RUGBY:JAMIE HEASLIP and Stephen Ferris could yet make timely returns for the French visit to Dublin this Sunday and, remarkably, so might Andrew Trimble, even though the Ulster winger is still nursing a fractured bone in his hand.
All three men were recalled to Irish camp in the Killiney Castle last night as Declan Kidney expanded from a fully-fit 22-man squad that sneaked past Italy as preparations begin for what seems a definitive moment in the Six Nations against the current Grand Slam champions.
Heaslip has the best chance of returning to the backrow, at the expense of Seán O’Brien, unless his Leinster team-mate is switched to flanker and Denis Leamy or David Wallace is dropped.
“Jamie has been in and out this past week doing rehab work and strength work,” said Leinster coach Joe Schmidt.
“He looks in great shape. Whether he can still run at Test level, on that ankle, the Irish medics are the best to ask on that.”
Kidney will announce a starting XV tomorrow at 1.15pm.
The news about Tommy Bowe’s knee injury is not so positive as he targets the Scottish match at Murrayfield on February 27th for his return.
The number of locks in camp has swelled to six, with Mick O’Driscoll, Donnacha Ryan and Connacht’s Mike McCarthy (uncapped and a former English age-grade representative) joining Leo Cullen, Paul O’Connell and Donncha O’Callaghan.
None of Munster and Ireland’s frontline props in recent years – Tony Buckley, John Hayes or Marcus Horan – has sufficiently recovered from injury to be considered. Horan’s latest return was put back on ice last weekend when he pulled out of Shannon’s AIL match against St Mary’s due to a neck complaint.
Buckley (neural problem) or Hayes (groin) may yet be re-routed to Munster’s away fixture in Treviso on Sunday.
As a result, Connacht’s Brett Wilkinson provides the cover at prop.
Ulster’s breakthrough centre Nevin Spence is rewarded for a string of impressive performances by some direct contact with Brian O’Driscoll in training this week.
Spence has only amassed 12 caps for Ulster since getting his opportunity, after injury to Darren Cave earlier this season, but the 20-year-old’s natural attacking ability is already building a YouTube collection.
Gavin Duffy, who travelled to Italy as the 23rd man last weekend, remains an option at fullback, although it looks like Luke Fitzgerald will hold onto the number 15 jersey, while Munster wingers Johne Murphy and Denis Hurley have been rewarded for their performances with the Wolfhounds.
France may have lost inside centre Maxime Mermoz to a shoulder injury for the rest of the campaign, but this is easily offset by the return of Yannick Jauzion to the squad.
“There’s a 90 per cent chance I’ll have to be operated on,” Mermoz conceded yesterday. “There’s no longer much doubt about it. In the first half, with the collision, I felt the shoulder move a bit. I put it back in place. And straight away I felt a little damage.
“But I could keep on playing. I thought it had eased a bit, and after just five minutes of the second half, with a direct blow, the shoulder shifted again. With the pain, I had to come off.”
Facing the prospect of another lengthy spell on the sidelines, Mermoz is already looking ahead to September and the World Cup. He was able to put a brave face on his history of breaking down.
“I try to shrug off things like this,” he added.
“I just want to get back the feeling of being on the pitch, even though I know it won’t be straightaway. I want to stay optimistic. There are worse things.
“I’m going to do everything to prepare and give myself every chance from my side (of making the World Cup). I’m sickened that it’s been like this for two years, but I have to accept it.”
Head coach Marc Lievremont apparently sees it as a straight call between the experienced Jauzion or Clement Poitrenaud. A world-class fullback, Toulouse have been playing Poitrenaud at 12 of late and he replaced Mermoz against Scotland.
“We now have several options,” said Lievermont.
“We can make a man-for-man change and bring in Yannick for Maxime, or we could go with the backline which finished the game against Scotland.”
David Skrela is again ruled out with a calf strain so Damien Traille looks the natural understudy to incumbent and inform outhalf Francois Trinh-Duc. The Toulouse outhalf is not now expected to return until the final round of games on March 19th when Les Bleus meet Wales.
Vincent Clerc, who was named among the replacements in Skrela’s absence, will remain with the travelling party.
Meanwhile, Wales’ injury-hit campaign has claimed another victim with Wasps forward Andy Powell ruled out of the clash against Scotland next Saturday, but the Wales camp hope Powell will be back in contention to face Italy later this month.
Number eight Powell looks set to be replaced in the starting line-up at Murrayfield by former Wales captain Ryan Jones.
Niall Woods’ successor as chief executive of the Irish Rugby Players Union is expected to be confirmed this week.
A new chairman will also be named.
