Hickie gets another chance

Denis Hickie is the only member of Ireland's starting XV from last Saturday's first Test defeat to South Africa who has been selected to play in the penultimate game of Ireland's seven-match tour against North West Districts in Potchefstroom.

The Irish management clearly see this game as a chance to work on the defensive area which has caused the team most problems of late. It may also be seen as a chance for Hickie to exorcise the memory of his defensively awry performance against the Springboks, when his opposite winger Stefan Terblanche equalled the South African try-scoring record of four tries in a Test.

Otherwise, the midweek team reverts to type, with Brian O'Meara returning at scrum-half instead of Derek Hegarty and Allen Clarke being given a run at hooker instead of Bernard Jackman. Another more surprising change sees John Hayes given his first start of the tour instead of Peter Clohessy, who has been left on the bench.

David Corkery is also given only his second start of the tour; there are two vacancies in the back-row where David Wallace and Anthony Foley are nursing ankle injuries, with Trevor Brennan on standby. Accordingly, two further vacancies have been left on the bench.

The team arrived in Pretoria last night for the final stop on tour, with not too much misgivings about leaving Bloemfontein. Rob Henderson had his room pilfered on Saturday evening, and amongst the items stolen was the Springbok shirt he exchanged after Saturday's game.

Of Saturday's first Test, it perhaps says something for the team's progress this year, that they themselves expected better.

"I think one or two of the senior caps were slightly overawed playing against the Springboks for the first time," detected Eric Elwood. "But despite the score, I enjoyed it, and we'll come back strongly next week."

Keith Wood, who technically took over as captain again for the last seven minutes, said: "I think we made a few mistakes we'll rue tomorrow. But it was good to see the guys so close at the end of it. Even with five minutes to go in the match we concentrated on what we did for five minutes. They still scored another try but we didn't put our heads down, and that has happened in the past."

"I was a bit disappointed I gave away that penalty," admitted Wood, rueing the yellow card for stiff-arming an opponent. "It was an accidental penalty. I was trying to hit him as hard as I could. The only thing was I thought he was a yard further away. But I was reasonably happy. A personal highlight must have been the 45th minute charge through the South African midfield at pace, followed by the covering tackle on Terblanche to put the quadruple scorer into touch. "I love tackling wingers," said Wood with that big grin. "They get so upset to see a fat bald guy running across and knocking them over. But I tell you I took a breather after that as well. It was about two minutes before the ball came in for the line-out."

It ought to be more difficult second around, yet Wood maintained: "I hope it will be a lot closer. We've got to be looking to draw the series, tough and all as that may sound. It has to be in our mind to do that."

Onward to Pretoria then, with one interlude in Potchefstroom, and, for one last time on this unending tour to end an unending season, they gotta bop 'til they drop.

Ireland: C Clarke; R Wallace, K Keane, R Henderson, D Hickie; D Humphreys, B O'Meara; D Clohessy, A Clarke, J Hayes, M Galwey, G Fulcher, D Corkery, AN Other, AN Other. Replacements: (with two to be added): C O'Shea, K Maggs, D Hegarty, P Clohessy, B Jackman.