Shortened pre-season vexes provinces

Release of international players:  In seemingly extending an olive branch to the provinces by permitting the piece-meal return of some frontline international players ahead of others, the international management and the IRFU appear merely to have perplexed their provincial servants even further.

"Why some and not the others," is the gist of their privately held confusion, as they are under orders to bite their lips and not sully the Celtic League landscape with any negative comments.

The 10-week pre-season, seemingly having been cast in stone, has since been re-evaluated and following the return of Ulster's Simon Best last week, Munster's trio of David Wallace, Frankie Sheahan and John Hayes, with Guy Easterby and Eric Miller of Leinster, and Ulster's Kevin Maggs and David Humphreys as well as Connacht's Bernard Jackman, have all been released this week, a fortnight ahead of schedule, for next weekend's third round of Celtic League matches in which Connacht host Ulster and Leinster play Munster at Donnybrook on Saturday.

Paul McNaughton, the recently-appointed Leinster manager, has given voice to his puzzlement - and is no doubt expressing the views of all the provinces.

"There are two issues to the whole concept," he says. "One issue is the 10-week, condition pre-season programme.

"It is what it is and we could argue all day about the merits of otherwise of it. But we knew about it from last May and there's no point in moaning about it now.

"My main concern is I just don't see the logic of what I call the pre-release programme, whereby some players were released last week, such and such this week, such and such the week after, and all the rest will be released for Celtic League (round) five.

"We're a bit perplexed by the logic of all this. For the Munster game, they have Frankie Sheahan and John Hayes as well as David Wallace being released, but we won't have Shane Byrne until next week and Reggie Corrigan until the week after."

Although their recent Kiwi signing, Ricky Nebbett, is expected to be available for his first Leinster outing this week after injury, were he ruled out again it is conceivable that an international prop (Hayes) could be scrummaging against a junior prop, Arklow's Anthony O'Donnell.

McNaughton points out this happened in Ravenhill last Saturday, when O'Donnell went up against Simon Best for the last quarter of the game.

"Leinster are not being paranoid that Eddie (O'Sullivan) and the boys would do this to us in the week we're playing Munster," McNaughton comments. "We' re just a bit perplexed by the logic of players being phased back in."

Indeed, arguably no player carried a greater load last season than John Hayes, when clearly he was obliged to play for Ireland with injuries, and one would have thought if anyone needed a 10-week pre-season, or be wrapped in cotton wool given the paucity of international cover at tighthead, it would be him.

Yet, by comparison, Donncha O'Callaghan - who hasn't started a game since April and hasn't played as much rugby as he should have done for a few seasons now - is still being held back.

And why Hayes, but not Corrigan? It would seem to give Munster a potential edge in the front-row exchanges in Saturday's match.

The unexpected availability of some players also raised issues for the provincial managements with regard to their readiness for Celtic League matches, as they hadn't been involved in the same contact work as those who haven't been part of the pre-season get-together; never mind the difficult selections that are now being forced on them.

One of the most striking examples of this is the return of Miller.

Previously a first-choice blindside flanker in the Leinster scheme of things, it would be hard going on Aiden McCullen if he was omitted to accommodate Miller's return, for his form has been excellent in Leinster's unbeaten start to the season.

The same goes for Des Dillon and Shane Jennings in the back row, while Victor Costello has also made a big impact in both Celtic League games in which he has been introduced as a replacement.

Declan Kidney and the Leinster think-tank are expected to reveal their hand today, and it could be that Miller's return is accommodated on the bench alongside Costello, with Ciarán Potts losing out.

Easterby's availability also gives Kidney a dilemma at half back, given the presence of Brian O'Riordan, Brian O'Meara and David McAllister.

The others should have no great difficulty in accommodating the select few who have been released this week, though Wallace's return may mean a reshuffle of the Munster back row with Stephen Keogh losing out, given it would be unthinkable that the promising Denis Leamy would be dropped after his form so far.

Munster have it relatively easy now. Wait until Anthony Foley and Alan Quinlan are permitted to play again.