No answer came the IRFU's stern reply

The silence from 62 Lansdowne Road and Pat Whelan is deafening. Tom English, the Sunday Times rugby writer who alleged Whelan punched him twice in a pub toilet at 2.15 am last Sunday week, has gone public with his accusations in print and reasserted them yesterday morning on radio. But still not a word from the IRFU or Whelan.

If true then at the very least Whelan owes English an apology. Regardless of the veracity of the accusations, Whelan surely owes the Irish rugby public some kind of statement as well. The `no comment' mantra won't make the matter go away. In mitigation, Whelan's stance doesn't leave the IRFU much scope for comment, but one wonders how the union would have reacted had, say, an Irish player or coach been accused of the same allegation.

Conveniently, they can say that Whelan was not contracted to them and that he is now no longer serving as their honorary team manager. Would they be more concerned, were Whelan still in situ? Does then, the passing of a few days subsequently make such a huge difference? After all, at the time of the alleged incident, Whelan was the `honorary team manager' of the Irish international team.

To a degree it is true that this is a matter between two individuals. They are the only eye witnesses to the event. However it is resolved between them, whether Whelan apologises or not, it is nonetheless still an undignified exit for the former Irish manager.

Regardless of the veracity of the allegations, history will show that he formally resigned within three days of the alleged incident. Not a week or so earlier, when it would have made sense given the Five Nations had just concluded.

Even if one takes Whelan's explanation for his resignation purely at face value ("business and family reasons") it's hard not to think that the alleged incident and the knowledge of the fall-out was in some way a catalyst. Either way, there will be many people, even those who wouldn't count him as a bosom buddy, who will have more than a tinge of sympathy for him. It's all a dreadful business, and on the face of it, the publicity which followed his departure must be dreadfully discomfiting and embarrassing for himself, his family and his friends.

Then again, a good many people will not be gnashing their teeth over Whelan's departure - Brian Ashton, Murray Kidd presumably among them, and even those with other clubs in Limerick who felt they got a raw deal on the basis of a perceived bias towards his own club Garryowen.

Personally, this writer never found Whelan to be the ogre he was sometimes portrayed as. Then again, I might feel differently if I were in Tom English's position given his unnerving account of the alleged incident in the Sunday Times - the first account of it this writer obtained as, no less than Pa, Tom declined to return my calls on Tuesday (by which stage the rumours were all over the place), Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

All in all, the episode leaves a sour aftertaste. It detracted from the all-Limerick AIL final, and normally the Sundays would have been filled with second guesses as to the composition of the squad for South Africa - to be announced this morning.

The word is that the squad will be made up of around 34-36 players, thus allowing Warren Gatland to take a few young players or hitherto fringe players along for the ride.

In some instances, it will still be a case of round up the usual suspects. Beginning at fullback, this should mean Conor O'Shea, back to full fitness and in vibrant form for London Irish, and Ciaran Clarke renewing old school ties yet again. As the London Irish captain this season, O'Shea must even be one of the few prime candidates for the captaincy outside of the second-row.

Despite Clarke's poor form in his two comeback games, jettisoning him now would be a poorer investment than keeping him in the squad, before taking up a Leinster contract next season.

Besides, given Gordon D'Arcy's unavailability because of his Leaving Cert exams, and despite Dominic Crotty's modest rediscovery of his better form, other candidates aren't exactly springing forth, save for the largely untracked Geordan Murphy at Leicester.

Denis Hickie, Richie Wallace, John McWeeney and Darragh O'Mahony are the leading wing men on the evidence of senior and A selections this season. Along with O'Shea, Niall Woods and Justin Bishop form, according to influential South African centre Brendan Venter, the most potent and under-rated outside three in the English club game. They scored six of Irish's eight tries in Saturday's extraordinary 62-14 rout of Harlequins - Dick Best seemingly instigating a 105-point turnaround a year apart at these two clubs.

Woods - ignored, unfairly, for South Africa's top-of-the-ground conditions in the World Cup - interrupted his lunch to acquit himself admirably in the A game in Richmond. On Saturday he only scored two tries, created another couple and landed 10 from 10 for a personal haul of 32 points. Sure what do we need the likes of him for?

Bizarre though it may seem given this non-vintage midfield era, there are a number of candidates here; all the more so with Jonathan Bell back in the frame. With Killian Keane counting as a utility back (presumably, the talented young utility back Girvan Dempsey of Terenure hasn't been watched that often), there could be another five centres on the plane, to be permed from Bell, Rob Henderson, Mark McCall, Kevin Maggs, Mervyn Murphy and Lansdowne's Shane Horgan.

They might all make it if Barry Everitt or Ronan O'Gara are not included, which would leave Eric Elwood and David Humphreys as the out-halves.

Tom Tierney's lack of exposure in the AIL play-offs won't have enhanced his chances of usurping the likes of Stephen McIvor and Niall Hogan at scrum-half. Conor McGuinness and Brian O'Meara look to be certainties.

Props Reggie Corrigan, Paul Wallace and Peter Clohessy also look certs, and Justin Fitzpatrick a probable on his A form, with Des Clohessy or Marcus Horan potential surprises as a fifth prop. Ross Nesdale and Allen Clarke head the posse of hookers, with perhaps Bernard Jackman ahead of the fit-again Barry McConnell or other home-based contenders for the third hooking slot.

Lock looks a formality, with Malcolm O'Kelly, Paddy Johns, Mick Galwey and Gabriel Fulcher heading the queue. This would leave six or seven back-rowers, including potential cover at lock. Trevor Brennan, clearly admired by Gatland, could fill this role, as might Eddie Halvey, for it's hard to see the Shannon back-row being ignored en bloc. Whether the in-form Anthony Foley can edge out Dion O'Cuinneagain (bearing in mind the latter's knowledge of South Africa and the harder grounds), or Alan Quinlan can squeeze in, is debatable though.

In the expected absence of the exhausted Kieron Dawson, then Andy Ward, Victor Costello and David Corkery could be backed up by a third Wallace, namely David. Maybe that's why the indefatigable Paul Wallace just can't say no.