O'Gara is forced to postpone debut

As expected, and with the cruellest of timing, Ronan O'Gara was yesterday denied the chance to make his debut for Ireland at Twickenham next Saturday when the 22-year-old Cork Constitution out-half failed a fitness test on his strained medial ligaments.

Ironically, as with yesterday's other withdrawal from the squad, Jeremy Davidson, O'Gara is eyeing Saturday week, when Constitution travel to Ballymena, as a probable return date from the injury which has sidelined him for the last two weekends.

Davidson underwent a minor elbow operation two-and-a-half weeks ago, and subsequently came through last week's two-day Irish get-together, but he suffered a reaction during the week in Castres, which meant the elbow had to be cleaned again which forced his withdrawal from the squad.

Eric Elwood has now been formally named in the reduced 22man squad, in which the presence of three locks negates the need for a replacement for Davidson.

"Given it was Ronan's first cap, unless he was 100 per cent fit we weren't going to play him," said Irish manager Donal Lenihan. "I felt very sorry for the young fella but at the same time I have to praise him for being very mature about the whole thing. He wasn't kicking the ball right and admitted he didn't feel comfortable with it, and the best thing now is just to get the injury cleared up."

The ripple effect of Elwood's promotion from the A team sees Emmet Farrell promoted to the starting line-up from the bench, where his place has been filled by Paul Burke. Another injury has forced prospective debutant A full back Peter McKenna to withdraw with an ankle injury.

With Geordan Murphy sidelined and Jonathan Bell also withdrawing from the A bench because of a hand injury, Dominic Crotty has been called into the A team at full back while Rob Henderson has been called onto the A bench.

Alan Quinlan has been ruled out of the A game with a shoulder injury as a result of which the backrow has now been finalised with Eric Miller at number eight, flanked by Simon Easterby and on the open-side by David Wallace. Andy Ward has been added to the replacements.

On a particularly bad weekend for Irish full backs, Geordan Murphy has also cried off the Irish under-21s.

England, too, have been hit with an enforced out-half withdrawal, namely Paul Grayson (shoulder) although Grayson's poor form of late was unlikely to see him challenging for the number 10 jersey. Alex King has been called up as cover from the A squad, and there is a school of thought that the increasingly unpredictable Clive Woodward might play Austin Healey at out-half.

However, as the ensuing reshuffle would lead to debutants on both wings and also mean moving Jonny Wilkinson to inside centre, thereby damaging the youngster's confidence once more, this still seems unlikely.

WALES (v France): S Howarth (Newport); G Thomas (Cardiff), M Taylor (Swansea), J Jones-Hughes (Newport), D James (Llanelli); N Jenkins (Cardiff), R Howley (Cardiff); S Quinnell (Llanelli), C Charvis (Swansea), B Sinkinson (Neath), C Wyatt (Llanelli), I Gough (Pontypridd), P Rogers (Newport), G Jenkins (Swansea), D Young (Cardiff, captain). Replacements: S Williams (Neath), S Jones (Llanelli), R Smith (Ebbw Vale), G Lewis (Pontypridd), M Voyle (Cardiff), S John (Cardiff), B Williams (Bristol).