Guinness Pro12: Provinces wait to get show on road

Andrew Trimble is back sprinting, covertly, in the company of the Ulster medical staff. Marty Moore, wearing a moon boot for a slight foot issue that flared up last week, is secreted from prying eyes at Carton House, where Ireland continue their preparations for Saturday's Test against Wales at the Aviva stadium.

The collateral damage to players in pre-season – Tommy O’Donnell’s misfortune is the most high-profile – extends beyond the international arena and into the provincial orbit.

Ulster’s Jack Owens and Ed Byrne (Leinster), both promising young players, suffered knee injuries at Kingspan Stadium, a fate that also befell Connacht pair Api Pewhairangi and Niyi Adelokun. None are minor concerns.

Next Sunday Ireland coach Joe Schmidt will inform the players which of them have made the 31-strong World Cup squad – the names must be forwarded to the tournament organisers the same day – with the information likely to be made public on Tuesday.

Puzzling

Officially the IRFU has up until Sunday, September 6th before having to announce the squad but any prevarication would be puzzling to put it mildly. Alterations to the original squads are permitted right up to departure for the World Cup.

For head coaches Anthony Foley (Munster), Leo Cullen (Leinster), Neil Doak (Ulster) and Pat Lam (Connacht) they will be able to move from the abstract to the concrete in playing roster terms when preparing for the Guinness Pro12, a tournament that begins in a little under a fortnight.

Speaking at the launch in Diageo’s London headquarters they individually broached a variety of topics but there was a common theme; a simple desire to get the season underway.

Munster, beaten finalists last season, are without O'Donnell and stand-in captain Denis Hurley (10 weeks, torn ankle ligaments) and must also get used to life without Toulon-bound Paul O'Connell.

His replacement, former Australian international Mark Chisholm, is awaiting a work permit before joining his new team-mates. Foley outlined first how they alighted on Chisholm and the low-key manner in which O’Connell clarified that he would be leaving the province.

“There are criteria, you look at the rugby, you look at the athleticism, you look at the experience, you find out about the character [of the player].

“We were fortunate to know a few people who knew Australian rugby and who know Mark Chisholm. [IRFU’s performance director] David Nucifora would have worked with him so there was a good lever there to find out about the lad.

Long process

“He has got experience, he is durable, he was captain of Bayonne last year, he played in every game, you know, so we went through all that and then a very long process to get to sign him; a couple of months’ work.”

Foley confirmed that O’Connell didn’t stand up in the dressing room and announce his decision to the squad, the news filtering out through snippets of conversation. He explained: “He never really said it, to be honest with you. He might have had small conversations with players, small conversations with me. It is not something he needed to [do], I’d imagine.

“Once I had a conversation with him and he said he was going to finish up after the World Cup, I knew he was finished with Munster; that’s why we went searching for a replacement.”

Uses the gym

Hurley would later explain that O’Connell hasn’t quite taken leave of his Munster team-mates, as he occasionally uses the gym along with the other Ireland players.

“He is in now and again. A couple of the Irish lads could be together doing a gym session and then out on the pitch for a fitness session.

“They have their own schedule. It is not until after the World Cup when you actually see him running out with Toulon we will say, yeah, he is definitely gone.”

There is another imminent departure, a different province, but this one to retirement. Gordon D’Arcy will cease to be a professional rugby player at the end of October.

If he doesn't make the World Cup squad, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen would like a chat, admitting: "He is the most capped Leinster player of all time so to have somebody of that level of experience during this phase would be really, really valuable for us.

“It’s hard to comment on in this moment in time because, to be fair to the other guys who have been in with us training, Noel Reid played at the weekend, Steve Crosbie played in the centre, Be Te’o got some minutes, Collie O’Shea . . . they are the guys that played last week.

“If Gordon comes back into the mix, it’d be great to have him.”