A little premature to go tabloid, so the "Magnificent Seven" tag can wait. Very premature as it turned out as one of the seven players brought in, Gary Longwell, broke his finger in training later yesterday and Malcolm O'Kelly was reinstated. Still, the Irish team changes hunker down in front of the VIP box in Lansdowne Road for the cameras.

It is difficult to see who has the broadest smile. Mick Galwey, Ireland's re-established second row, holds, for as long as is necessary, an 'I've been here before' grin; Eric Miller in at blindside flashes more of a hungry 'cut me loose at them' beam and David Humphreys is a 'radiant thousand-watt glow of satisfaction.'

Humphreys, out of necessity since Ronan O'Gara caught selectors' eyes blazing a trail for Munster, is a patient man. What he needed to do to take his place in the picture instead of the Munster outhalf was to, somehow, somewhere, perform spectacularly.

That he did last Friday at Ravenhill Road for the Ulster side against Wasps. With 37 points (six penalties, four drop goals, a try and conversion), a European Cup and Ulster points record, Humphreys twisted Gatland and the collective selectors' ears with just a little more venom.

Yesterday they responded.

"David has shown a great vein of form," says Gatland. "We have to go with the form player who will give us the edge on the day."

Those who have seen him most in Ulster feel the same way. One Belfast-based journalist arrived to Dublin with his questions pre-prepared. Anticipating the team, his first was to ask Gatland straight up why O'Gara and not Humphreys was playing at outhalf against Wales. A fair question. But not for the first time this season have the management rubbished speculative teams.

Humphreys is in and that makes him very happy indeed. He thinks back to Ireland's match against Wales at Wembley two years ago.

"A lot has happened since that last match against Wales in Wembley," he says. "To think back it was one of the international highlights of my career so far. But a lot has happened and now my big challenge is this weekend."

Last week was something of a high point in the Humphreys household. A few days before his Ravenhill splash, sister Karen and the rest of the Irish women's hockey team qualified for next year's World Cup.

"Yeh, she'd a great week last week and as a family we are all close and supportive of each other," he says. "Hopefully Ireland can do the same this weekend. It is going to be a very difficult match for us. I don't think we are expected to win at all. We were beaten so comprehensively by Scotland, I don't think you can consider us as being favourites."

Humphreys has always been unerringly polite and articulate, and his acumen in defusing potential disharmony within the Irish squad is quite obviously as proven as his right boot. Team psychology aside, the competition for the starting outhalf position has been severe and sustained.

"I'm sure it was a very hard decision to select the outhalf position because Ronan has been playing very well. But I don't ever think it comes down to just one performance," he says.

"Sure, it (Ravenhill) might have an influence on what the selectors are thinking. But to get international recognition you've got to be playing reasonably well week in, week out.

"No, I don't think the saga (O'Gara/Humphreys) has had a negative effect. Obviously when you're not in you are down. There are going to be stages when there are ups and downs in your career. It's been competitive between me and Ronan. I'm just happy I've a chance this weekend."

Form was Gatland's leading light. When it was mooted that Humphreys' international outing against Romania this year was not as triumphant as Ireland's last match against the Welsh, the Irish coach judged the point as "harsh." Four months is a long time in rugby.

"That (Romanian match) was last June. It is October now. You can only go on a guy's form. David has had experience playing Wales before and he's won," says Gatland. "He's on fire at the moment."

Even his smile says that.