took a decidedly dim view of the A team's abject 55-23 defeat at Ravenhill against their French counterparts, and announced seven changes in personnel and one positional alteration for Friday's cancelled A international with the Welsh at Ebbw Vale.
The most eye-catching and surprising of the changes saw Jeremy Staunton switched to full back at the expense of Dominic Crotty, with Paul Burke recalled at outhalf, while James Topping was selected ahead of Anthony Horgan.
John Kelly made way for Shane Horgan, who had been called up as cover in the senior squad against France. Marcus Horan was included due to Justin Fitzpatrick's promotion to the senior squad at loose-head, Blackrock second-row partners Leo Cullen (recalled) and Bob Casey (dropped) continued their rotation act at representative level this season, while at number six Eric Miller returned from injury at the expense of Tony McWhirter. Liam Toland replaced the injured Johnny O'Connor at openside.
Whether these selections are retained en bloc next time out is of course now a moot point. "There'll be a lot of water under the bridge between now and then and we'll just have to look again at things," said Warren Gatland.
IRELAND: Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College); Denis Hickie (St Mary's College), Brian O'Driscoll (Blackrock), Rob Henderson (Wasps), Tyrone Howe (Dungannon); Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution), Peter Stringer (Shannon); Peter Clohessy (Young Munster), Keith Wood (Harlequins, capt); John Hayes (Shannon), Mick Galwey (Shannon), Malcolm O'Kelly (St Mary's College), Alan Quinlan (Shannon), Anthony Foley (Shannon), David Wallace (Garryowen). Replace- ments: Frank Sheahan (Cork Constitution), Jus- tin Fitzpatrick (Dungannon), Gary Longwell (Ballymena), Andy Ward (Ballynahinch), Brian O'Meara (Cork Constitution), David Humphreys (Dungannon), Kevin Maggs (Bath).
IRELAND A: Jeremy Staunton (Garryowen); Geordan Murphy (Leicester), Mike Mullins (Young Munster), Shane Horgan (Lansdowne), James Topping (Ballymena); Paul Burke (Harlequins), Tom Tierney (Garryowen, Capt); Marcus Horan (Shannon), Shane Byrne (Blackrock), Simon Best (Belfast Harlequins), Leo Cullen (Blackrock), Mick O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution), Eric Miller (Terenure College), Victor Costello (St Mary's College), Liam Toland(Lansdowne). Replacements: Peter Smyth (St Mary's College), Reggie Corrigan (Lansdowne), Bob Casey (Blackrock College), Tony McWhirter (Dungannon), Kieron Campbell (London Irish), John Kelly (Cork Constitution), Dominic Crotty (Garryowen).
The injured Irish flanker, Kieron Dawson, is expected to be given the all clear to resume full-time training when he sees a specialist this morning.
Dawson would thus be immediately available for selection at London Irish and for Ireland after his season and possibly his career had been threatened by an injured disc in his neck sustained in Ireland's victory over Japan last November at Lansdowne Road.
Trinity College were beaten last night in the European Students Cup final by Toulouse, who were playing at home. Trinity trailed 28-3 at half-time but rallied in the second half to leave the score 28-17. Simon Mitchell kicked three penalties and the Dublin team's only try came from Michael Aylward.
European Students Cup Final: Toulouse 28, Dublin University 17.
