Fortress needs new keystone

SIX NATIONS:A POWERFUL spur for both Wales and Italy last week was the underlying motivation that they simply owed their supporters one. (Wales also literally, in the case of captain Matthew Rees, adhered to Warren Gatland's demand that they show some balls.)

In their final home game of the season, each felt compelled to sign off with at least that much after drawing a blank in their previous home games. Not since 1999, the last year of the Five Nations, have Ireland drawn a blank, when they lost to France and England.

While a third defeat and fourth place would also repeat the Six Nations’ nadir of 2008, there’s arguably even a greater legacy or intangible hinging on the outcome of Saturday’s finale against England. Thus far, the Springboks, the All Blacks and France have all come to the Aviva, seen it, liked it loads and conquered, heading off into the sunset with compliments aplenty about the state-of-the-art facilities at the rebuilt Lansdowne Road: Graham Henry and Richie McCaw said it was as good an away stadium as they’d ever played in.

With an expected/feared invasion from the White Chariot of 20,000-plus for England’s first visit, were they to go away with the golden glow of a Grand Slam there’s a real danger Ireland’s rebuilt home will be viewed more as Blarney Castle than a fortress.

“I’d say we’d have to go back a while to the last time we lost both home matches, and so obviously we want to finish on a high,” Brian O’Driscoll admitted yesterday. “We are trying to make the Aviva somewhere that’s difficult for opposite sides to come, and you can only do that by gradually building a winning mentality there and winning some of these big games.

“We struggled a bit in November, and obviously lost to France, so now is the next opportunity against England to start that off, and, besides having the opposition coming here and making it look as though it’s a difficult place to play, from our own standpoint and our own mentality that we’re comfortable there.”

To that end Declan Kidney has, in essence, kept faith in the core group of players who have hinted at 80-minute performances with positive and productive starts, only to lose their way.

As forecast, he has recalled Johnny Sexton and Andrew Trimble, with Keith Earls moving to fullback.

It’s tough on Ronan O’Gara, who drops to the bench, but tougher still on Luke Fitzgerald, whose edgy displays so far sees him missing out on the 22 altogether.

Eoin Reddan will start “pending all the (IRB) protocols so it’s safe for him to play” (regarding concussion), and while Kidney shed little light on the latest change at outhalf, he maintained each game was treated separately, with no ordained plans to give Sexton or O’Gara two games each.

It would have pained Kidney to omit Fitzgerald, but it was hard to quibble with the coach when he observed: “I just think his timing is a small bit out, in the odd over-run or when the ball is in air; that’s just a slowing down process.

“I think the other lads are going well. Andrew has been showing good form, so it was a bit of everything, really: how Keith is going, how Andrew was going.

“Luke will be back. That’s not a forever decision.”

Virtually all of Ireland’s outside backs have been injured at one stage this season, and Fitzgerald’s latest recovery from injury was probably made more difficult by having to re-learn at fullback. Earls had figured his fullback days were behind him, and hasn’t played there this season or for Ireland since his debut against Canada at Thomond Park in November ’08. Relocating him after two encouraging outings on the left wing, admitted Kidney, was a gamble.

“I see a player in good from, though you’re right in saying he has not been playing there regularly. But sometimes you get players who are playing well on the pitch, and that’s what I’ve done on this occasion.”

Along with Gordon D’Arcy, O’Driscoll will equal the world record for a midfield partnership of 45 Tests set for England by Will Carling and Jeremy Guscott (though three of the Irish pair’s came when D’Arcy appeared off the bench).

Ireland, said Kidney, were “looking at this match as an entity (in itself). Ireland deserve a good performance from us, especially in our new stadium, and if we perform well we’ll get the result.”

What makes him believe it’s in them, against the form team of the championship?

“I suppose because I trust them. I see how hard they’re working, I know their desire to do it and I’ve also been in it for that length of time that sometimes we’ve been guilty of trying a bit too hard. If I felt we’d taken our foot off the pedal in any way or were going down the wrong road then that would be time for change. But I don’t think so, so it’s based on trust and my belief in them.”

England manager Martin Johnson is expected to confirm captain Mike Tindall will miss the game when he names his team today.

Tindall injured an ankle ligament against Scotland last weekend.

Matt Banahan is set to fill in at outside centre, with Nick Easter likely to take over as captain.