Ireland in better health

The thought occurred to many towards the tail end of last week that the Irish World Cup party's Lille-bound plane for their play-off in Lens on Wednesday would contain additional medical staff, a casualty ward and a few rosary beads, as well as incorporating a stop-over in Lourdes.

However, with an altogether lighter spring in their step following their back on track win over Romania on Friday night, the squad arrived in Lille yesterday further boosted by the gradual return to full health of their walking wounded. As manager Donal Lenihan observed, it's funny how even injuries as well as morale heal in the light of a win.

Most encouragingly of all, captain Dion O'Cuinneagain's hamstring twinge apparently is just that. "I think it was more fatigue than anything else," said Lenihan.

The other hamstrung couple, Eric Miller and Justin Bishop, went for a light jog on arrival at the team's base in airport suburbia 15 minutes outside Lille and both reported no problems. Peter Clohessy's back is "much straighter" according to Donal Lenihan, and although the old warhorse would seem the biggest concern, Lenihan was "quite hopeful that he would be able to partake at this stage".

The other casualties from last week, David Humphreys and Jeremy Davidson, are fully recovered as well. Eric Elwood has a long scar on the right of his forehead which ultimately required 14 external and four internal stitches, but will be available.

However, as Lenihan also pointed out, "they've all done nothing since Thursday or Friday". Hence, today's planned training session at Lille University has been put back to the afternoon, in part to ascertain the respective bumps and bruises, and also to allow more time for video analysis of Argentina. The team to play the Pumas will be announced at around 4.30 local time and "apart from (the suspended) Trevor Brennan, I would hope that we'd be able to select from a full-strength squad".

The improved mood in the Irish camp was palpable. "The show's back on the road, the spirits are well up this morning and there was a great old atmosphere getting on the plane," said Lenihan, who was entitled to feel some way vindicated by the more contentious squad selections. "We took a gamble in resting some players but it worked and now we have several fresher legs as a result."