The first Irish selection of the season will be unveiled today in advance of Saturday's opening World Cup qualifier against Georgia at Lansdowne Road. Alan Quinlan was the primary cause for concern when the 26-man squad began the countdown in Belfast yesterday, the ill-timed shoulder injury he sustained against Perpignan last Saturday week is still sidelining the Munster flanker. Three other players could not take part in yesterday afternoon's intensive two-hour session at Campbell College. However, all three, Jonathan Bell (dead leg), Daragh O'Mahony (foot) and David Humphreys (calf muscle), are expected to take part in this morning's session in Bangor, prior to which the squad will be told the team selection.
With Quinlan now unlikely to be involved, the only new cap will possibly be Pat Duignan, presuming Connacht's relative decline in the last month hasn't undone the good impression made by the Canadian-born, Aussie-reared centre earlier in the season.
Midfield has long been identified by the Irish management as the key area of development in the Irish team. If they can unearth the penetrating angles of running which Duignan has shown at inteprovincial level, allied to some creative handling inside from Jonathan Bell (who won the last of his 21 caps against Scotland the season before last) a Bell-Duignan partnership could be what they are looking for.
Certainly this game against Georgia provides a good opportunity for some experimentation. It could afford Warren Gatland and co the chance to look again at Kevin Maggs on the wing, with another success from the South African tour, Justin Bishop, now virtually an automatic choice on the right-wing and Conor O'Shea at full back.
In times past, David Humphreys's consistent form as Ulster's out-half and captain would probably have earned him a recall, especially as Eric Elwood has only played two games since his two-month absence with a knee injury. But Gatland has pretty much nailed his colours to the Elwood mast, especially in unison with Elwood's Connacht sidekick Conor McGuinness at scrum-half.
Even though Justin Fitzpatrick's improved form of late has possibly pushed him closer to selection than might have been the case a month or so ago, the rejuvenated Peter Clohessy has made an encouraging switch to loose-head, which may well re-invent his international career. Either way, Ross Nesdale and Paul Wallace should complete the front-row, with Keith Wood hopefully back before long.
The options are even more plentiful in the back five of the pack.
Paddy Johns remains captain for the moment but in a curious way the pressure on his place may intensify even more quickly were Jeremy Davidson included. He has made a huge impression on the Irish management after his injury-enforced sabbatical of almost a year. Although the Johns-Malcolm O'Kelly second-row alliance was the only consistent thread throughout last season's campaign, the Irish management must be tempted to give Davidson some further encouragement on his road to international rehabilitation. Likewise, a voraciously hungry Eric Miller has done everything right on and off the pitch since ruling himself out of the South African tour. With Victor Costello troubled by injury of late, the Irish management may feel inclined to give Miller a chance. Andy Ward is possibly the first name on the team sheet nowadays and with Dion O Cuinneagain having greatly impressed for Sale at number six on Saturday in front of the selectors, a sizeable O'Cuinneagain-Miller-Ward backrow would provide both the balance and the physical presence required to help subdue that Georgian pack.
IRELAND (possible v Georgia at Lansdowne Road, Saturday): O'Shea; Bishop, Duignan, Bell, Maggs; Elwood, McGuinness; Clohessy, Nesdale, Wallace, Johns, Davidson, O Cuinneagain, Miller, Ward.
Ulster coach Harry Williams has not conceded that they have lost their South African centre Clinton van Rensburg to Swansea.
The Welsh club have apparently offered van Rensburg (who is not contracted to Ulster) an attractive package to lure him over from Ballymena.
