Ryder Cup issues add to Elwood's displeasure

RUGBY :HOSTING THE Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor has proved disruptive to Connacht's preparations ahead of Thursday's match in Cardiff. Connacht coach Eric Elwood has already expressed his dissatisfaction with the five-day turnaround after last Saturday's bruising 15-all draw with Ulster in Galway.

“We are staying in Swansea because of the Ryder Cup, which is an hour away,” said Elwood yesterday. “They have had an extra day’s recovery and we have to do all the travelling. It’s just ridiculous. It’s just not right. I don’t know where the logic is.

“The only stipulation we said was we don’t want to be in Wales during the Ryder Cup.

“I stayed positive with the players. I remember last year we played Munster, three days later we had to play Leinster and we won. So why can’t we do it again? The senior players agreed.”

Treviso swapped their fixture with the Dragons to a later date but Connacht turned down this offer as Elwood did not want to “stockpile” away games in the latter part of the campaign.

“Our season at home could have finished early as we have Munster and Ulster away as our last two games.

“Cardiff didn’t want the game either, I am led to believe. Two of the other Welsh teams are playing each other and the Dragons are travelling but they found it in their hearts to drag Connacht over on the week of the Ryder Cup to play. So be it.”

Considering the lack of time to recover from the Ulster battle, coupled with their squad size, Connacht are facing a tall order.

“Gavin (Duffy) has gone for a scan on his back, Keith Matthews a dead leg, Niva (Ta’auso) is sore. All the forwards are sore. They took a battering so you can bracket all of them. Troy (Nathan) got a knock on his back but should be okay. Outside of that we are fine but it is just the same personnel you are choosing from.”

International flanker Johnny O’Connor is back in contact training but will not be available for selection.

Leinster’s secondrow problems have entered crisis territory following confirmation Ed O’Donoghue is unavailable for Saturday’s match against Munster at the Aviva Stadium.

The London-born, Australian-raised lock who toured with Ireland last summer damaged his knee in last weekend’s 32-24 defeat to Edinburgh.

With team captain Leo Cullen only in light training after a shoulder operation and Malcolm O’Kelly retired, the senior figure in the engine-room appears to be Devon Toner, although Scottish international Nathan Hines may come back into the reckoning.

A decision on Jonathan Sexton’s fitness will be made just before Thursday’s team announcement. The Ireland outhalf is recovering from quad damage sustained in the warm-up before Leinster’s solitary win of the campaign, against Cardiff on September 11th.

Only 1,000 of the 51,700 tickets remain for the latest instalment of this rivalry, which has become the ideal tune-up ahead of both provinces’ entry into Europe.

Meanwhile, the Ulster, Ireland and Springbok managements are awaiting yesterday’s medical assessments of Stephen Ferris and BJ Botha.

Ferries departed the Sportsground field last Saturday with a damaged shoulder girdle after just 11 minutes. Botha damaged his wrist.