A training ground hamstring pull has ruled Ireland centre Brian O'Driscoll out of the Leinster team for Saturday's Guinness Inter provincial clash with Connacht at the Sportsground, Galway. O'Driscoll sustained the damage on Tuesday morning and is likely to be out of commission for at least a fortnight.
Leinster coach Mike Ruddock allowed himself a rueful smile as he contemplated this latest setback with regard to his preferred centre partnership of O'Driscoll and Shane Horgan. Respective injuries have militated against them playing together over the past 12 months.
Ruddock is fortunate to be able to call upon a centre of Peter McKenna's quality and potential in the circumstances. The St Mary's College player will operate at outside centre with Horgan playing inside him. Injury has also deprived Leinster of first choice full back Girvan Dempsey (broken collarbone), blind side flanker Trevor Brennan (shoulder) and out-half Mark McHugh (torn calf muscle). Dempsey and McHugh will require a further two weeks to regain fitness while Brennan should be available for Leinster's next match.
Better news is the return of former captain Denis Hickie who has recovered from an ankle injury to claim a place in a Leinster three-quarter line that boasts great pace and footballing ability. Given the likely watershed in terms of personnel following Ireland's exit from the World Cup, the forthcoming interprovincial and European Cup campaigns will offer an obvious stage for burgeoning talent across the four provinces.
Ruddock also announced a new Leinster captain, openside flanker Liam Toland, their third this season following Hickie and hooker Shane Byrne. Ruddock elaborated: "I would like to stress that both Denis and Shane did an excellent job but we feel that Liam has come through and is the right man for the position. We didn't announce a captain for the season in the hope that one would materialise through playing and training."
Toland, an army officer currently on a year's leave of absence from the 2nd Cavalry at Cathal Brugha Barracks, intends to concentrate on focussing the minds of the players, believing that Leinster boast all the other qualities of a strong team. "I want to get the mental approach right as I think that is an area which has let us down in the past.
"I think that we have the power up front and the flashy backs to compete successfully but we need to develop the right mental approach. We have lost some games because the 15 players have not been playing to the same tune. We need to prove to ourselves - not to the press, not to Connacht - that we can play to the highest level."
Squad rotation dictates that Irish internationals Paddy Johns and Eric Miller will be on the Ulster bench for tomorrow night's game against Munster in Musgrave Park. Coach Harry Williams has announced a strong team, bolstered by an impressive replacements panel.
Riaz Fredericks partners Jonathan Bell in the centre while Stephen Bell starts at scrum-half. Talented young tighthead Simon Best is included in the front row while Mark Blair gets an opportunity alongside Gary Longwell in the second row. Tony McWhirter will anchor the back row. Williams pointed out: "Mark and Tony need games at this level and so we have operated the squad system. It's not fair to say that people have been left out."
The legacy of Ulster's marvellous European Cup victory has affected their early performances which have never quite scaled the same heights. Williams is aware that they need to forge a victory tomorrow to avoid dropping into a dogfight for the second European Cup spot next season.
Leinster: G D'Arcy; J McWeeney, P McKenna, S Horgan, D Hickie; B Everitt, D Hegarty; R Corrigan, S Byrne, A McKeen, M O'Kelly, B Casey, D O'Brien, V Costello, L Toland (capt). Replacements: E Farrell, D Whiston, S Forster, B Cusack, P Coyle, P Smyth, C McEntee.
Ulster: S Mason; J Topping, J Bell, R Fredericks, S Bromley; D Humphreys (capt), S Bell; J Fitzpatrick, A Clarke, S Best, G Longwell, M Blair, D O'Cuinneagain, T McWhirter, A Ward. Replacements: J Cunningham, N Malone, M Edwards, E Miller, P Johns, R Kernaghan, L Johnston.
Old Belvedere: D Walsh; D Keogh, A O'Shea, R Monoghan, D McCann; R Ball, J Goodwin; R Keane, T Mannix, G Fusco, H McDonnell, C Gleeson, A Phelan, M McGloughlin, J Logan.
