Pool A News round-up: The Irish squad - and birthday boy Paul O'Connell in particular - breathed a collective sigh of relief last night when the citing commissioner, Douglas Hunter from Scotland, decided not to cite the Irish lock for an alleged stamping or trampling incident in the 67th minute of Ireland's 64-7 win over Namibia on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, the Namibian management had completed the necessary paperwork in referring the incident to Hunter within the stipulated 12 hours of the full-time whistle.
Hunter in turn had 24 hours from the full-time whistle to decide whether the incident warranted citing, which ensured a long and anxious day for O'Connell and the Irish management.
With each passing hour the management grew more confident that O'Connell would not be cited for the incident, believing that the player could not have seen the prostrate Namibian lock Archie Graham as an Irish line-out maul rumbled forward following a catch by O'Connell.
While not exactly moving with the speed of light, fully 24 hours had elapsed since Sunday's fulltime whistle by the time the RWC organisers released the following statement: "Having had the opportunity to view the incident from all the available angles, the Citing Commissioner has, in this instance, decided that the threshold test as to whether or not the offence warranted a sending off was not reached and, as a consequence, no player involved in the incident will be cited and no further action will be taken."
The Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan responded by saying: "We're obviously delighted, but to be honest we never felt there was a case to be answered in the first place."
The squad now moves on to Adelaide today in readiness for the eagerly awaited World Cup rematch with Argentina next Sunday. After the warm weather training of Athlone and Terenure - never mind Bilbao - ironically a dark cloud seems to be following Ireland around in Australia.
Having played Romania in a gale in Gosford, a monsoon greeted Ireland for their warm-up against Namibia, and the four-day forecast for Adelaide, notionally further south and both warmer and sunnier than Sydney, is for rain each day.
Indicative of Eddie O'Sullivan's work-ethic and advance planning, he has been to Adelaide three times already to run the rule over the squad's accommodation and training facilities, and the Irish coach is fully prepared for the inevitable change in tempo after three weeks in Terrigal.
Allowing for the intense training, it has almost been like a holiday camp, and the players have been able to swim in the beach and freely walk around town with little or no hassle.
"We have been a little bit separated from the mayhem that would be Sydney which in a way was what I wanted. I wanted to get bedded in and sorted out, have two solid weeks of training and have two games.
"When we get to Adelaide I know it's going to be very different, there's going to be a lot of buzz around, we'll be right in the middle of town and the same with Melbourne, but I decided to be in the middle of it for those particular two weeks, I don't think you could spend four weeks in the middle of it really.
"Hopefully, we'll settle into Adelaide quickly. There won't be much time anyway. We're just a little separated here which isn't a bad thing."
The team and replacements will be announced tomorrow, and would seem to pick itself save for the back-row combination, where O'Sullivan can perm any three from six. Or will that be five?
Although Anthony Foley was deemed almost certain to be available for this game last week, he is still hobbling with the knee strain he picked up last Saturday week against Romania and was unable to train again yesterday, so he must be considered doubtful.
Ireland are at least better covered in this area than anywhere else, with Victor Costello and Eric Miller vying for the number eight jersey if Foley's ruled out, and both Simon Easterby and Alan Quinlan applying pressure for flankers' roles as well.
O'Sullivan's intriguing comment that he knew the balance of the back row he was looking for, but wasn't sure he would get it, could be interpreted in a number of ways.
A hunch is that Simon Easterby's fringe defence is edging him closer to a starting role than has been generally expected, especially bearing in mind the Pumas' close-in attacking game and the potential absence of Foley.
Keith Gleeson might not, after all, be safe.
Romanian coach Bernard Charreyre has made five changes to the side that suffered a bruising 90-8 loss to Australia last Saturday, thus eroding hopes the Oaks might do Ireland a favour against Argentina at Aussie Stadium tomorrow (kick-off 11.30 a.m. Irish-time).
Meanwhile, in making six changes and appointing veteran backrower Santiago Phelan as his third captain in as many matches, Puma coach Marcelo Loffreda appears to be keeping his powder dry for Sunday's rendezvous with Ireland in the Adelaide Oval.
Indeed, if this is a pointer to his selection for Sunday, it suggests that Federico Mendez will start against Ireland, as might the more mobile Lucas Ostiglia in the back row, with Gonzalo Quesada and Felipe Contepomi accommodated at outhalf and inside centre - as they were in the last minute defeat to the Springboks in Port Elizabeth last June.
That quartet, along with scrumhalf and captain Agustin Pichot, have been rested from the starting line-up for tomorrow.
ARGENTINA (1 to 15): R Roncero, M Ledesma, M Scelzo, P Sporleder, P Albacete, S Phelan (captain), M Durand, P Bouza, NF Miranda, JF Miranda, H Senillosa, M Contepomi, M Gaitan, JM Nunez Piossek, J Hernandez.
ROMANIA: G Brezoianu; M Vioreanu, V Maftei, R Gontineac (capt), I Teodorescu; I Tofan, L Sirbu; P Toderasc, R Mavrodin, S Florea, S Socol, C Petre, M Tudori, O Tonita, G Chiriac.
