SIX NATIONS/ITALY v IRELAND:PERHAPS IT was an unfair question. Neither Ireland team manager Paul McNaughton nor back-line coach Alan Gaffney makes the final team call for Declan Kidney. But the question of whether Gordon D'Arcy's conjuring trick against France was enough to start against Italy was pertinent.
The centre came on when Paddy Wallace needed attention to a face injury, and jinked over to rekindle a selection debate. For two players vying for the same inside-centre position and looking for confidence, D’Arcy departed Croke Park with the warm feeling inside and a swagger.
“We feel Paddy played well, and that D’Arce made a big impact off the bench. It was great to have someone of that quality coming off the bench and making that impact,” said McNaughton before finding touch. “There is a lot of competition in the backs area. There are a lot of players not getting into the 15: Shane Horgan, Girvan Dempsey . . . There are a lot of quality backs around.
“The coaches will sit down to decide on that issue, but it’s good to have two strong contenders for that position for the Italian match.”
Kidney is not known for his romantic notions when it comes to tight calls. But the circular nature of D’Arcy’s return is not lost on those who watched his heartbreaking departure over 12 months ago against Italy. When the Lansdowne player turned out for his club against Greystones in an AIL Division Two match two weeks ago, it was two giant steps backwards to move forward.
D’Arcy is too rounded an individual and ambitious to let pride and the notion of playing with amateurs arrest his return to the Test front line.
“I was on duty and I saw my team being beaten by Lansdowne with Gordon D’Arcy in the centre and I was accused by my Greystones’ comrades of disloyalty for allowing him to play,” adds McNaughton. “He got into the game a lot and he handled the ball a lot. He played for Lansdowne like he wanted to play for Lansdowne and was involved. He was taken off about 10 minutes from the end when the game was won. Ultimately that was his first game in the centre for over a year.
“Any games that he has played for Leinster, he has been on the wing. It was important for him to get back in and play in the centre no matter what level. It was quite a good game, competitive. It was a good exercise for him.”
What must be divined is whether D’Arcy is back at the level where he can reach the heights of old, or whether Wallace’s increasingly accomplished input under Ulster coach Matt Williams is enough for another chance.
The dilemma is that Wallace was short on game time when the injury intruded. We were given a glimpse.
“I was very happy with all that happened at the weekend from a backs perspective,” says Gaffney. “Paddy brings different things to the game. He’s a very good ball-player. He understands the game; he creates space for people on the outside. He’s a good reader of the game.
“D’Arce is a player with a lot of experience and brings other attributes. Not to say D’Arce doesn’t read the game very well, he does, but also D’Arce . . . he’s a very strong player, very good on his feet, and very good over the ball in the tackle. They have both got a lot of pluses.”
Whether Kidney sees D’Arcy as an impact player, who can watch for most of the game, then collect himself sufficiently to bring his experience from the bench, or one who can wreak havoc from the start remains with the coach.
Last weekend indicated D’Arcy can fulfil the first role with some panache. The Lansdowne match was no shot in the dark. Division Two maybe, but it was a purposeful attempt to hasten a process.
“You’ve got to run with your instincts on occasion,” says Gaffney. “We’ve got some very good rugby players. We want players to make decisions and everyone backs each other. We don’t want guys to sit there and look at it like a game of chess.”
Who best fits that description?
FRIDAY
Ireland A v Scotland A, RDS 7.30; Leinster A v Edinburgh A, Anglesea Road 1.30.
SATURDAY
Six Nations Championship: France v Scotland, Stade de France 3.0; Wales v England, Millennium Stadium, 5.30.
Women's Six Nations Championship: Italy v Ireland, Stadio M Natalli, Colleferro.
SUNDAY
Six Nations Championship: Italy v Ireland, Stadio Flamino, 2.30.
