OVER half the Ireland team that played against Western Samoa have paid the price, for that dismal performance last Tuesday night.

And the side to meet Australia at Lansdowne Road next Saturday shows eight changes in personnel and a positional alteration.

So a major surgical exercise and indeed one or two more can consider themselves fortunate to have survived the knife, most notably Jonathan Bell in the centre and perhaps the team captain Niall Hogan at scrum half. Despite the wide embracing nature of the alterations there is only one new cap in the side, 22 year old Dominic Crotty, who has been named on the left wing.

Not for 20 years has such a demolition job been done by an Ireland selection committee, but then such was the nature of the performance against Western Samoa that survival for some in the side was not an option and for some who did hold on, it was doubtful.

There are recalls to the international area for five players, two of those selected, loose head prop Nick Popplewell and second row Gabriel Fulcher had been original selections against the Samoans but were ruled out by injury and illness respectively.

Nothing the selectors have done is more justified and performance related than the inclusion of Mark McCall in the centre. He comes in for Robert Henderson; former Ireland captain Jim Staples wins a return at full back for Simon Mason; Paul Burke takes over at outside half from David Humphreys and in a positional alteration, James Topping moves from left wing to right to displace Richard Wallace and Crotty is named on the left. Hogan has held off the challenge from Stephen McIvor in a side every line of which has been changed.

Popplewell comes in at loose head prop for Henry Hurley and Keith Wood returns after an 18 month absence as hooker for Allan Clarke to face the country which he made his debut against in 1994 in Brisbane. Fulcher is in the second row for Mick Galwey and Anthony Foley is at number eight for Paddy Johns, who is unquestionably the most unfortunate of all to be dropped.

Foley, like Wood, last played for Ireland in the World Cup against Japan in May of last year when he came on as a replacement. Burke's last match was when he came on as a replacement against the US in Atlanta last January, while Staples won the last of his 22 caps against Scotland in Dublin last February.

For McCall it will be a fifth cap and his selection does no more than recognise the merit of his recent performances. He last played against England in Twickenham in March when he came on as replacement for Maurice Field. Had Field been included instead of Bell, no one could offer an argument. McCall was certainly not staking anything for granted. After he had yet again proved his worth on Saturday for Ulster he said: "I must just wait and see what happens. Obviously I would love to get back but I would not take it for granted by any means." Well back he is and rightly so.

Crotty, a post graduate student who joined Garryowen this season from UCC, has an impressive, pedigree. A former pupil of CBC Cork, he played for Monster schools, Munster under 20, Irish Universities, Irish Students and Munster at senior level. He was a member of the Ireland under 21 team that won the Triple Crown last season. He has played at full back, centre and on the wing in his career and after starting the season at full back for Munster, where he played in the Interprovincial series, he moved to the wing against Wasps and Toulouse.

"It is a dream come true for me," he said after he had heard yesterday morning of his selection. But initially he did not know - in what position he was chosen. "I think my attitude about getting on the side was one more of hope than expectation. It is a tremendous honour and to play against Australia is special. They do not come much bigger, I hope that I can justify my selection and if I do then it would obviously help me to retain my place."

Three of the players in the side Staples, McCall and Wood, are not contracted players. Ireland manager Pat Whelan said on that issue: "I will be talking to the IRFU within the next few days on the issue of adding to the list of contracted players."

Commenting on the side - Whelan said: "It took us quite a long time, three or four hours. I think Paddy Johns is probably the most unlucky to lose out. We played him at number eight against Western Samoa and as, I stated at the time one of the main reasons we played him there is because he is such an outstanding forward in general play.

"We looked at the position carefully and while he has that great ability in general play, he does not possess the necessary skills which are essential to basic number eight play. Anthony Foley has been in the squad for quite some time and his fitness levels have improved, fairly dramatically. He has shown that on a consistent basis. He is a natural number eight and for that reason we decided to go with him."

In fact Foley has played for Monster this season on the blind side flank but has plenty of experience to the number eight berth.

Whelan admitted the selectors were influenced in constructing the second row by the line out ability of Australia's pair John Eales and Warwick Waugh. The selectors believe that Fulcher offers a better proposition in the line out than Johns who again played very well for Ulster on Saturday.

"The performance given by Ulster was uplifting, showed commitment, courage and organisation," said Whelan. On the selection of Burke ahead of Humphreys, Whelan said: "Once, we omitted Simon Mason, we had to get a reasonably consistent goal kicker in the team. That was one factor and Burke has been playing very well with Bristol."