Gatland to give new boys a test

Five uncapped players are set to be included in Ireland's first team selection today in advance of next Monday's tour opener against New South Wales Country.

With the opportunities for experimentation limited largely to this game (and to a degree to the game against New South Wales) before the two Tests, the selection of all of the half dozen uncapped players in the party bar Jeremy Staunton seems probable.

Psychologically, one of the primary goals of this tour is to restore some of the squad's self-belief which was dented by the end to the Five Nations Championship. To that end, victory in the opener is imperative. Tactically and technically though, the primary ambition is to broaden Ireland's game, so the back line is likely to come under some revision.

The classy Brian O'Driscoll looks set to partner the Young Munsterbound Mike Mullins in midfield, with the former New South Wales winger Matt Mostyn (a source of much curiosity value in the local media), accommodating Girvan Dempsey's switch to full-back, on the left wing.

Tom Tierney looks like being given first shot at the scrum-half berth in his duel with Ciaran Scally, while Rob Casey may be given his sole start of the tour in partnering Jeremy Davidson in the second row. A number of big guns are being kept in reserve, it would appear, in the expectation that they will be starting the remaining three games - among them the newly-installed captain, Dion O'Cuinneagain.

If so, this could be a big game for Victor Costello, who is agonising over the possibility of leaving St Mary's to rejoin his former club Blackrock - and the indications are that he will do so. And if tour vice-captain Conor O'Shea is also kept in reserve, Keith Wood would seem the logical choice as captain.

All will be confirmed today, although coach Warren Gatland dropped a broad hint that the squad's newcomers will be given their heads in this tour opener when stating that the aim was to give each of the 28-man squad a run-out of some sort in the first two games.

By popular consent, the biggest island on earth is the most popular destination in the southern hemisphere among Irish rugby players and it took only a day to see why. Sports mad, as opposed to rugby mad, Australia's equivalent of the Superbowl is rugby league's State of Origin showdown between Queensland and New South Wales. The Irish squad's first full day here coincided with the first of this three-match series last night - Queensland winning 9-8.

Hence, the Irish squad were able to make a low-key if well-received entry following their arduous 26-hour journey via London and Singapore when they arrived in Sydney on Tuesday night.

Yesterday morning's initial press conference was a light-hearted affair. Even in these parts, Lawrence Dallaglio's troubles provide the main focus of attention on rugby union, and so his Irish counterpart was obliged to give his diplomatic slant on that unfortunate affair. "What Lawrence does in his own private time is his business," said the smiling O'Cuinneagain.

A number of high-profile drink-related stories concerning NSW rugby league stars also prompted inquiries as to the Irish party's off-pitch restrictions. "Certainly not - on the management there won't be," joked Donal Lenihan. Although if anything, added the Irish manager, with the advent of professionalism "there has been too much conservatism" in Irish rugby, "and we tend not to restrict the players too much."

A few beers were almost compulsory on Tuesday night, but this is set to be a hard-working tour and yesterday the players underwent an arduous two-and-a-half hour training session which picked up where the benchmark run-outs in Greystones left off last weekend.

The lengthy warm-up was conducted under a cloudless sky, before the shadows lengthened across the pitch and eventually the warm-down and place-kicking took place as the sun began setting.

Tackle-bag drills focused first on low rucking in twos (with the bag carrier on one knee) and the second on off-loading in the tackle while staying on their feet.

The forwards then scrummaged while the backs went through more drills, before the squad came together for a semi-contact practice match with the opposition probably none too perturbed by having to play shirtless. The opening team, on that evidence, would be: Dempsey, Bishop, O'Driscoll, Mullins, Mostyn, Humphreys, Tierney, Corrigan, Wood, Clohessy, Casey, Davidson, Corkery, Costello and Ward.

New South Wales Country are expected to be the weakest if tricky opposition, remembering how Ireland only squeezed home by 20-18 five years ago. Concerns had been raised about the quality of the floodlights for the 7.0 p.m. (local time) kick-off but a meeting between Lenihan and NSW officials resulted in the assurance that additional lights will be brought in at Woy Woy in Gosford.