Fullback and outhalf are still up for grabs

SIX NATIONS:DECLAN KIDNEY tends not to make wholesale changes if he can avoid them, least of all to suggest any hints of panic. With two changes to the staring line-up and four alterations to the match 22 already forced upon him, Kidney and his Brains Trust will therefore most likely keep other changes to a minimum.

The major areas of contention, as backs coach Alan Gaffney readily conceded yesterday, will be at fullback (and by extension the composition of the back three) and at outhalf, as well as the make-up of the bench. In addition to Jerry Flannery’s suspension and Rob Kearney’s injury, Donncha Ryan (whose dislocated shoulder has sidelined him for an estimated five to six weeks) and Seán O’Brien shipped tournament-ending knocks over the weekend.

But amongst those back in consideration for the 22 are Marcus Horan, who sat out yesterday’s session through illness, but will be considered, and Donncha O’Callaghan, who has been passed fit by the medics and will be available for selection.

The latter should thus return to the 22 for Ryan, with Shane Jennings and Kevin McLaughlin vying for a place on the bench. Jennings’s experience and cover at openside may sway the decision in his favour. Stephen Ferris also missed some of yesterday’s training, but merely “to manage his load” explained manager Paul McNaughton.

Last season Ireland had virtually a clean bill of health, whereas for this game they will be missing Luke Fitzgerald, Kearney, Denis Leamy, Ryan and O’Brien as well as Flannery, and have been without Jonathan Sexton, Andrew Trimble, Murphy, O’Callaghan and Horan.

“Last year we were lucky rather than being unlucky this year,” said McNaughton.

“We got to every game with everybody available and there was no injury problems whatsoever and we had certainly less injuries than average. I think we’re at the stage now where we’re at average and we don’t want to see any more because they’re starting to pile up.”

Gaffney welcomed the options provided by the versatility of Keith Earls and Tommy Bowe as well as the return of Murphy. Their deliberations on the back three will partially be based on “a significant amount of high ball from (Jonny) Wilkinson, we suspect. Maybe that happens, maybe it doesn’t happen.

“But we’ll make sure we get a back three out there who can handle all those aspects and we’ve got some quality players there and that’s a very fortunate thing.”

The 63-times capped Murphy would have the most experience of the aerial bombardment, and of Twickenham, and a Bowe-Murphy-Earls back three has a balanced footballing look to it.

“Obviously the consideration is the fact that he’s had one full game and two cameo appearances,” said Gaffney of Murphy. “But he’s been around a number of years, and that’s nothing to do with Geordan’s age because he’s still young and sprightly, as he demonstrated today on the pitch. He can handle these situations, we know that, but so can the young bucks on the way through.”

Sexton’s performance and 22-point haul for Leinster in their win over the Scarlets on Saturday night makes the selection at number 10 “intriguing”, as Gaffney conceded. “Ronan’s performed for a long, long time and still does, so it’s going to make for an interesting selection between those two. It could go either way and both bring a lot to the party.”

It’s funny how a rare Irish defeat seemed to put a spring in the step of various contenders, especially the older guard, over the weekend. In addition to Sexton, Murphy, Shane Horgan, Horan and Peter Stringer put their hands up.

After a near vintage reminder of his passing skills and general all-round game, it’s mildly astonishing that Stringer wasn’t even included in the expanded squad, if only to keep Tomás O’Leary and Eoin Reddan on their toes.

Horgan is banging on the door for inclusion in the 22 at Twickenham, where he was the match-winner in ’06 and also played there in the win two years earlier. “He does offer a lot, Shane,” said Gaffney.

The problem for Horgan is that accommodating him would mean shifting Bowe, who remains in excellent form.

Gaffney maintained that Ireland created “real opportunities” against France – “in the first 15 or 17 minutes for example, we probably should have scored three tries, but didn’t score any. Our execution wasn’t good enough and we ran a distant second on the day to France. So we’re not saying we could have won that game but we should have performed a lot better than we did.”

England were as defensively resolute as any team Ireland have faced in the last 15 months in the 14-13 win at Croke Park last season and Gaffney is acutely mindful of England’s flexibility in this department.

“So how they defend against us, we’ve just got to be ready for what they throw at us. We think we will be; we’ve just got to be able to handle it on the day.”

The team and replacements will be confirmed at lunchtime today and may read something like:

Earls; Bowe, O’Driscoll, D’Arcy, Trimble; Sexton, O’Leary; Healy, Best, Hayes, Cullen, O’Connell, Ferris, Wallace, Heaslip. Replacements: Cronin, Court, O’Callaghan, Jennings, Reddan, O’Gara, Murphy.