Home fans face early morning World Cup starts

RUGBY:PREPARE FOR pint and full Irish breakfast promotions when Ireland kick off their 2011 World Cup campaign in New Zealand next September. The times for Irish group matches released yesterday means breakfast-time starts for all of Ireland's pool matches ranging from 6am to 9.30am.

New Zealand has an 11 hours time difference so locally the matches will be taking place in the evening time, although New Zealand clocks change during the pool phase. Ireland open their Pool C campaign with a game against the Eddie O’Sullivan-led USA in New Plymouth at 7am.

Six days later they face the toughest team in the pool, Australia at Eden Park, Auckland at 9.30am. On September 25th Ireland play Russia, who they have never played in the World Cup before, in their third match in Rotorua at 6am Irish time and on October 2nd play the final game in the pool against Italy in Dunedin at 8.30pm local time and 8.30am Irish time.

If Ireland progress to the quarter-final stage, which they did not do in France 2007 after defeats by Argentina and France in the group stage, the team is likely to meet either Wales or South Africa from Pool D.

That match will take place at 6pm local time or 6am Irish time on October 9th. The Ireland squad and management will be based in six different centres throughout the World Cup’s pool stages – Queenstown, New Plymouth, Auckland, Taupo, Rotorua and Dunedin.

In the Magners League Ireland’s Gordon D’Arcy, Rob Kearney and Eoin Reddan start for Leinster for the first time this season against Benetton in Treviso tomorrow evening (6.05pm Irish time). Kearney reverts to his usual place at fullback, where Luke Fitzgerald had been playing. Fitzgerald moves out to the left wing with Isa Nacewa on the right. D’Arcy partners Eoin O’Malley in the centre, while Irish captain Brian O’Driscoll is not included in the match-day squad.

Another omission is Jonathan Sexton, who could not start last week’s match against Cardiff after straining a quad muscle in the warm-up right before the game. Ian Madigan successfully came in at short notice and starts tomorrow’s match at outhalf.

“It wasn’t a great game of rugby against Cardiff but we managed to put a few more passes together,” said Reddan yesterday. “We’ve got to keep working on that, keep getting that shape that Joe (Schmidt) wants and put a good performance together against Treviso this week.

“I have played in Italy a few times before with Wasps in the Heineken Cup and with Munster as well. Attacking wise they target different areas in which they are very strong.

“They come off the line very hard and in attack they have a few dangerous players who are very good on their feet with a very good change of direction, so you really have to be on your guard.

“They are a very tough side. We know that their main goal for the season was to be good at home and you have to respect that and know what you’re getting into this week. It’s going to be very tough out there . . . a tough physical battle and we have to be ready for it.”

In the pack Cian Healy comes into the frontrow after his second-half appearance last week. John Fogarty is hooker and Mike Ross tighthead prop with Rys Ruddock taking a backrow place with Seán O’Brien and captain Shane Jennings.

Leinster have sold over 43,000 for their evening clash with Munster in the 50,000 capacity Aviva Stadium on October 2nd.

LEINSTER: R Kearney; I Nacewa, E O’Malley, G D’Arcy, L Fitzgerald, I Madigan, E Reddan; C Healy, J Fogarty, M Ross, N Hines, E O’Donoghue, R Ruddock, S Jennings (c), S O’Brien. Replacements: R Strauss, H van der Merwe, S Shawe, M Galarza, S Keogh, I Boss, F McFadden, D Kearney.

IRELAND’S 2011 RUGBY WORLD CUP FIXTURES (all times Irish): Sunday, September 11th Pool C: Ireland v USA, 7am, Stadium Taranaki, New Plymouth. Saturday, September 17th Pool C: Ireland v Australia, 9.30am, Eden Park, Auckland. Sunday, September 25th Pool C: Ireland v Russia, 6am, Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua. Sunday, October 2nd Pool C: Ireland v Italy, 8.30am, Dunedin. Saturday, October 8th quarter-final: Winner Pool C v Runners-up Pool D, 6am, Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington. Sunday, October 9th quarter-final: Winner Pool D v Runners-up Pool C, Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington.