Wood gets Ireland's call as captain

Keith Wood's second coming as Irish captain was formally ushered in yesterday, and it certainly ought to be a happier tenure both for the man and, one hopes, the team.

When first appointed in 1996 he was 24, and continued in the role for nine Tests until the defeat in Twickenham two years ago.

That period encompassed the highs of the successful Lions tour to South Africa in the summer of '97, after which - with scarcely time to take a breath - Wood also took on the captaincy of Harlequins.

On mature recollection, Wood needed the latter like a hole in the head, for those who are close to him maintain that he was carrying far too heavy a load on his shoulders. But this is a man who often saw Wood v the World as an even contest.

Yesterday, Wood admitted: "I would have to admit that the worst part of my career was the down after the Lions, which is very strange because that was one of the highest points.

"But it was an incredibly tough tour and we probably played too much afterwards, and I'd have to hold up my hand and admit I put too much on my plate."

He also landed himself in some hot water with his candid and realistic appraisal of Ireland's chances against the then almighty All Blacks of '97 (which he rated at 25 to 1) and of Ireland's ensuing Five Nations chances. Hence, he was a little less pessimistic, and a good deal more vague, about Ireland's prospects this time around.

"We'll set out our targets next week - whether you'll ever hear about them is another thing. But I'd like to see us winning some matches, we've only won one match a year for a while. We need to get past that. If we won two, that would be an awful lot better.

"If we got three, that would be a very good Six Nations. That is attainable, but that is pretty bloody difficult. I've found over the last couple of years that the level has gone up considerably. It mightn't be hugely attractive, but defences have got so tight that it is very hard to score."

Wood expressed a debt to Munster and Declan Kidney for reviving his "awful post-World Cup blues", though in adding "to captain your country is the best honour you can have", you sensed it was tinged with genuine disappointment for the demoted Dion O'Cuinneagain, now a close friend.

"I would have helped Dion a lot with his captaincy and he has assured me of the same - as he would - and it's about four or five players in key positions who take over. It's brilliant to be captain, but it's not the be-all and end-all it used to be."

It will hardly be as heavy a load as the last time, when all nine Tests were lost. Aside from being happier in himself, not to mention a couple of years older (he's 28 today) and a couple of years wiser, as a loyal disciple of Brian Ashton back then Wood had the additional burden of being the main link between management and players, in an era when the communication lines between the two weren't exactly wide open.

The decision might seem a bit of a slight to Dion O'Cuinneagain, yet there's a sensible pragmatism to the change. Donal Lenihan intimated yesterday the back-row is a particularly competitive area. Ireland isn't exactly top heavy with world-class players, and it's a measure of Wood's standing in the squad that he is their leading try scorer with nine.

Indeed, Wood's position is the least open to question, particularly with the injured Ross Nesdale sidelined for the championship.

Lenihan pointed out that O'Cuinneagain has been troubled by injuries during and since the World Cup, while Warren Gatland added: "It's important that he gets back to some of the form he had in the Five Nations, which was outstanding, and he was very positive about the whole decision. It was no reflection on the job that he did for Ireland. He was totally committed and very supportive of the management as well."

The vexed question of Wood's intellectual property rights, which briefly saw him mount a one-man strike at the time of the World Cup qualifiers 14 months ago, had been interpreted as something of a stumbling block to his captaincy prospects. In truth though this was a red herring, and belonged more to an era when the IRFU had a tendency to meddle in team affairs and when the manager was a union lackey.

But it was an issue worth regurgitating. In response, Lenihan said: "He returned to the squad with the same old enthusiasm and our relationship with Keith Wood has been fantastic all the time.

"I'd made people aware this afternoon that we would be appointing Keith as captain and there was nothing but congratulations and support from the whole of the IRFU."

This week's two-day get-together was less disrupted by injury than last week's, and Lenihan confirmed Ronan O'Gara has "made a big improvement" and that Bob Casey (knee) was the only one who didn't take part in any of the sessions, "but we don't anticipate any problems with him." Nor is there concern over minor knocks sustained by O'Cuinneagain and Justin Fitzpatrick.

The reduced squad of 23 or 24 will be announced tomorrow, possibly along with an A line-up. It's likely one or other of the props, locks and centres will be re-routed to the As, with the latter decision likely to give a significant pointer toward the midfield combination.

One imagines that the management will give Brian O'Driscoll a new inside partner, given their expressed wish for more invention and an acknowledgement that midfield has been one of their three main areas of debate.

Although Mike Mullins' potency with ball in hand has added another dimension to Munster's game, it has been accompanied by defensive blips. Thus, a Mullins-O'Driscoll partnership could be porous, whereas despite any reservations about too many new caps in pivotal positions (if they also go with O'Gara), Shane Horgan has looked defensively stronger and has a burgeoning provincial partnership with O'Driscoll.

Mullins and, say, John Hayes could therefore be the ones to make way. The starting team for Twickenham will then be announced next Thursday.