O'Gara has the edge this time

INTERNATIONAL RUGBY: Comparisons with the Ollie Campbell-Tony Ward era are inevitable but in truth rarely has there been such acute competition for one place on the Irish side as there is in the existing Ronan O'Gara-David Humphreys rivalry. For the moment, O'Gara remains in situ but far from resolving the issue on a longer-term basis, this one could still run and run.

Come kick-off against Romania at Thomond Park on Saturday, each will have started 13 of the last 26 Tests dating back to O'Gara's debut in the rejuvenatory win over Scotland which kick-started the Irish team's revival post-World Cup. Even then, though, Humphreys was sprung from the bench to play a vital role in the win, and so the pattern has remained.

There's a valid school of thought, as there usually is in these circumstances, for making a longer-term investment in one or other, and that O'Gara may be suffering now in much the same way as Humphreys did during his rivalry with Eric Elwood.

Against that, however, O'Gara and Humphreys have been the two outhalves in every Irish squad for all but one of those last 26 games and have consistently shown themselves to be interchangeable in a positive way for the team. If one is in better form than the other, it would be foolish for Eddie O'Sullivan not to avail of that.

Indeed, it would surely be beneficial for the team if such keen competitiveness for places existed in more places. Yet, save for the outhalf slot, the only other position genuinely up for grabs prior to yesterday's team announcement was at inside centre, where Kevin Maggs has just held off his Lions rival Rob Henderson to partner Brian O'Driscoll.

And clearly these are problems O'Sullivan would like more of. "Fortunately for us they (outhalf and inside centre) are difficult calls for us. Both number tens are on top of their game again, having seen them at the weekend. Ronan was in possession in New Zealand and has held on again, and it's great for us that we have that sort of competition.

"It's also great that we have two frontline number 12s back in the fold again. We toured New Zealand without them and they bring a dimension to our game that's important to us. To have the two of them back in training is great and again it was a tight call."

In effect, Maggs was the man in possession here too, having played in seven successive Tests last season until breaking his hand in a game for Bath in March, whereas Henderson started only one out of 12 in an injury ravaged season.

The return of Maggs, and Denis Hickie on the wing instead of Justin Bishop, are the only two changes in personnel from the starting XV that played the All Blacks in Auckland, with John Kelly reverting to the right wing in the absence of the injured Geordan Murphy.

Even the replacements could be the same save for the return of Henderson in place of Mel Deane.

As the outhalf selection suggests, however, you sense that all other factors being equal, O'Gara has the edge, both as the younger man with the long-term in mind, and as Peter Stringer's long established partner.

Publicly at any rate, O'Sullivan was not inclined toward a long-term commitment to playing either of the two players. "I think to be fair you'd want a nip-and-tuck battle in almost every position. I think it's very good. I mean they're all professional athletes now and they understand the mechanics of how this works. They thrive on the competition and it's great for the team.

"So the more of these nip-and-tuck battles we can build up on the way to the World Cup will be good for everybody.

"There's a balance between a settled team and a hungry team," he added, "and the reality of professional rugby is that over a 14 -game schedule you're going to have guys getting hurt and the guys coming in are going to be right up there as well and that's what you want."

The luckless Eric Miller has been forced to withdraw with a bruised rib, and with Anthony Foley nursing a minor version of the same trouble, a vacancy has been left on the bench as back-row cover. Foley came through yesterday's session in the University of Limerick and presumably if he's passed fit, Alan Quinlan will make the bench ahead of Victor Costello.

Romania are ideal warm-up opponents for the impending World Cup qualifiers against Russia and Georgia, having edged ahead of those two countries in an earlier qualifying phase. When last in this general vicinity, Romania were beaten 134-0 last autumn by England, conceding 20 tries while Charlie Hodgson scored a record 44 points, but thankfully they seem to have had a minor revival since that horrendous day.

"We know that they've certainly turned the corner since their defeat in England," says O'Sullivan. "I think that was probably a low point for them.

"They've appointed a new coach (Bernard Charryere) who was highly respected as the French under-19 coach that won the World Cup in France. They have a fair few of their players playing in France, they've also had a training camp there in preparation for this and they've also won their last five games since the autumn, and I would think they're a team on the rise."

IRELAND (v Romania, at Thomond Park, Saturday (1.30): G Dempsey (Leinster and Terenure); J Kelly (Munster and Cork Constitution), B O'Driscoll (Leinster and Blackrock), K Maggs (Bath), D Hickie (Leinster and St Mary's); R O'Gara (Munster and Cork Constitution), P Stringer (Munster and Shannon); R Corrigan (Leinster and Greystones), K Wood (Harlequins, capt), J Hayes (Munster and Shannon), G Longwell (Ulster and Ballymena), M O'Kelly (Leinster and St Mary's), S Easterby (Llanelli), K Gleeson (Leinster and St Mary's), A Foley (Munster and Shannon).

Replacements: S Byrne (Leinster and Blackrock), P Wallace (Leinster and Blackrock), L Cullen (Leinster and Blackrock), A N Other, G Easterby (Llanelli), D Humphreys (Ulster and Dungannon), R Henderson (Munster and Young Munster)

Terrace tickets priced €18 will be on sale on the day at the ground. Stand tickets are sold out.