Gatland goes with the men in form

The Irish side to play South Africa in the first Test here on Saturday is both a predictable and a form selection. For example, as one of three new caps, the London Irish winger Justin Bishop has earned the number 14 jersey ahead of the 29-times capped but out-of-form Richie Wallace.

Similarly, Dion O'Cuinneagain deserves his selection on the evidence of his performances on tour. Admittedly, his best display was against Western Province in his natural position of number eight, but he was impressive in two outings on the blind side, even as a replacement in a lost cause against Griquas, to warrant the number six shirt.

As for loose-head, once Reggie Corrigan was ruled out then there wasn't really much option other than to give Justin Fitzpatrick a Test debut, especially given his improved all-round effort against Western Province. But Peter Clohessy might get a run at some stage.

Aside from the back-row reshuffle (which was the alignment in the tour opener against Boland), the only other changes from the Western Province game see the return of Eric Elwood from injury and a first tour start for Keith Wood, proof of the stability of the Test selection and the increasing gulf between it and the midweek side.

Trevor Brennan and Rob Henderson have been two of the few clear successes in the two midweek defeats. In fairness to the Mark McCall-Kevin Maggs partnership, they shored up the midfield against WP, and while Brennan has been refreshingly aggressive, there were hints of old flaws in his discipline against Griquas. O'Cuinneagain brought more control and ability on the ball when he came on. A first cap will surely come on Saturday anyway, and a full one may not be too long away.

"We've rewarded people who've come through in the games so far," said team manager Donal Lenihan. "We've been watching Dion all season and were always keen to get him involved. He's done well on tour and even made an impact when coming on as a replacement against Griqualand West, so he's more than justified his selection."

"Similarly, Justin Bishop has taken his chance, and he's used to the defensive formation, which is the same as that used at London Irish, so it's easier for him to slot in."

Lenihan admitted that Henderson "has played well in his matches and was a strong contender for a centre position". The hard-running, strong-tackling Wasps centre is at least rewarded with a place on the bench, as is Brennan ahead of the unfortunate David Corkery, who was injured after only a few minutes of his only start against Western Province.

"We feel Trevor is the kind of player who could make a big impact when coming off the bench for 15 or 20 minutes," Lenihan said.

If there had been a surprise, it might well have been at hooker, where Allen Clarke played well against WP whereas Keith Wood clearly needed his 36 minutes against Griquas. Lenihan admitted: "Aerobically, Keith Wood is in better shape than he's been in for a while, but the call there was closer than people might think. Allen Clarke played very well against Western Province and was strongly considered."

In essence though, this side was the best available, given the premature end to the tours of likely Test candidates Corrigan, Jonathan Bell and James Topping.

No one else was ruled out through injury, though there remain doubts about David Humphreys (groin), Gabriel Fulcher (searching for suitable gear to protect his gashed head) and Brennan (pinched nerve). The remainder of the Test squad trained for two hours in Kimberley yesterday prior to relocating to Bloemfontein.

"We worked a lot on organisation," said Lenihan. "This was the last day we could push them hard in altitude to help them acclimatise physically, before tapering down in the two days before the match."