O'Driscoll set to answer the call

The consensus after Ireland's disappointing Five Nations Championships points to the lack of potency in the three-quarter line. The validity of this view is offset somewhat by the simply fact that the quality of possession served up by the pack and the delivery to the three quarters has, at best, been patchy and on occasion considerably worse. Nevertheless there does seem a case to answer. Ireland scored three tries in the Five Nations, all of which came from turnovers.

In 320 minutes of rugby they did not create a single try. It is against this backdrop that coach Warren Gatland approaches Saturday week's Test match against Italy at Lansdowne Road. It would be easier for him were he to pander to the call for wholesale change, promoting several of the successful under-21 team and the talented Shane Horgan.

What can be expected is that the Ireland team to play in the A international on Friday week will contain some of the country's outstanding young players. A closed-door session at the ALSAA complex in Dublin yesterday for backs only suggested that the New Zealander is determined to address several shortcomings.

Doing so may necessitate changes in personnel and one to prosper could be UCD and under-21 international centre Brian O'Driscoll, albeit with a place on the A team. The 20-year-old from Clontarf has been touted as a player of great promise and his form of late warranted close scrutiny from Irish assistant coach Philip Danaher, who watched O'Driscoll score 26 points for UCD last Saturday.

The former Blackrock College schoolboy is unfazed by the hype that surrounds him. "I find it a little difficult to take. I don't pay that much heed to what is being said. I mean Warren Gatland doesn't pick a team from newspaper clippings. It's nice to hear that people think you have ability I won't be getting carried away by it.

"To be honest I wonder what I have done to get this publicity. I feel that you should have to earn a reputation and I don't think I've done that yet. I think that Shane Horgan deserves it a great deal more than I do. He's proved it at higher levels.

"I was out for three months of the season with a knee injury, didn't play for Leinster and had one hairy performance for the under-21s against Wales. I was replaced that day and it really hurt. I was very disappointed and desperately wanted to prove a point in the next match against England which I think I did."

Whether playing out-half or outside centre for UCD or inside centre for the under-21's O'Driscoll has shone and he refuses to be pigeonholed. "In Division Three you get more space at outside centre and get to gallop. You are more involved at inside centre. I like to think I can play both, I'm not just a bosh merchant."

His priorities for the remainder of the season will be determined by tomorrow's announcements. He concedes that Ireland's summer tour to Australia is nothing more than a pipe dream at this stage but that the under-21 tournament against the world's elite of South Africa, New Zealand, Australia in Argentina is an event to which he is really looking forward.

Meanwhile, Cork Constitution and Ballymena have delayed naming their respective teams for Saturday's AIB League Division One match at Temple Hill. Constitution will definitely be without Munster wing John Kelly through injury while Ballymena welcome back James Topping from Hong Kong Sevens duty.

Blackrock College: T Keating; D Quinlan, B Carey, M Roche, D Johnson; N O'Donovan, A N Other; D Kavanagh, S Byrne, P Jordan; R Casey, H Kos; R Wheeler, L Cullen, R Rogers.

Old Belvedere: D Martin; D Keogh, R Monohan, D Shanley, F Meegan; P Kilduff, S Keogh; G Roche Nagle, A Ronan, G Fusco; A Briscoe, H McDonnell; G White, S Walsh, M McLoughlin.