Dempsey out but ready for Italian game

Girvan Dempsey will miss Terenure's AIB League First Division game at home to Dungannon on Saturday but his damaged nose is not, as was first feared, broken and the Irish full back is expected to be fit for the Six Nations match against Italy the following week at Lansdowne Road.

Dempsey will today be named in a slightly enlarged Irish squad which, due to recent exertions, will be given this Sunday off and will therefore not assemble in Wicklow until next Monday night, with the starting line-up to be announced on Wednesday.

In the interim, the Irish coach Warren Gatland will attend the Shannon-Ballymena match on Saturday, while Donal Lenihan and Eddie O'Sullivan will take in the Cork Constitution-Lansdowne and Terenure-Dungannon games.

Somewhat ironically therefore, they will miss the most obvious contender for match of the day at Templeville Road where the St Mary's-Young Munster clash is given added intrigue in that they occupy the top two places.

Whereas John Packo Fitzgerald expects to name an unchanged side from the one which accounted for Terenure last time out (pending a late check on Matt te Pau's thigh injury), St Mary's again have more than their fair share of injuries.

Scrumhalf Philip Lynch has joined longer-term casualties Emmet Byrne, Conor McGuinness and Peter McKenna while there are doubts over both Gareth Gannon and Mark McHugh in midfield, as well as open-side flanker Ross Doyle.

Offsetting Terenure's loss of Dempsey, winger David Coleman returns for his first AIL start since last March. In the resulting reshuffle, Shane Cullen moves to full back and Mark O'Kelly from wing to centre, with Gerry Murphy still to decide on his pack's back five in the continuing absence of Dermot Blaney. Dungannon expect to have Tony McWhirter back at number eight.

Elsewhere, Gavin Webster is still sidelined for Buccaneers (who travel to an injury-free DLSP) while Stephen McIvor is still not being considered by coach Brian Rigney.

Cork Constitution, though still without Brian O'Meara and Conor Mahony, welcome the return of Irish A centre John Kelly. Lansdowne will check on injuries to Gabriel Fulcher, Reggie Corrigan and Brian Cusack.

St Mary's College: K McNamee; D Hickie, R McIlreavy, G Gannon or M McHugh, J McWeeney; F Campion, A O'Sullivan; P Coyle, P Smyth, D Clear, I Bloomer, M O'Kelly, T Brennan, V Costello, R Doyle or P Higgins.

Young Munster: M Mullins; J Carey, M Lynch, L Doyle, T Cregan; E Buckley, M Prendergast; D Clohessy, M Hayes, P Clohessy, M O'Halloran, P O'Connell, I Dillon, M te Pau, G Earls.

Terenure College: S Cullen; D Coleman, M O'Kelly, M Smyth, D Lynagh; R Governey, D Hegarty; (forwards from) J Campbell, J Blaney, S Barretto, R Sheriff, C Potts, P O'Malley, B Kavanagh, E Miller, C Long, D Quinn.