'We need to play as a team' - O'Gara

THREE CHANGES in personnel to the starting line-up, including a surprise if welcome recall for Geordan Murphy, appear to have lent a more dynamic look to the Irish team which takes on Argentina in what amounts to a World Cup pool match at Croke Park tomorrow.

There is also at least one change on the bench with specialist cover at lock. But it is the change in attitude inspired by the events of last Tuesday - candidly highlighted by Ronan O'Gara yesterday - that could prove just as significant.

Those of a more cynical bent may feel he was playing to the gallery but in latter years O'Gara has become nothing if not searingly honest at times.

His feelings would have reflected everyone else's amongst the 25,700 crowd and the peak audience of over one million, especially those of the watching Munster internationals. "Irrespective of who we are playing this weekend, we need to play as a team and for each other. The problem is not outside with the opposition. We need to start buying into the Irish jersey a little more. Having been at the game on Tuesday night, you could see what it means to fellas and we can take a lesson from that. It was a kick up the ass for everyone, we have to start playing with pride again.

"There was something lacking," he added of Ireland's performance last week in a somewhat downbeat if typically self-analytical demeanour. "I've been asking myself all week what it is and I'm still looking for answers. It shows with passion what you can achieve. We have to learn from that and get ourselves right."

Being there had, he said, been inspiring. "We need to play for each other a bit more. I presume we'll talk about it from lunchtime, we can get it right. We have unbelievable players but we need to back each other a bit more."

He added: "There was an unbelievable mixture of emotions because you were more or less in awe of the performance. You're thinking in a selfish way could you have made a difference and gotten over the line. That is probably what the other nine who were watching were thinking too. The whole event was amazing. It's rare you are able to watch them because you're normally involved in them."

Sitting alongside him, Declan Kidney was put on the spot a little and responded: "That's players talk, they know how they feel, the coaches' role is to facilitate players. I took this job because of my belief in them. Sometimes we don't talk about things, we just move on. The game last Saturday is lost. New Zealand played very well."

Alan Quinlan's ridiculous suspension meant there was always going to be one change to the backrow, and unsurprisingly, Stephen Ferris steps in at blindside flanker. The recall of Munster's Jerry Flannery at the expense of Rory Best's more renowned set-piece game is perhaps in keeping with the changed mindset, but Murphy's selection is the most eye-catching.

By my calculations, this is the 13th time Murphy has been "recalled" to the Irish team. The last time he played back-to-back Tests at number 15 was in the summer of 2006 against New Zealand and the last time he played a complete game in his favoured and most effective position of full-back was in the 34-13 win against Scotland in Croke Park last season when he was man of the match.

At a stroke, the Irish backplay should have more of a counter-attacking game, a greater threat in broken play, more support trailers for line-breaks - witness his try against the Pumas in that 30-15 World Cup defeat in Paris - and a further playmaker out wide.

Admittedly, Murphy does not provide the kind of defensive security which the peerless positional play and defensive decision making of Girvan Dempsey provides, and he can expect an aerial bombardment from Juan Martin Fernandez.

But he is excellent himself under the high ball and his presence undoubtedly adds to the team's attacking arsenal. While, as ever, reluctant to "bracket" players, Kidney said: "He is a good reader of the game, a good team person, a good pro. Like all players he has strengths and the odd few things wouldn't go his way. I prefer not to over-emphasise the positives because I wouldn't over-emphasise anything that went wrong afterwards but that doesn't just go for him. We all know what he's good at and what he brings to the team."

There will be those who feel Rob Kearney should be playing there, but it's not as if he has been lost to the team. While it is unlucky on Shane Horgan, who stated his case in a late cameo against Canada and has been training well, so too, apparently, has Murphy in the various backline permutations that have been tried out this week.

Peter Stringer can also feel unlucky after his stirring performance for Munster against the All Blacks on Tuesday night. All in all it looks like a strong, balanced selection - indeed, one that was anticipated at the outset of the autumnal programme save for Tomás O'Leary's elevation at scrumhalf. Murphy did sustain "a bit of a bang" which forced him off before half-time for Leicester last weekend, Kidney admitted, "but he has been in since Monday and training well".

While Kidney expressed no concerns about Paul O'Connell, the dead leg he suffered against the All Blacks partly accounts for Malcolm O'Kelly's recall to the bench, as does the absence of Shane Jennings (knee). Pending Quinlan's appeal, Kidney left a vacancy on the bench, where there is also concern about Denis Leamy.

Brian O'Driscoll admitted there was both an added incentive and added pressure to the game which, because of the rankings for the World Cup draw, Kidney likened to a cup final. "Some of their guys are at the top of their game, they can drop goals if they get in our half. They can pick up points, they have a way of keeping the scoreboard moving along. They exploit weaknesses, they have a strong set-piece and have elusive runners. You don't get to being ranked fourth by having a bad side."