Kearney must prove his fitness by today

RUGBY:ROB KEARNEY continues to progress in his battle to rehabilitate an ankle injury but must offer a definitive proof of his fitness after today's captain's run if he is to take his place at fullback for Ireland in their opening Six Nations Championship match against France at Croke Park tomorrow.

The Leinster player took a very limited part in yesterday’s training at Croke Park, reduced to some light running but no contact work.

Ireland team manager Paul McNaughton confirmed the medical team were satisfied with the progress Kearney has made since picking up the knock in a training collision earlier in the week but the injury would be rigorously evaluated today.

If he fails to prove his fitness Geordan Murphy would be promoted from the replacements, with the vacancy on the bench filled by either Girvan Dempsey or Shane Horgan. The Ireland team trained at Croke Park yesterday morning, their arrival on the pitch greeted by a snowstorm that lasted for most of their time in GAA headquarters.

The weather didn’t dissuade Ronan O’Gara and Paddy Wallace from attending to their kicking practice. Having swapped the raw conditions of Croke Park for the warmth of the Shelbourne hotel, assistant coaches Les Kiss and Gert Smal offered their thoughts on tomorrow’s match.

Defence coach Kiss is well versed with the flair and instinctive attacking gambits for which the French are renowned.

“The key factor is that they are unpredictable. The type of game that they can launch can be quite dangerous at times.

“They’re also a team that like to express themselves in those terms by keeping the ball off the ground and working offloads with deep support lines as well as lateral support lines. It’s a challenge right across the board for us. We have a lot of respect for them in that area. They’ve also expressed their intent to go all out attack.”

The physicality of the French midfield pairing of Yannick Jauzion and Florian Fritz makes them an obvious threat but Kiss suggested France’s attacking patterns enjoyed much broader parameters. “They certainly form a pretty good platform for them to work off. The threat is across the park. We have already mentioned the backrow and there are others they will work off. I think they’ll attack there (the 10-12 channel), I think they’ll attack out wide.

“The question isn’t about where they’ll run. We know they’ll run everywhere: from deep, in their own territory if they feel it’s on. We just have to be on guard and make sure people are working on and off the ball. We have trained for it.”

The long-range weather forecast suggests drier conditions come match time but the Australian accepted that if that isn’t the case, he expects the French to adapt their gameplan.

“They will do what any team does in these conditions . . . the aerial bombardment. We are well equipped in that area. Whether that pushes them away from that tactic . . . if it becomes a tighter affair we don’t mind mixing it up.”

There is a palpable enthusiasm in the Irish camp, a belief that tomorrow presents an opportunity to set down a marker for the tournament and to bring to an end a run of seven consecutive defeats against the French.

Forwards’ coach Smal explained: “There is a lot of energy at the moment. I think we are much better prepared than we were in the autumn series. We went through a growing stage, getting used to each other, we as coaches as well. There is a lot of positive energy.”

The former Springbok was asked about Ulster forwards Stephen Ferris and Tom Court. The question in relation to Ferris was on the basis that he, Smal, used to be a blindside flanker. “He was one of the players who came through strongly during the course of the year,” he said. “He has some good things in his make-up and I believe he will grow into the position quite nicely over the next couple of years.”

Smal has had limited access to the Australian-born Court and the ultimate proving ground now that he has made the matchday 22, has shifted from the training ground to the Test arena.

“I think it is still early days. I have spent three or four weeks with him. I have been watching him as much as I can. There is not a lot of depth in Ireland in terms of props and he is the best utility prop that we have at the moment.”

Croke Park confident

DESPITE YESTERDAY’S poor weather, Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna is confident the Six Nations match between Ireland and France tomorrow will go ahead.

The undersoil heating at GAA HQ will deal with any overnight frost or snow, while ground staff have been salting all of the walkways around the stadium, with the main concern being melt water that may freeze overnight.

For the match to be affected, “You’d want a severe deterioration like something we haven’t seen in Dublin for 30 or 40 years”, said McKenna.

Nor is there serious concern elsewhere, although the IRFU have said that pitches for the Ireland Under-20 match in Athlone and the A game in Donnybrook will have pitch inspections today at 10am. The union has looked into the possibility of playing the A international in the RDS if Donnybrook is unplayable.