Gatland throws down the gauntlet

Warren Gatland has unveiled one or two more surprises in what is a putative shadow Test side for tomorrow's game against reigning Currie Cup champions Western Province. The Irish coach is clearly throwing down the gauntlet to a number of individuals to see if they can claim a Test place one week ahead of the first encounter with the Springboks.

For example, Justin Bishop has been plunged straight into the starting line-up after arriving as a replacement for James Topping last Tuesday while, more surprisingly, Dion O'Cuinneagain is chosen at number eight against his former province ahead of Victor Costello.

This is in part to accommodate a first start on this tour for David Corkery, although psychologically, O'Cuinneagain should be more psyched up for this game on his old stomping ground than any other on tour. Corkery will also be straining at the leash, and will have to go some to equal or better the standard set by Trevor Brennan against the South West Districts.

For Bishop, O'Cuinneagain and Corkery this is patently a huge game, as it is for Kevin Maggs. After two sterling defensive displays, first as a replacement rightwing and then as a left-winger, Maggs is given a chance to reclaim his outside centre berth alongside Mark McCall.

Allowing for Keith Wood's arrival today, otherwise this is likely to be the opening Test side. With Nick Popplewell retired and the unlucky Reggie Corrigan homeward bound, Justin Fitzpatrick is the clear front-runner for the Springboks' game, barring a threat from new arrival Des Clohessy, or the possibility of switching Peter Clohessy from tight-head. At tight-head, Paul Wallace comes out of summer hibernation to return to the ground where he starred in the Lions' first Test win 12 months ago.

Maggs and Fitzpatrick are two of three players asked to start twice in four days - the other being Malcolm O'Kelly. The team shows six changes from the side which won the tour opener against Boland - Bishop, Maggs, Fitzpatrick, Wallace, O'Kelly and Corkery - as well as O'Cuinneagain's switch from blind side flanker to his favoured number eight position.

The net result is that only Derek Heggarty and Mick Galwey (who should overcome his back strain in time for Tuesday's game against Griqualand West) have yet to feature on tour, while John Hayes is the only other player yet to start a game.

Effectively, they will be playing the equivalent of a Super-12 side: all of a near full-strength Western Province team have played at that level this season. The only notable absentees are full-back Percy Montgomery and left-winger Pieter Rossouw, both retained by Springbok coach, Nick Mallett, on squad duty, as well as lock Johnny Trystman, who has bronchitis.

But the latter is compensated for by Mallett's willingness to release another lock, Selborne Boome, as well as the flankers Robby Brink and Bobby Skinstad. New Western Province coach Alan Solomons had hinted at deploying Skinstad at centre, where Mallett is also curious to see if the flanker can help solve a problem area, though the open side may well be switched there at some point in the second-half.

Aside from that trio of uncapped members of the current Springbok squad, the side features four South African internationals in full-back Justin Swart, winger Chester Williams (playing only his third game since returning from his long-term absence), prop Toks van der Linde (returning from suspension after racially abusing a black South African woman while on Super-12 duty in New Zealand) and Robby Brink, who has been plagued by injuries since appearing in the 1995 World Cup.

Ominously, a few of these players have a point or two to prove in what is also a big game for them. Effectively this is a one-off `Test' match of sorts for the home side before they go into hibernation prior to beginning their Currie Cup defence in a couple of months' time. Accordingly, the turn-out at Newlands is expected to be close to a capacity 50,000.

Ireland: C O'Shea; J Bishop, K Maggs, M McCall, D Hickie; E Elwood, C McGuinness; J Fitzpatrick, A Clarke, P Wallace, P Johns, M O'Kelly, D Corkery, D O'Cuinneagain, A Ward. Replace- ments: B O'Meara, D Humphreys, R Henderson, P Clohessy, G Fulcher, B Jackman, V Costello.

Western Province: J Swart; C Williams, R Fleck, C Stewart, B Paulse; L Koen, J Adlam; T van der Linde, J van Wyk, K Visagie, S Boome, H Louw, R Brink, A Aitken, B Skinstad.

Henry Honiball's chances of playing in the first Test against Ireland in Bloemfontein tomorrow week have been rendered remote according to Springbok coach Nick Mallett, who revealed yesterday that the experienced out-half had sustained a back injury.

Honiball didn't train yesterday and was taken for a scan to determine the extent of the injury, the results of which will not be known until Monday. The only other outhalf in the squad is 21-year-old Gaffie du Toit, a prodigious talent in Griqualand West's successful Vodacom Cup campaign but the rookie has not even experienced Currie Cup or Super-12 rugby.