Eric Paul Elwood

Date of birth: 26/2/69.

Place of birth: Galway.

Club: Galwegians.

Previous club: Lansdowne.

International debut: v Wales, 1993.

Profession: Full-time rugby player.

Before professionalism: Company representative with Irish Distillers.

Representative honours: Connacht, Ireland A, 19 senior Irish caps, Barbarians.

A cause celebre, a recipient of brickbats and bouquets in equal measure, a figure whose status ricochets between Messiah and scapegoat: Eric Elwood's international career has reached both ends of the spectrum.

The 28-year-old Galwegian has gone from hero to zero and back since he first burst into the national consciousness with a wonderful, match-winning display when inspiring Ireland to an unlikely victory at the National Stadium in Cardiff in 1993.

His first manifestation, the shining knight who came to banish the dark despair of a losing sequence that had spiralled uncontrollably, lasted nine matches before injury intervened. It was to prove an occasional and costly bedfellow over the intervening years.

But the first real glitch occurred when new coach, Murray Kidd, omitted Elwood for the opening match in the 1995-'96 season against Fiji. He was restored for the US game and, despite suffering another injury, was retained a fortnight later. It was to be his last cap for over a year as he was considered culpable for the defeat against Scotland.

A staple diet of A internationals followed until he was restored to the senior side for the game against France. Despite a defeat, he was retained for the Welsh game which Ireland won. A knee injury threatened his participation against England: he started, lasted 20 minutes and was spared the humiliation of the heavy defeat that ensued.

Missing a second successive thrashing, against Scotland in the final game of the season, was a good career move. Crucially, though, throughout the trials and tribulations of his career to date, Elwood has offered a comforting presence. When international rugby gets a little scary for Irish management, it is not Ghostbusters but Elwood who is summoned.

His ability to perform the basics superbly - re-starts, tackling, punting and place-kicking - compensates for a perceived weakness, a failure to bring the best out of his three-quarter line. It is a stick with which he has been beaten on the occasions that he has lost his place in the national side.

Lansdowne captain, Kurt McQuilkin, a former team-mate at club and international level, disputes the charge. "Those who claim that Eric can't get a backline moving are talking rubbish. I have played outside him on two different levels and can vouch for his ability to get the best out of a backline. It's funny how players get labelled in their career. If you throw enough mud, at times it's bound to stick."

McQuilkin believes that Irish coach Brian Ashton has installed the right man in the pivotal out-half role for today's game. The Leinster captain is better placed than most to judge, having played alongside Elwood, David Humphreys and Paul Burke at international level.

"I have no doubts that Ernie (Elwood's nickname) is the best outhalf available to the Irish team. The others guys have their own qualities, but for me, Ernie's the most consistent, the man for the job.

"I have always rated him from the moment I won my first two caps alongside him. In the second match, against Scotland, Eric was made to carry the can for the team not performing and subsequently got the flick. I don't think that was fair." What are his qualities? "He is very steady and tactically sound. He does the basics exceptionally well, is a good organiser, and tackles like a flanker. He is also the master of the classic one liner."

Elwood, renowned for being vocal on the pitch, is also noted for a sharp tongue off it. McQuilkin explains: "Ernie can make a guy feel an inch high with a single quip as I found to my cost.

"I remember going into the Lansdowne dressing-room for the first time at the start of last season. It was my first training session after arriving from Bective. Like all new boys I kind of slinked in quietly, keeping my back to the wall and grabbed the first available spot.

"I knew some of the players, but Eric best of all. I had no sooner sat down when I heard this voice, `Hey, Coochie (McQuiklin's nickname). Did you bring that stuff'. I was supposed to have brought something, I can't remember what, but had forgotten.

"Eric paused for a second then said, `Coochie, do you know where the Five Lamps are?' to which I replied `no.' He said, `well, when you do, go and hang your b***** off them'. The place erupted."

This season Elwood's stock at provincial level has soared, pre-empting his return to the national side. A central figure in Connacht's wonderful European Conference odyssey, guiding and cajoling, he is enjoying his rugby.

"When a team is playing well, when the results are going well, then it is hard not to enjoy what you are doing. When you play a nice brand of rugby everyone seems to enjoy it. We (Connacht) didn't have a good interpros, it came a bit too soon. It was real pre-season stuff.

"But the European Conference was just a constant high. Once the results start going your way then you think it's going to last forever. It lasted a long time. A big plus on a personal level was the injury factor. In previous years I had a tendency to pick up injuries. This season, touch wood, I haven't been getting the knocks."

At the beginning of the season he gave a serious commitment to rugby, quitting his position with Irish Distillers to embrace the professional ethos. Leaving Lansdowne was potentially an even braver decision. "People thought the moment I left Lansdowne for Galwegians, I had come to the end of my career.

"It's funny, people assumed that I was thirty-something. I'm only 28, so I think I might have a few years left. I have kept in touch with Galwegians through the years and told them that if they got into Division Two we'd see how the land was lying. I don't think that it is a backward step. I spoke to Brian (Ashton) about it. I wouldn't have taken it if he saw it as hindering me in any way."

Critics will suggest that Ashton's penchant for free-flowing rugby won't suit him. They could not be further from the truth, he says.

"That's the way that I have been playing with Gatty (Connacht coach Warren Gatland) all year. I don't think I have had any problems coping. Brian likes to give his players a free reign, within reason, allow them to express themselves.

"He has set out certain goals for this match, wants us to try a few things, impose our game on them, get amongst them, get in their face and cut down their space."

Ireland face a mammoth task at Lansdowne today, but Elwood insists that his team-mates know what is expected. There is no talk of victory only goals, team and personal.

"We must do the things that we have set out, counteract the things that the All Blacks are good at and really just bust our buns off the ball: I think that is very, very important. It will be fine when we have the ball, but we will have to work twice as hard when we haven't.

"That means numbers to rucks, cover tackles, in fact making two or three tackles in each sequence of play. We are realistic, we have been honest with ourselves. If we can look after the things that we have to do, chasing kicks, making tackles, doing the basics, an all-out effort for 80 minutes, then who knows.

"New Zealand play a simple brand of rugby: numbers to rucks, play the numbers, look for the space. It's not complicated, just very effective. Okay, they are strong and quick and play the game at 100 miles an hour, but there will be nothing that you haven't seen before. They just do it so well."

Elwood says the highlight of his season to date was Connacht's victory away to Begles-Bordeaux, claiming it demonstrated character after a refereeing decision had robbed them at Nice. It was a watershed.

He has no doubts as to what would constitute a success today. "If one to 15 burst their buns and give 100 per cent, enjoy it and do the things that we have set out to accomplish, then that would be great.

"What I hope is that we don't let ourselves down, that we work for the 80 minutes, not 55, 60 or 70. We will know then where we stand and how far we have to go, but only if we do ourselves justice."