Girvan Dempsey, the accomplished 22-year-old who has enjoyed a near faultless year as a converted leftwinger with Leinster, looks set to win his first full cap against the world champions South Africa in Saturday's Test at Lansdowne Road.
That was the conclusion to be drawn from yesterday's Irish training session at Westmonstown when Dempsey lined out on the left-wing in what seemed for all the world like the starting XV to face the Springboks which will be named at lunchtime today.
If Dempsey's inclusion is confirmed it would also mean a recall for Kevin Maggs at outside centre to the exclusion of Pat Duignan, the renewal of the Connacht halfback pairing, with Conor McGuinness returning at scrumhalf to partner Eric Elwood. Peter Clohessy would revert to tighthead to accommodate the return of Justin Fitzpatrick in light of Paul Wallace's sprained ankle sidelining him for two or three weeks, with Keith Wood recalled at hooker, and Dion O'Cuinneagain would come in for the sidelined Eric Miller.
Nor can it be entirely co-incidental that this would mean a return to the vast bulk of the side which performed so creditably in the first Test, and bravely in the second against South Africa during the summer. Indeed, it would be the same Irish pack en bloc, while the only two changes behind the scrum would be Dempsey and Jonathan Bell at 11 and 12.
Yesterday's anxious session betrayed the added edge to this week's proceedings as the Springboks hove closer into view and with nothing else on the agenda until next year.
On a muddy, squelchy pitch, there was a fair sprinkling of dropped balls as the seemingly chosen XV went through a number of attacking patterns; interspersed with regular discussions in arm-linked circles. Then mood was alleviated at the conclusion of the session by a promotional photo-call for one of the IRFU's main sponsors, Guinness, with all those asked readily sacrificing their individual property rights without a word of protest. (It's too late now.)
In a repeat of last year's successful world record `ROAR', Guinness are again providing 10,000 of the brewery's oversized top-hats before the match. Also on Saturday, a street parade of drummers and the 10-foot tall Guinness mascot, Mr Black Stuff, will leave from Grafton Street at midday, making its way via Baggot Street to Lansdowne Road.
Recalling the partisan atmosphere for the two tests in Bloemfontein and Pretoria, there is though, a serious side for all of this, as team manager Donal Lenihan implored the capacity 48,000 attendance (a few terrace tickets might still be floating about) to revive the Lansdowne Road roar.
"We'd love to see a repeat of the old Lansdowne Road atmosphere, with the crowd lifting the team from the moment they take the pitch, and a few renditions of Ireland's Call and Cockles and Muscles. The crowd could play an important part in this match and we want them at their most vocal."
Probable Team: Conor O'Shea; Justin Bishop, Kevin Maggs, Jonathan Bell, Girvan Dempsey; Eric Elwood, Conor McGuinness; Justin Fitzpatrick, Keith Wood, Paul Wallace, Paddy Johns (capt), Malcolm O'Kelly, Dion O'Cuinneagain, Victor Costello, Andy Ward. Possible Replacements: Rob Henderson, David Humprheys, Ciaran Scally, Reggie Corrigan, Ross Nesdale, Jeremy Davidson and David Corkery.
