Six Nations News round-up:Eddie O'Sullivan's selection of a 33-man squad for the forthcoming Six Nations yesterday went along largely predictable lines. Even Johnny O'Connor's recall, with Keith Gleeson and Shane Jennings missing out, was not entirely surprising but in calling up a mixture of youth and experience in the 11 players who were not part of the World Cup, whether this slightly refreshed if plentiful selection will be reflected against Italy on February 2nd is a moot point.
With Denis Hickie's retirement and three more players ruled out through injury - Paul O'Connell, Simon Best and Stephen Ferris - a further four players from the squad for the World Cup were omitted, Bryan Young, Frankie Sheahan, Isaac Boss and the harshly treated Brian Carney, who is hardly a worse player than the one who made the cut for France only to be then one of those who saw no action whatsoever.
Of the 11 called in, two are uncapped, namely the young Leinster pair of Johnny Sexton and Cian Healy. The good form of Luke Fitzgerald, Rob Kearney and Tommy Bowe earn them call-ups, and up front, in addition to O'Connor, there could be few quibbles with the inclusion of Tony Buckley - now set to make the bench against Italy - Bernard Jackman, Leo Cullen, the rejuvenated Mick O'Driscoll and the in-form Jamie Heaslip, who should have made the World Cup cut anyway.
Cullen's phenomenal work-rate, leadership and organisational ability have been central to the significant improvement in Leinster's forward play, although having been a regular in his pre-Leicester days, his face seems not to fit with the Ireland coach any more.
One of the main imbalances in the World Cup, a six-strong backrow contingent that were top heavy with sixes and light on specialist cover at number eight and openside, has been predictably rectified.
It must have helped O'Connor's selection that he has been starting regularly for Connacht whereas the Leinster pair have been rotating the number seven jersey, with Jennings occasionally converting to number six.
That said, strictly on form in the Heineken European Cup and at the top end of the Magners League, Gleeson especially is entitled to feel unlucky again. The argument that he won't be around for the World Cup in four years' time hardly stands up, as that would also to apply to the likes of Simon Easterby, John Hayes and several others in the squad, even the recalled Jackman, besides which no one supports and links with the seven Leinster backs selected here better than Gleeson.
Unsurprisingly, if not quite reflected in their continuing interest in the European Cup, Leinster have been the main winners, with four of their forwards and three of their backs being called up to the squad and thereby taking the province's contingent to a dozen, one more than Munster, with Ulster down to five, Connacht up to two and three from across the channel.
"First and foremost I feel this squad reflects the form of the players in the Heineken Cup and Magners League and I am excited to introduce some young blood into the mix for the Six Nations," commented O'Sullivan in a press release yesterday. "Some of the younger players have really put their hands up through their performances and have earned their spot in the squad. At the same time it again threw up some tight calls, especially in the backrow, which always seems to be the same every time we select a squad. However, I think we have the balance right going into the championship".
Nevertheless, while one should never be cynical about the promotion of young talent to a Test squad - even one of this size - at face value the selection of Sexton and Healy along with some others looks geared to facilitate a positive face on the much trumpeted and changed "select group" of the IRFU's High Performance Unit. Thus far, the unit appears to have had little or no actual activity save for attending Ireland sessions, but is being given a public face-lift today.
One of the most contentious positions on the Ireland team is liable to be at scrumhalf, where next Saturday's little tussle between Munster and Wasps could go a long way toward deciding whether Eoin Reddan or Peter Stringer wears the number nine jersey against Nick Mallett's Azzurri. Oddly, in a squad of this size, they are the only scrumhalves in the squad in light of Boss paying for his loss of form and confidence, with O'Sullivan declining to have a look at the overseas-based Frank Murphy or Brian O'Riordan, or Conor O'Loughlin or Chris Keane at home.
Commenting on the RBS Six Nations Championship, O'Sullivan said: "The Six Nations represents a great opportunity for the squad to get back to the standards we have achieved in the past. It is the tournament that we always want to do well in and this year's championship is really open with no clear favourites, so it really is a case of only looking forward to your next game, which starts with an Italy side who always begin the tournament well."
Yet come the Italian game, it remains highly conceivable that all bar two of the team which started in Parc des Princes on September 30th when Argentina applied the last rites on Ireland's World Cup campaign will be retained - or, depending on the scrumhalf selection, put another way, a dozen of the "untouchables" who were pencilled into the first-choice starting XV from as far ago as last season's Six Nations. Likewise, even the replacements' bench is liable to have a familiar World Cup hue.
There remain a few hurdles in the way, though, none more so than Shane Horgan's rib injury. Still deemed a 50-50 chance of being fit for Saturday's Heineken Cup match away to Leicester, there remains the question of him proving his fitness - or having the opportunity to do so ahead of Kearney and Fitzgerald - in time for the Six Nations.
FORWARDS: Neil Best (Ulster), Rory Best (Ulster), Tony Buckley (Munster), Leo Cullen (Leinster), Simon Easterby (Llanelli), Jerry Flannery (Munster), John Hayes (Munster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Leinster), Marcus Horan (Munster), Bernard Jackman (Leinster), Denis Leamy (Munster), Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster), Johnny O'Connor (Connacht), Mick O'Driscoll (Munster), Malcolm O'Kelly (Leinster), Alan Quinlan (Munster), David Wallace (Munster).
BACKS: Tommy Bowe (Ulster), Girvan Dempsey (Leinster), Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster), Gavin Duffy (Connacht), Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster), Shane Horgan (Leinster), Rob Kearney (Leinster), Geordan Murphy (Leicester), Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster, captain), Ronan O'Gara (Munster), Eoin Reddan (Wasps), Jonathan Sexton (Leinster), Peter Stringer (Munster), Andrew Trimble (Ulster), Paddy Wallace (Ulster).
