RUGBY:ULSTER CAPTAIN Paddy Wallace will miss his team's Magners League clash with Leinster at Ravenhill on Saturday because of the IRFU Player Management agreement. It stipulates that senior Irish squad players may only play six of the first nine matches in the season.
Wallace came off the bench against Edinburgh in a Magners League game and subsequently started the next four matches, leading the team from inside centre. He is therefore rested for the Leinster match, a state of affairs that won’t appeal to the player or his provincial coach, Brian McLaughlin.
The game in Belfast has been billed as a kind of mini-trial ahead of Ireland’s November Test matches with Wallace’s duel with Gordon D’Arcy singled out as one of the key clashes: Wallace won’t tog out while D’Arcy started on the bench for Leinster last weekend.
Ulster prop Tom Court’s early-season injury that kept him sidelined for a couple of weeks and the fact Stephen Ferris’s season didn’t begin until week four of the present campaign means they aren’t suffering from the same national squad-imposed constraints. Andrew Trimble is the next Ulster player likely to receive an enforced sabbatical and possibly Ian Humphreys too.
McLaughlin has named a 25-man squad that includes young Jonny Shiels and flanker Tamati Horua. Ian Whitten is Wallace’s likely deputy. Rory Best, David Pollock, Bryn Cunningham, Matt McCullough, TJ Anderson continue to miss out because of injury.
Connacht coach Michael Bradley has included flanker Ray Ofisa and prop Robbie Morris in a 22-man squad. He will finalise the team today ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Firhill and a clash with Glasgow Warriors.
Edinburgh coach Rob Moffat welcomes back leading points scorer Chris Paterson – he missed the Heineken Cup victory over Ulster last weekend with a viral infection – ahead of tomorrow night’s game against Munster at Murrayfield. Paterson’s return is one of three changes to the starting line-up.
The Scottish international has scored 61 points in four Magners games to date and reclaims the fullback role. Ben Cairns links up with Nick De Luca in the centre with John Houston moving to the wing. In the pack, Scott Newlands replaces Allister Hogg at the base of the scrum.
Moffat explained: “Steve Jones played well for us last week, but I felt bringing Chris back in was the right decision. Chris has been playing well for us this season. Everybody always goes on about his goal-kicking, but first and foremost he has been playing well; looking really sharp.
“As I’ve said before, this season’s challenge is a 36-man job and it is my responsibility to manage the squad properly. Ally (Hogg) has started the first seven games of the season and has contributed well. Scott came on last weekend and did well – very few, if any of our players will start every game this season.”
The Edinburgh coach elaborated on his admiration for Munster. “It’s another massive challenge for the team, but one we are really looking forward to. Over the last few years, Munster have consistently performed well at the highest level. That is the benchmark for other teams to aspire towards and we are expecting another tough game.”
The Scottish club are still without the injured Simon Webster, Simon Cross, Ross Rennie, David Callam and Jim Hamilton.
Meanwhile, Leinster flanker Shane Jennings’ appeal against his 12-week suspension, imposed following a disciplinary hearing into an incident during the recent Heineken Cup match against London Irish at the RDS, will be heard in Dublin today.
Leinster were stunned by the ban imposed, expressing their dismay in a statement. Jennings’ team-mates were no less supportive. Brian O’Driscoll admitted: “It’s massively disappointing for the team and him as an individual. He is our vice-captain, one of the senior players. We are waiting for the outcome of the appeal, hopefully it will be overturned.”
Luke Fitzgerald pointed out: “I think anyone who has ever played against him can tell you he is a very tough player but certainly not a dirty player so we were all very disappointed with the findings. Hopefully things will go a little bit our way in the appeal.
“We have to trust them (ERC) and trust their decision . . . we have got to back them because they are looking after our safety on the pitch. But I still feel for someone like Shane who has an impeccable reputation, to be tainted like this would be a shame.”
ULSTER SQUAD: N Brady, B Botha, B Young, E O’Donoghue, A Kyriacou, S Ferris, R Diack, C Henry, W Faloon, T Horua, T Court, D Tuohy, R Caldwell, D Fitzpatrick, T Nagusa, D Cave, S Danielli, I Whitten, I Boss, I Humphreys, A Trimble, P Marshall, C Schifcofske, N O’Connor, J Shiels.
EDINBURGH: C Paterson; J Houston, B Cairns, N De Luca, T Visser; P Godman, M Blair (capt); K Traynor, R Ford, G Cross; S Turnbull, S MacLeod; A MacDonald, R Grant, S Newlands. Replacements: A Kelly, A Jacobsen, C Hamilton, A Hogg, G Laidlaw, A Turnbull, S Jones.
CONNACHT SQUAD: F Carr, G Duffy, I Keatley, F Murphy, T O’Halloran, C O’Loughlin, K Matthews, T Nathan, M Nikora, N Ta’auso, A Browne, S Cronin, A Flavin, J Hagan, M McCarthy, R Morris, J Muldoon, J O’Connor, R Ofisa, M Swift, B Upton, B Wilkinson.
Shaw calls for rethink on gym work
ENGLAND LOCK Simon Shaw believes the drive for rugby players to become bigger and stronger has seen skill sacrificed and “gym monkeys” emerge.
Shaw insists the sport is suffering from the emphasis on size over technique as England prepare for their autumn schedule without six certain starters – all lost to injury.
It has been suggested that the human body is struggling to meet the demands of the modern game, particularly in the tackle area.
Shaw, himself returning from a fractured metatarsal and likely to miss England’s first two Tests against Australia and Argentina, has called for a rethink.
“There is an argument that people are spending too much time in the gym, creating more of an athlete than a rugby player,” said the 36-year-old.
“But there is a limit to how far you can stretch your body. There’s a lot of pressure, especially on the young guys coming through, to be fitter, stronger and faster.”
