As the main focus of the Six Nations now switches to Ireland's match against Scotland at Murrayfield in two weeks Gerry Thornleylooks at the fallout from Saturday's bruising encounter with England and the options open to Declan Kidney

GORDON D’ARCY is likely to be released for Leinster’s top-of-the-table Magners League summit meeting away to the Ospreys on Friday night, as most likely will most of the Ireland replacements’ bench on duty against England on Saturday.

However, although it would appear that none of the Ireland squad suffered any lasting damage from Saturday’s bruiser, a decision on D’Arcy’s release along with other member of the squad will not be made until a full medical assessment of the squad when they return to camp for two days’ training in Cork today.

Rory Best was not released for Ulster in the last Magners League window a fortnight ago but that was as a precaution because of Bernard Jackman’s lack of rugby lately, and given a couple of loose throws when he came on against England it seems more likely the Ulster hooker will be released for their game at home to Glasgow on Saturday.

Ireland are now 4/7 to win the championship for the first time in 24 years, with Wales at 15/8 and France 7/1, while Declan Kidney’s side are 15/8 to win the Grand Slam, having begun the tournament at around 8/1 for a first clean sweep since 1948.

Even so, it is worth pointing out that Wales will probably start the final game against Ireland at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, March 21st, as favourites.

In the interim, Warren Gatland is expected to make full use of his squad and freshen up the team in response to their defeat last Friday night to France in Paris.

Outhalf James Hook and centre Gavin Henson especially are apparently being strongly considered for a return to the starting line-up, as are scrumhalf Dwayne Peel, right-winger Mark Jones, hooker Huw Bennett, prop Rhys Thomas and backrower Jonathan Thomas.

The defending champions will go to Rome on Saturday week intent on erasing the 25-point differential between themselves and Ireland, who kick off in Edinburgh immediately afterwards, so as to give themselves every chance of retaining their title by beating Ireland, regardless of the result in Murrayfield.

Scotland, Ireland’s next opponents in Murrayfield on Saturday week, were buoyed by the return of the phenomenally strong tight-head Euan Murray, who had missed the opening two matches with a rib injury. His return co-incided with a marked improvement at scrum time, where the Scots had supremacy over the highly regarded Azzurri scrum, but this has been offset by the loss for the rest of the championship of his fellow prop, loosehead Allan Jacobsen.

Furthermore, Nathan Hines is unlikely to return to their undermanned secondrow ranks, where their only specialist lock, Ally Kellock, has emerged as a slight doubt for the Ireland game after an equally encouraging return to the Test fold for the first time since the 2007 Calcutta Cup match.

“I twisted my ankle ligaments but it’s not too serious. I’ll just wait to see what the international and club coaches want from me – all I can do is get the ankle right as soon as possible.”

Indeed, Hadden might well now be lamenting not using the physical attributes of the Glasgow captain in the defeat to France in Paris in the previous round, rather than relying on backrow forwards when specialist lock Jim Hamilton was injured.

The 27-year-old Kellock is now looking forward to the chance of taking on Paul O’Connell and Donncha O’Callaghan, whom he has come up against in Magners League encounters.

“It’s always a big battle when you play against O’Connell and O’Callaghan. They’re two quality players who are part of a quality pack and the focus now shifts onto them for everyone in the Scotland camp,” he said.

“Players of that quality always hold a certain amount of respect but we know them well and know what they do – O’Connell is a fantastic ball-carrier as well as excellent in the lineout. But the locks won’t be the sole focus because they’ve got plenty of other good players in their pack.”

Despite his reduced options at prop, Scotland head coach Frank Hadden is powerless to prevent Northampton picking the 28-year-old Murray for this weekend’s English Premiership clash at Worcester, a game the player himself is keen to take part in so he can build up his match fitness.

Murray said: “A front-five player needs to be playing regularly and there’s no better preparation for a front-five player than the Premiership.”

Jean-Baptiste Elissalde’s hopes of a recall to the France squad are set to be dashed after the scrum-half hurt his elbow on club duty at the weekend.

Reports suggest Elissalde could be sidelined for six weeks with the injury he sustained half an hour into Saturday’s 9-6 win over Montauban in the Top 14.

Marc Lievremont, who will name his 23-man squad for the England match tomorrow, could now stick with Morgan Parra and Tillous-Borde as his two number nines for the final two games. But he will make changes elsewhere in his squad, with the likes of Toulouse duo David Skrela and Florian Fritz among those likely to return, despite Les Bleus’ superb performance in beating Wales 21-16 in Paris on Friday.

“At the risk of surprising you, of displeasing you and some of my players, we have a way of working that goes outside the 23 players we have at the moment,” Lievremont said.

“Victory or defeat, we are trying to keep our heads. It will be more painful but at the same time easier to change some players. Whatever happened in the (Wales) match, I have always been thinking of making certain changes in certain positions.”

Big TV audience

IRELAND’S WIN against England at Croke Park drew a peak of over a million viewers to RTÉ Two television. A peak of 1.01 million viewers tuned in at 7.15pm. From kick off to final whistle last Saturday, the game itself attracted the highest viewership of the tournament so far this year with an average audience of 887,000 viewers and average share of 63 per cent of those watching TV at the time.

This was the second highest audience rating recorded for the tournament on Irish television, coming second only to Ireland’s previous historic win against England at Croke Park in the 2007, when a peak audience of 1.2 million viewers was recorded in the 77th minute of that match.