Erskine and Maggs stay in

Just as in the political spectrum, it seems genuine left-wingers are no longer flavour of the month in the higher echelons of Irish rugby. As expected, Brian Ashton and his two fellow selectors limited their post-All Blacks surgery to just two amendments for next weekend's encounter with Canada: David Erskine replaces Eddie Halvey, while converted centre Kevin Maggs comes in for John McWeeney on the left wing.

Both replacements were made during the course of that 63-15 defeat, and with Ross Nesdale on stand-by should Keith Wood's sprained ankle ligaments not heal in time, the team which starts against Canada could be the team that finished the All Blacks' game in all bar one position (scrum-half).

Manager Pat Whelan admitted that choosing Erskine above Halvey was a close call, just as it must have been for the New Zealand game. "When Erskine came on as a replacement, he made a bigger impression than Halvey," Whelan said, "but Eddie is still very much in the frame and is in the replacements' panel."

The selection of Maggs, an accomplished if not a particularly quick centre with Bristol, is hardly a ringing endorsement of the posse of left-wingers left out, beginning with Ballymena full-back cum left-winger Jan Cunningham on the replacements bench, Darragh O'Mahony and McWeeney on the A side, and, on the A replacements' bench, Justin Bishop.

Not included anywhere, despite his appearances at Irish squad sessions, is John Lacey, while way, way out in the wilderness lies a certain Niall Woods, who Willie Anderson and others contend is a "world-class finisher".

Woods, however, seems to have dirtied his bib irrevocably with a few missed tackles on the Development Tour, whereas Maggs, without providing much of a major attacking threat, is remembered fondly by Ashton and Whelan for shoring up that porous flank.

Of McWeeney, who has the consolation of a place on the A team, Whelan said: "He has come a long way in a very short space of time. He just needs a little more time to adjust to the higher levels of the game."

Among the players not considered for selection were wing Richard Wallace, full-back Conor O'Shea and lock Jeremy Davidson. With both Wood and Eric Miller carrying ankle injuries, Northampton's Allen Clarke and Victor Costello, of St Mary's College, will be brought in as cover when the squad assemble in Limerick next Tuesday.

"Miller's medical advisors have given us a confident report. But if Wood is forced out, his place will go to Ross Nesdale and the captaincy will go to Nick Popple well," said Whelan.

McWeeney is one of eight full internationals in the Ireland A team to play Canada at Ravenhill in Belfast next Wednesday evening.

The others are full-back Ciaran Clarke, wing Darragh O'Mahony, centre Jonathan Bell, out-half Paul Burke, prop Peter Clohessy, lock Gabriel Fulcher and flanker David Corkery. A feature of the selection is the inclusion of Saracens scrum-half Brad Free. He is an Australian whose mother hails from Dublin. A brief, try-scoring appearance as a substitute in the Development v Exiles trial last week, when he stood out with his pace and link play, is enough to elevate Free to third in the scrum-half pecking order ahead of Guy Easterby.

Stephen McIvor, a fully paid up member of the Irish squad who began the season in second place, is another banished to the wilderness, like his teammate David Wallace.

Still, the selection of Connacht's long-serving and rejuvenated hooker, Billy Mulcahy, will reinforce the view that life is just.

Ireland A (v Canada in Belfast on Wednesday): C Clarke (Terenure College); D O'Mahoney (Moseley), J Bell (Northampton), M Lynch (Young Munster), J McWeeney (St Mary's College); P Burke (Bristol), B Free (Saracens); J Fitzpatrick (London Irish), W Mulcahy (Skerries), P Clohessy (Young Munster), G Fulcher (London Irish, capt), B Cusack (Bath), D Corkery (Bristol), A Quinlan (Shannon), S Easterby (Leeds). Replacements: J Bishop (London Irish), K Keane (Garryowen), G Easterby (Rotherham), D Molloy (Wasps), S Ritchie (Ballymena), G Walsh (Garryowen), G Heaslip (Galwegians).