Geordan Murphy, the Leicester Tigers full-back, could be in line for a sensational return to the Ireland side for their Six Nations match against Wales at Croke Park on Saturday.
Ireland coach Declan Kidney will name his match day 22-man squad on Tuesday, but with Lions full-back Rob Kearney currently sidelined for up to five weeks with a knee injury, Murphy is back into contention for his first international action since appearing as a substitute as Ireland completed their Grand Slam triumph against Wales last March.
Murphy’s timely return, however, has been tempered by two more injuries within the Ireland camp, with Seán O’Brien and Donnacha Ryan the latest casualties.
O’Brien fractured his lower leg in the opening stages of Leinster’s 27-14 defeat of the Scarlets at the RDS on Saturday, and will be out for 10 weeks, while it was confirmed that Ryan dislocated his shoulder in Munster’s defeat of Edinburgh last Friday. Both were on the bench in Paris and against Italy.
Either Shane Jennings or Kevin McLaughlin, who started against Italy in the absence of Stephen Ferris, are in line for promotion to the Ireland bench. If Donncha O’Callaghan gets the all clear from a knee injury he would also probably make the replacements.
Ulster captain Rory Best, who has made a remarkable recovery from a neck injury sustained last summer that was originally thought to have ruled him out of this season, is set to replace the suspended Jerry Flannery at hooker, with Connacht’s Seán Cronin likely to be named on the bench.
Meanwhile, Wales head coach Warren Gatland looks set to name Sale scrum-half Dwayne Peel in his match day squad for the visit of France to the Millennium Stadium on Friday.
The Sale scrum-half, who has recovered from the groin injury that saw him miss Wales’ matches against England and Scotland, was called into Gatland’s 34-man squad having proved his fitness by playing 80 minutes of the Sharks 19-10 Guinness Premiership defeat by Leeds over the weekend.
Peel’s availability will come as a relief as Gareth Cooper has struggled in the starting role thus far in the championship and Gatland is glad to have 72-times capped Peel available for selection.
“It was important for us to see Dwayne come through 80 minutes of rugby,” Gatland said.
“But, once he proved his fitness, it’s obvious that a player of his experience and talents would provide a welcome boost to any squad.”
The 28-year-old Cardiff Blues back-row forward lost his Wales place after he was charged with driving a golf buggy "whilst unfit through drink" following Saturday's victory over Scotland.
Powell will appear at Cardiff Magistrates Court on March 2, four days after Wales take on France in the Championship.
However, despite being ruled out of that game and almost certainly Wales' other championship matches against Ireland and Italy, a statement released by Powell's agent, Mike Burton, highlighted the player's desire to regain his position.
"Andy will now work towards re-establishing himself in the Welsh squad at a time when the WRU team management think fit," he said.
Scotland threequarter Thom Evans is to undergo a second operation on his neck. The Glasgow wing, 24, suffered a serious injury after colliding with Wales full-back Lee Byrne at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
He had an operation that evening but surgeons have decided a second procedure will be required later this week before he is released from University Hospital, Cardiff.
An independent committee will convene in London on March 2 to hear the appeal lodged by Stade Français prop David Attoub against both the finding of foul play and the 70-week ban he received for eye gouging in the Heineken Cup game against Ulster in December.
Jerry Flannery will go before a disciplinary hearing in Dublin this morning to discover whether he will be able to play in all of Ireland's remaining Six Nations games.
The Ireland hooker has been charged with kicking France wing Alexis Palisson in Saturday's 33-10 defeat in Paris. If the citing is upheld, Flannery faces at least a four-week suspension, which would rule him out of Ireland's games against England and Wales. Ireland close their campaign against Scotland on March 20.
Springbok centre Jean de Villiers will leave Munster at the end of the season and return to South Africa to improve his chances of playing in next year's World Cup.
"This is perhaps my last opportunity to represent my country at the Rugby World Cup and after consultation with SARU it has become clear that to qualify for selection players must be playing their rugby in South Africa in the season leading up to the competition," he said.
Wales’s slide from the top tier of international teams gathered momentum with a lacklustre performance at Twickenham. England were not that good but for all bar 20 minutes. Wales were that bad. Muscle and mean defensive mentality has become the leading edge of their game but Wales’s players remain at their best playing attacking rugby.
Martyn Williams is a glorious link and Jamie Roberts and James Hook are capable of causing endless problems to the best teams while Stephen Jones is never afraid to stand flat and in the firing line. The scrum is good and should be much better still this weekend. They are overwhelming favourites to beat Scotland this weekend but the Welsh players will need to cut out the stupid mistakes that undermined them in London. In the 10 minutes Alun Wyn Jones was sitting out his sin-bin sentence, Wales leaked 17 unanswered points. The Welsh management didn’t hold back in their criticism but teams frequently play with one man down and rarely concede so much. Shouldn’t the defensive system of Shaun Edwards be subjected to more scrutiny than it has so far?
Scotland are not the ideal test of Edwards’ defence. Phil Godman has been dropped and Dan Parks recalled in the merry-go-round of two substitute internationals taking their turn to play and be dropped. Chris Paterson is not the ideal answer but Scotland have a few decent full back options and he kicks goals, while bringing experience in the position.
They have a superior balance to their attack with Rory Lamont adding more bite alongside his brother Sean, who caused genuine problems for France from the wing. Andy Robinson has moved him into the centre to get him more involved. It’s logical but it doesn’t always work.
What must work if Scotland are to win is their back row for whom Johnnie Beattie was excellent in Edinburgh. With Robinson running the side this comes as no great shock. The man knows his back row. Robinson will be delighted to have Euan Murray back from his self-imposed Sunday exile. Scotland would like nothing more than Murray’s inspiration as a changing-room presence, but in the likely absence of divinity, they will have to make do with...
SCOTLAND have been accused of running scared as their Six Nations plans were dealt a severe injury blow.
Wales coach Warren Gatland hit the roof after Andy Robinson demanded the dome remain open at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Gatland claims Scotland plan to take advantage of predicted rain and snow to turn the game into a slugfest he fears is contrary to the spirit of entertainment.
But Robinson dismissed his claims amid more pressing concerns over injured second row Nathan Hines who has been ruled out of the Cardiff trip.
The Australian-born lock will be replaced by Edinburgh star Jim Hamilton who swaps an afternoon walking his dog for the chance to bare his teeth against the Welsh scrum.
Robinson told Welsh rugby chiefs he wanted the roof kept open as it's only ever closed when agreement is reached between both teams.
Gatland said: "The weather we're expecting for this weekend is not great and it is supposed to be cold with possible snow.
"But Scotland asked on Tuesday for the roof to be open and it's disappointing.
"I understand we want to play the game under natural conditions and i fit's sunny at this time of year then great.
"But if it is raining I don't understand why you wouldn't want to make use of the roof.
"We all have a responsibility to the game, to the media, to the public and the sponsors. So if we have roof let's close it, have some sanity and see some positive rugby.
"Why play in the rain and bad weather if you don't have to? "Euan Murray is back to make their scrum stronger and I'm sure Scotland will hope it's a day in Cardiff which is p****ng down with rain."
But Robinson claims he would have handed the Welsh a pre-match boost if he had agreed to play with the elements held in check.
He said: "Six Nations rules state that if we want the roof open, it's opened. It's an advantage to Wales to play with the roof closed.
"He says what he needs to say but every other game in the championship is played without a roof.
"Let's get on with it." Scotland jet out to Cardiff today as they seek only their second win on the road in eight years.
They last won on their travels in Italy in 2006 and before then it was against the Welsh in 2002.
The loss of Hines is a blow. He suffered a calf strain and aggravated a previous ankle injury during the 18-9 defeat to France at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Hamilton has just returned to action after a knee injury ruled him out of the first half of the season.
He said: "I was all set to walk my boxer dog Bruce on Saturday as I didn't expect to be part of the group."
I am sure my fellow resident on these pages, Brian Moore - with whom I have more than once enjoyed banter on the airwaves - will welcome a calibrated alternative view of the events of March 17, 1990, when Scotland beat England to win the Grand Slam at Murrayfield.
Glory day: Chris Gray, David Sole and Finlay Calder celebrate during the 13-7 Grand Slam victory over England at Murrayfield Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Brian believes – understandably given the way the sky fell on England that afternoon – that almost supernatural forces propelled Tony Stanger across the line for the Scots' winning try.
In his book, Beware of the Dog, which has rattled a few cages north of the border, Brian states that antipathy towards Margaret Thatcher, loathing of the poll tax and downright xenophobic anti-Englishness were behind Scotland's greatest ever victory on the rugby field.
Well, it is certainly true that the Iron Lady was not held in the highest regard in Scotland but the day she was demonised at a sporting event was when she turned up at Hampden Park for the Celtic v Dundee United Scottish Cup final in 1985.
She was greeted with a mass display of red cards in protest against health service cuts and then had to sit through a barrage of songs and chants of such profanity – including one about her husband, Denis – that they cannot be hinted at here.
By contrast, Murrayfield, with its large numbers of supporters drawn from the Scottish public and private school system, was much more like Thatcher's natural constituency.
As for the poll tax, while substantial numbers protested by refusing to pay in Scotland, there was no civil disorder.
In fact, the worst violence, which left5,000 injured and led to 339 arrests – happened in Trafalgar Square exactly two weeks after David Sole's side won the Grand Slam.
On the other hand, a certain frisson may have been created by the evident assumption on the part of several English players that they had only to turn up to collect the prize – hence their insistence on being photographed underneath the posts with the rugby WAGs an hour before kick-off, an event noted by the home support and players.
And, as my wife and I left Murrayfield that day, we came across a white woollen sweater trampled into the mud.
It bore the red rose crest, around which were the words "England 1990 Grand Slam Winners".
I have always regretted that we didn't take it home and stick it in the wash.
Still – and my dear friend Brian will be the first to say as much – it is never too late to cleanse the doors of perception.
At Murrayfield he confronted his demons and scored two tries, and now in Paris Mathieu Bastareaud will face the world's best centre – Brian O'Driscoll.
It will be a pivotal clash in probably the key game of the 2010 Six Nations. Bastareaud is beginning to make the headlines for the right reasons again, for which he and France are grateful.
That brace of tries against Scotland has got the French rugby public back onside – there were many who felt his recall was premature after the disgrace he brought on Les Bleus by his false accusations of an assault by a street gang in New Zealand. A command performance against the Irish would surely see all sins forgiven.
It should be a personal clash to savour at the Stade de France, the ground where 10 years ago a young O'Driscoll – 21, as Bastareaud is now – announced himself to the rugby world at large with a match-winning hat-trick of tries against for Ireland against the French.
O'Driscoll has reigned supreme for a decade since then, but you fancy Bastareaud is a worthy opponent and an individual capable of being the benchmark midfield player in the Six Nations well into this next decade. A changing of the guard possibly? O'Driscoll will resist, like all great
"Mark is a very young man and his actions in New Zealand were those of an immature young man not used to the responsibilities of representing his country abroad," France coach Marc Lièvremont said. "It was a difficult personal time for him and he paid a high price but now he has been reintegrated into the squad. He has been rehabilitated and we start again.
"Mathieu is a wiser man. He has apologised to everybody who needed apologising to many times over. He cannot apologise any more, the incident is over. He can only play good rugby and conduct himself in the appropriate fashion. His abilities have always been evident and now he is a hungry man with points to prove, which is always good in a player."
A cousin of the France and Arsenal centre-back, William Gallas, Bastareaud burst on to the scene at the 2007 Under-19 World Cup in Belfast and was always going to be fast-tracked into the senior team. A product of Créteil rugby club and humble SU Massy of the French third division, Bastareaud was eventually signed by Stade Français.
Built like a dump truck and weighing 17st 7lb with power to add, Bastareaud can claim to be the heaviest centre playing Test rugby. He has, however, surprising pace, which sometimes catches out opponents steeling themselves to tackle a straightforward battering ram, and he also possesses a better than average pair of hands, which gives him other options.
"We are going to polish up our report to Paddy O'Brien [head of the International Rugby Board's referee commission]. Refereeing is a factor of the game we can't control but we'll still try to solve the problem."
Heaven knows what the so-called Celtic Tiger era was all about, but nothing seemed to epitomise those frantic, party-hearty, naughty, boom years more than Ireland's amazing 27-25 win at the Stade de France 10 years ago. On a bright Sunday afternoon in March Ireland, without a victory in Paris in 28 years, conjured rugby from the gods. Brian O'Driscoll scored three tries in 80 minutes, which equalled Ireland's total in Paris for the previous 20 years, and David Humphreys, who had missed a kick to win the corresponding game at Lansdowne Road the previous year, nervelessly smacked over the winning penalty three minutes from time.
For Ireland – the sporting nation and the country itself – it was a high point after years in the doldrums and as the new millennium dawned, all dreams now seemed permissible. Much of that has dissolved before our eyes and the economy is in tatters again, but for Irish rugby it really was the beginning of something good, one of the few enduring legacies of the Celtic Tiger.
Admittedly it has not always been the smoothest of paths. Rather typically, at the time, Ireland slipped to a disappointing home defeat against Wales just two weeks after that glorious day in Paris, showing an inconsistency they have had to battle against, and further down the line the 2007 World Cup debacle remains as inexplicable as ever. But that win in Paris undoubtedly provided the emotional juice and inspiration for just about everything good that followed.
"I was just a young kid that day wearing a jersey about four sizes too big for me. I looked faintly ridiculous," recalls O'Driscoll. "I was pretty naive in many ways but that was a really good thing because I had no preset idea as to how big the occasion would be and how big the win was. That came home when you saw all the emotion on the faces of our older players.
"It was another important rugby match at a big venue but there was no baggage or fear as far as I was concerned. It changed my life though. The day we got back I went to a schools cup final in Dublin and got absolutely mobbed for an hour or so by kids wanting autographs, which was entirely new to me. Something very big had clearly happened. It was a huge boost for Irish rugby."
O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara and John Hayes remain in the Ireland team from that day, 90+ cap veterans who have fulfilled most of their rugby dreams, although they have yet to win in Paris again, something which is high on their personal agendas on Saturday.
Others, such as Peter Clohessy and Mick Galwey, were experiencing something very special after long years at the coalface while Keith Wood, who had just started his second term as Ireland captain that season, was inspired enough to defy serious groin and shoulder injuries for another three years until the 2003 World Cup.
Just a year adjacent Rugby Football Union chief supervisor Francis Baron issued a stark warning about the pains that the economic downturn was having on the game's finances in England, Twickenham appears to have false an almost capacious money compensation.
cheerful outlook: Twickenham's recovery will pleasure Francis Baron, the Rugby Football band chief executive, who had warned of tough times ahead Photo: GETTY IMAGES
While the UK economy managed just 0.1 per cent growth over the last three months of 2009 to emerge from the recession officially in January, the revenue-generating powers of Twickenham take it trumped-up a much more bullish recovery.
Despite a warning from John Feehan, the Six Nations chief executive, that the tournament was not resistant to the recession, corporate gentleness sales have soared by over 60 per cent at Twickenham, which celebrates a century of Test rugby when England appearance Wales.
The spike in corporate understanding sales for England's two internal Six Nations matches contrasts sharply with Baron's prediction just pursue September that he expected proceeds from corporate packages to be unchanged considering a further two years, after last season's dramatic fall of 35 per cent on pre-credit crunch figures.
Moreover, the RFU estimate they could have filled the 82,000-capacity ground twice over for both of England's home matches this season, castigate Wales on Saturday also Ireland on Feb 27, despite a 2.5 per cent gather dominion tab prices sequential last month's VAT rise.
The bounteous Marriot hotel located pressure the redeveloped south stand is also set to be inspired out for both weekends of the Six Nations matches, and has benefited from the use of Twickenham for club rugby, such as London Irish's Heineken Cup wrangling against Leinster.
"Overall we are spell handsome opportune shape," said the RFU's business operations director, Paul Vaughan. "Generally what we have enter on is that tickets in that both the Wales again Ireland games are in huge challenge and we could probably have sold at headmost double the amount of tickets.
"Where we thought palpable would not be very easy was in terms of corporate hospitality, but I am very joyous to say that has guilty evolution extraordinarily well besides beaten our expectations by some distance.
"Last year our corporate hospitality sales were about 35 per cent down. At the gain of 2008, when the credit crunch hit, the corporate hospitality doorstep in truth got hammered also that affected the 2009 Six Nations through well.
"For the November Tests remain life span it started to punch maturing a little bit, and in that we have moved through to these two Six Nations matches, we are indeed sold outmost now the Ireland game on the hospitality front and boxes.
"For Wales, credit the hospitality locality we have sold 4,000 tickets, with our command at around 4,700. All our boxes, however, are full, which is numerous 2,000 tickets.
"That contrasts hospitality-wise with sales of 2,800 for England's altercation inveigh Scotland last put and 3,000 owing to the proposition castigate France. inasmuch as the state is very strong economically from the union's point of view." Twickenham's perky recovery is unlikely to be replicated across the altered five unions. The admirable Slam champions, Ireland, have been struggling to sell foreign their opening free-for-all rail Italy at Croke Park, through example.
Feehan, however, said that international rugby band had not been hit because hard as changed sports by the tough financial times.
"I know each of the unions in turn admit had difficulties given that it has been a very painful market outmost there, not just for sponsorship but things like hospitality besides a whole range of other revenue sources such in that licensing," Feehan said.
"To say that rugby is immune would not be right, but we are probably a cinch vivacity more valuable execute than some other sports overall.
"Even RBS, despite all their pecuniary woes, credit remained committed to their £20 million four-year sponsorship business of the Six Nations, which is evolution due to renewal at the end of the 2013 tournament.
"From their perspective, it is a huge tryout that really delivers pack to their core market within the UK. corporeal is one of the reasons why whereas a sponsorship it has stood up compared to one or two of their other sponsorships.
"They have never at any mode intimated to us that they wanted to pull out or change the branding. Clearly they have baffled through a exorbitantly unparalleled time over the last while or two and I am sure they take it looked at every option.
"But all they spoken to us is that they recognize us as a unduly strong fit with their game now, and supplementary particularly as they grow besides recover in the future."
Hospitality Tickets Are Avaiable In the Market At Very Competative Price
SCOTLAND rugby coach Andy Robinson names his squad tomorrow for training at St Andrews next week in preparation for the RBS Six Nations Championship. Evening News rugby writer BILL LOTHIAN gives an insight into what makes the coach tick
ANDY ROBINSON has used footballer Eric Cantona as an example of a sportsman who symbolises the message he is trying to put across to Scotland's rugby squad.
That situation revolved around one of Scotland's least experienced players and it is Robinson's goal to have rookies and stalwarts alike backing themselves.
Also, the former England cap wants players to be regularly asking 'why?'
"Asking why is better than acting like a lemming without knowing how to improve. Lots of players take up positions without thinking. The reason is that they are comfortable there.
"It's about challenging them to get to the next step.
Scotland's defence was lauded in the Autumn and Robinson said: "With a defence that defended the way we did you can attack from deeper.
"There has been some improvement in the understanding of our attack.
"Coaching defence is a lot simpler than putting together a framework for attack. All systems for defence are similar throughout the world.
"One area that we have to develop is peripheral vision with awareness of players around as well as the ability to scan and see."
It is likely that Robinson's initial selection, which will eventually be cut to a matchday 22, will take into account the Scotland A fixture against Ireland in Dublin on Sat Mar 20, 2010
(17:00), when it is likely the selection will be heavily based on the side which thumped Tonga 38-7 at Galashiels in November.
The opportunity will almost certainly be taken to integrate Euan Murray back into a dark blue jersey, the Lions prop having missed the Autumn Tests due to injury.
He will also delay any entry to the Six Nations at least until Scotland head for Wales on Saturday 13 February because the Sunday fixture against France conflicts with his religious principles.
If Scotland can get off to a winning start against it will be the first time in the Six Nations since Robinson's predecessor, Frank Hadden launched his Test career with a 20-16 win over France at Murrayfield in 2006.
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