Murphy hears Ireland's call

Munster hero Barry Murphy has been rewarded with a call-up to Ireland's Six Nations squad as cover for the injured Girvan Dempsey.

Murphy, who turned in a man-of-the-match performance during Munster's thrilling demolition of Sale on Saturday, will train with the Ireland squad this week ahead of the Six Nations curtain-raiser against Italy on February 4th.

Murphy operated in the Munster midfield against Sale but is equally comfortable on the wing or at full-back. With Ireland's first-choice midfield pairing of Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy in equally scintillating form, his best chance of a debut is likely to be in one of these positions.

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan is confident the young Limerick star can make his mark.

"Barry has shown significant improvement with every game he has played this year with Munster," he said. "His call up to the national squad is due reward for his performances to date".

O'Sullivan was without seventeen of his 35-man squad for training this afternoon, forcing the coach to cancel the session. However, with the exception of Dempsey, O'Sullivan is confident all will be fit for tomorrow's run-out as the focus switches from the Heineken Cup to the international stage.

"Although none of the injuries are a major fitness concern, given the fatigue levels after the weekend, there is no benefit to be had from training today," explained O'Sullivan.

"The players will need some time to recover from what was a tough but hugely successful weekend for Ireland in the Europe. The extra days rest will allow the players to recover sufficiently to hit the ground running tomorrow".

Dempsey's fitness will continue to be monitored by the Irish medical staff and a decision on his involvement will be made later in the week.