Mark `Small' McCall is, well, too small, and a discriminatory tag can be a hard tag to shake off in this game. "The midfield cupboard is bare." "The midfield pickings are slim." "McCall has to stop ignoring gaps the size of the Grand Canyon." "The Scots will be licking their lips." (Mea culpa). McCall has read them all and is powerless to do anything about them.

It's not that it greatly bothers him. He's a good-natured, easy-going lad by nature. It almost amuses him. But look, he says, he never claimed to be Frank Bunce. Like everyone in this team, he didn't ask to be picked, and he can't be something he's not, and when it comes to self-assessment, he's endearingly candid.

"My game is based on workrate, making space for others, making my tackles, getting up in support and I'm never going to set the world on fire with huge outside breaks or bursting over the top of people. It's not the way I am and if people want that, then they're going to have to find some-one else. If you're picked, you're picked and you go out to do what you're good at and if that helps the team to win, that will be great."

He thinks it's funny the way people are pining for Jonathan Bell and Rob Henderson, as do they themselves. "When you talk to people like Hendo (Rob Henderson) and Johnny, Bell will tell you that when he's playing, he's the worst in the world and when he's not playing, he's the best in the world. Hendo was the worst in the world before he got injured and now he's the best in the world." McCall points out that "there's sometimes not an awful lot of space in midfield in international rugby," and he'd love to invite his legion of critics around to his livingroom to watch the videos and show him where the Grand Canyon is. "When you watch de Glanville and these guys, they're not making searing breaks."

Nonetheless, he accepts that "maybe I could have posed more of a threat, and any chance that comes along to put the ball in front of Conor or Ritchie or Dennis, I've got to do that."

In point of fact, he will be quite a significant and influential player tomorrow. Having turned 30 last November, he's actually the team's elder statesman. As one of the most vocal, he is something of a guiding midfield light and source of constant encouragement for the sometimes brittle, if more talented, David Humphreys. McCall keeps his fellow Ulsterman's "wee head up", his own wee run in the Irish team of four successive games doing much for his own state of mind.

"It is a big change," he admits, having previously felt that he never really belonged. Not that he suddenly feels as if he's part of the furniture.

"You never really feel that way. Saturday is D-Day for a lot of people. A good performance on Saturday, and obviously a win, would bring a bit more security. So I'm not thinking about winning four caps in a row. All I want to do is turn round and win on Saturday. That would be great."

Like many on this team, McCall isn't used to winning when playing for Ireland. His sole win being against Canada and as he also points out, he doesn't have much experience of Five Nations games. In fact, his championship outings have been confined to one start against Wales four years ago and an appearance as a sub against England two years ago.

Even by Irish standards, it has been a stop-start international career - this sudden spurt of regular appearances finally taking him into double figures today, but over a seven-year period and under four Irish coaches.

He's no hang-ups about it, he's not complaining and after a personally disastrous defensive outing against Italy 13 months ago, he knew he might never win another cap. Idle since breaking his thumb seven weeks beforehand against Australia, his rustiness wasn't helped by breaking the thumb again against the Italians. It was the low point of his career. But because of his 5ft 10in stature, one defensively porous display was always likely to raise more doubts about him than it would a bigger, physically stronger player. McCall can't tackle. McCall isn't big enough. End of story.

Amid the concession of over 60 points against the All Blacks, McCall proved a point. As tight as a drum days before the game, learnt some relaxation techniques and actually never felt so relaxed going into game.

The first ball Alama Ieremia got, he went straight at McCall like a bull in a china shop. "It was just what I needed," says McCall. Some time afterwards, Brian Ashton told him that he'd led the tackle count with 26. "Frankly, I can't believe that," he says modestly.

He says he wasn't trying to prove a point. "I joined London Irish (during the summer), which was a big move for me both personally and from a rugby point of view. Although London Irish haven't gone as well as we would have liked, I have definitely developed as a player. I think I'm playing some of my best rugby."

A professional approach, beginning with his most intensive programme of pre-season weight training, has seen his weight go up from 12-and-ahalf stone to over 13. "I'm one of these guys who's not going to get much bigger than that unfortunately."

He's never been a weak tackler, and by the time the Kiwis came to town, his performance shouldn't have been a surprise. The previous week he had been up against Tuigamala and Tait; the week before against Greenstock and Henderson. "If you were a weakling, you'd be found out very quickly in that league."

Nor has it just been his defensive work that has impressed people at Sunbury. Ask Willie Anderson for an assessment of McCall's impact at London Irish and he says: "He's been our player of the season so far. If you ask any other player at the club, without a doubt, to a man they would say he's been our player of the season so far.

"He does all the basics well, he puts players into space, he rarely misses a tackle, he gives confidence to the players around him, he speaks his mind and he sets a fantastic example in his training and in his attitude." Anderson pauses, and then reiterates: "There wouldn't be a player who would dispute that Mark's been our player of the season."

The defence rests.