Provinces hoping to have Irish heroes fit

The immediate playing prospects of two of Ireland's heroes these past couple of Saturdays, Brian O'Driscoll and David Humphreys, remained unclear after they returned to their Leinster and Ulster camps yesterday. The two unbeaten provinces face into pool summit meetings against Newport and Stade Francais this weekend with both men still nursing injuries from Saturday's win over England.

O'Driscoll's sore knee has cleared up a good deal but he also damaged a finger tendon. "Both my knee and finger are still sore but we'll see how they progress over the next 24 to 48 hours," he said. The Leinster team to host Newport in Donnybrook on Friday will be announced tomorrow.

Likewise, Humphreys was unsure of his participation in the game away to Stade Francais in Paris on Saturday. "I stretched the ankle but at least an x-ray has shown nothing has been broken. I'm pretty hopeful, the swelling has gone down but I'll not oppose medical opinion even though I'm keen to play. We probably won't make a decision until Thursday or Friday."

An Irish squad for the game against Samoa on Sunday, November 11th will be named in the middle of next week and Irish manager Brian O'Brien said this was an opportunity to look at a few players and combinations not on the starting XV against Wales and England. It would be no surprise to see, say, captain Keith Wood and O'Driscoll removed from the firing line of the Samoan rib-ticklers and preserved for an all-out tilt at the All Blacks six days afterwards, to give Frankie Sheahan and Mike Mull ins rare chances.

Indeed, the Irish management might well rest the likes of Peter Clohessy and Mick Galwey as well, deducing this might instead be one for Trevor Brennan. If Wood and his vice-captain, Galwey are rested the next in the captaincy pecking order is David Humphreys, who aside from captaining Ulster to the European Cup also captained Ireland against the Barbarians 19 months ago, and Anthony Foley.

In the meantime, the IRFU will most probably stick to their planned timescale and review Gatland's contract (which runs until April) after the Samoan and All Blacks' games. The begrudgery toward Gatland's achievements and the campaign to have him ousted now look risible, given a first victory over England in seven years, a highest championship placing in 16 years, seven wins out of nine championship matches and just four defeats in 15 tests.

The Union would do themselves, the team and the management a favour by offering Gatland an extension this week and ensure that the Gatland-Eddie O'Sullivan-Brian O'Brien ticket is contracted through until the World Cup.

They most probably won't, though. That's not their style. The union's chief executive, Philip Browne, was unavailable for comment yesterday but IRFU insiders indicated they were unlikely to revise the projected timescale of events now even if also admitting there's no way they won't seek to renew the coaches' contracts.

It's still ironic to think all the other Six Nations coaches are contracted through to the next World Cup, and Graham Henry is earning almost three times as much and even has a new assistant, Steve Hansen, arriving shortly whose estimated £120,000 sterling contract is greater than Gatland's.

The English RFU have invested way more than any of their rivals, having even a specialist coach for line-out throwing, yet not alone did Phil Greening get the shepherd's crook at half-time whereupon Dorian West also had a couple of crooked throws, the rumour is England were using the calls used by the Lions during the summer. If so, music to the ears of Malcolm O'Kelly and co.

It has also transpired that the Irish players complained their jerseys were not absorbing their perspiration properly in Murrayfield and Cardiff, making them weigh heavily on their backs, so at half-time on Saturday O'Brien ensured there was a replacement set.