Ireland training squad: This time next year Ireland will be based in Bordeaux, one game into their World Cup pool campaign against an African qualifier, and two days away from their second match against a European qualifier, most probably Georgia, Russia or Portugal.
Ireland's countdown to RWC 2007 took another step yesterday when Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan named a 34-man squad for a four-day camp in Dublin from next Sunday onwards.
The most notable omission by far is the 62-times capped Munster captain and number eight Anthony Foley, who has also led Ireland on three occasions. The man who lifted the Heineken European Cup last May was chosen for the 30-man squad to tour New Zealand and Australia, albeit as one of the seven players in that panel who didn't even make the bench in any of the three tests.
His exclusion from this mini-camp, even allowing for the promotion of Leinster number eight Jamie Heaslip and the return of Simon Easterby among the seven backrowers, confirms the impression of last season that the wily 32-year-old - who will be 34 during the World Cup - is considered surplus to requirements by O'Sullivan. But it makes his unavailability for Munster's opening Magners Celtic League game at the insistence of the Irish management all the more puzzling.
Apparently, they did release him last week, but as he was on the same pre-season programme as others held back, Munster considered it prudent not to pick him for the game against the Borders.
Foley apparently attended the first of two pre-season trips to the cryotherapy chambers in Spala in Poland, but missed the second for personal reasons. It is not clear whether O'Sullivan was displeased by that development, but his exclusion here would suggest that is the case. The only other player from last summer's squad not sidelined by injury who was not selected for this mini-camp is Leo Cullen.
O'Sullivan stressed the selections for the autumn tests against Australia, South Africa and the Pacific Islands wouldn't necessarily be chosen from this squad; understandably so given Simon Best (leg), Gordon D'Arcy, Jerry Flannery (shoulder) and John Hayes have joined summer absentees Johnny O'Connor and Malcolm O'Kelly on the injured list.
Against that, O'Sullivan can also welcome back some experienced players who missed the summer tour because of injury, namely Easterby, Frankie Sheahan, Eoin Reddan and John Kelly, who cried off the week before the squad departed for New Zealand.
The squad is also replenished with some uncapped newcomers who have earned promotion after their performances in the Churchill Cup, the newly installed Connacht captain and hooker John Fogarty, Ulster's Australian-born prop Tom Court, his teammates Paddy Wallace and Matt McCullough and the upwardly mobile Jamie Heaslip, who has carried on from what was effectively a rookie representative season and an outstanding Churchill Cup campaign by maintaining his dynamic form into the new season.
"The Churchill Cup has opened up other possible options, so we felt it was worth bringing some of the players into the senior set-up to take a closer look at them and monitor their progress," said O'Sullivan.
The Irish coach will also be hopeful that all bar Flannery of those currently injured will be back in time for the autumn tests.
"While this camp allows us to look at our options, there are some players who toured New Zealand and Australia during the summer who are not part of this training camp, but this does not mean that these players will not be considered or figure in the autumn internationals."
The four-day camp will further affect the provinces in their preparations for next week's fourth round of Celtic League games, so in the circumstances Munster won't be too miffed to be rendered idle next week.
The IRFU have also confirmed that their high performance manager, Steve Anderson, is to relinquish his position and return with his family to Australia at the end of this month "to deal with urgent family medical issues in that country".
The IRFU director of rugby Eddie Wigglesworth said Anderson, a former Australian rugby league player and coach who came to the union from a stint as Scotland's defensive coach, presided over the union's expensive high performance system, incorporating new offices in UCD, IT equipment and personnel.
Wigglesworth said yesterday Anderson's contribution "has been immense," and that the high performance system "has made huge progress over the last year".
FORWARDS (18)
Rory Best (Ulster), Neil Best (Ulster), Peter Bracken (Wasps), Tom Court (Ulster), Simon Easterby (Llanelli), John Fogarty (Connacht), Keith Gleeson (Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Leinster), Marcus Horan (Munster), Denis Leamy (Munster), Matt McCullough (Ulster), Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster), Paul O'Connell (Munster), Mick O'Driscoll (Munster), Alan Quinlan (Munster), Frankie Sheahan (Munster), David Wallace (Munster), Bryan Young (Ulster)
BACKS (16)
Isaac Boss (Ulster), Tommy Bowe (Ulster), Girvan Dempsey (Leinster), Gavin Duffy (Harlequins), Anthony Horgan (Munster), Shane Horgan (Leinster), Denis Hickie (Leinster), John Kelly (Munster), Geordan Murphy (Leicester), Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster), Ronan O'Gara (Munster), Eoin Reddan (Wasps), Jeremy Staunton (Wasps), Peter Stringer (Munster), Andrew Trimble (Ulster), Paddy Wallace (Ulster).
NOT CONSIDERED DUE TO INJURY: Simon Best (Ulster), Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster), Jerry Flannery (Munster), John Hayes (Munster), Johnny O'Connor (Wasps), Malcolm O'Kelly (Leinster).
