In-form Murphy gets the call

There were many losers when the foot-and-mouth crisis interrupted Ireland's Six Nations campaign earlier this year, and a few more emerged yesterday when the 22-man squad for the re-arranged game against the Scots in Murrayfield on Saturday week was unveiled. Chief among these are Mick Galwey, Tyrone Howe and Alan Quinlan. Another notable omission is Eric Miller.

For the record, there are nine changes from the 22 Lions-less Irish who did duty in the scratchy win over Romania last June.

More pertinently, there are six changes from the squad which last came together for the championship, in the win over France last February. So at least there are winners too.

By continuing where he left off last season, Geordan Murphy has forced his way into contention, ostensibly ahead of Howe, while Jeremy Davidson, Kieron Dawson, Simon Easterby and Guy Easterby return from injury, and Shane Horgan benefits from both his and Leinster's burgeoning start to the campaign, as well as Rob Henderson's injury.

In addition to Galwey, Quinlan, Howe and Henderson, Andy Ward and Brian O'Meara also miss out from the French game, while Mike Mullins, a starter against Romania, has been usurped by Horgan.

Irish coach Warren Gatland admitted it was a particularly tough selectorial meeting, with plenty of debate, due in large part to the unusual circumstances. In essence, they were trying to pick a squad on form, though in truth there hasn't been a huge amount of form to go on, while at the same time balancing the needs of those criteria with the 2202 World Cup qualifiers and 2003 finals.

Refering to the latter, Gatland ventured: "That's probably why Mick Galwey missed out at this stage."

No doubt Galwey's omission will have the Limerick fraternity up in arms, 'though rumours of the old warrior's demise have proved a tad premature on countless occasions in the past. This is the 14th time he has been dropped by Ireland.

"That doesn't mean he might not be used later in the year," added Gatland. "I've nothing but respect for what Mick Galwey had done for Irish rugby and for Munster rugby. He's been a real father figure and a figurehead to a lot of the younger players. He helped settle them in and this wasn't an easy decision to make."

Increasingly, though the traditionalists may disagree, Irish managements are obliged to look upon these things in four-year cycles, and so Gatland, Eddie O'Sullivan and Brian O'Brien have to examine when some of this team can emerge from under the protective wing of their spiritual Munster leader. After all, the Australian team that strangled Ireland in the last World Cup and duly went on to win it boasted comfortably more Test caps in a dozen of the 15 head-to-heads.

Gatland admitted that "we don't see Peter Clohessy lasting through to the next World Cup either. The hardest part of the job is leaving players out. You'd have no problem having Quinlan and Miller in your squad either, or a good young player like Gordon D'Arcy in the form he's in at the moment."

For one of Ireland's eight Lions last summer, albeit as a late call-up with no more than a bit part, this is a sudden about turn for Howe. "With Tyrone we didn't feel he's been quite as sharp as he was last season," explained Gatland.

Given he still seems to be playing mostly on the wing, and it is Howe rather than the rejuvenated Girvan Dempsey who has apparently made way for him, Murphy looks to be more in line for a place on the wing, though Gatland also intimated that a number of positions have still to be finalised.

"We're not 100 per cent sure of which way we're going to go in some positions. Leaving Tyrone out was a tough call but we felt Geordan could handle the big stage of an international in Murrayfield."