LOOSE HEAD prop Nick Popplewell is out of the Ireland team to meet Western Samoa at Lansdowne Road tomorrow night because of a hamstring injury. His place goes to Henry Hurley. And outside half Killian Keane is out of the Ireland A side to meet the Junior Springboks at Donnybrook tomorrow afternoon. His place will be taken by Eric Elwood.
Hurley, who moved to Moseley from Old Wesley at the start of the season, will be winning his second cap. His only previous appearance was when he came on as a temporary replacement against Fiji last season. Keane would have won his first A cap in the match against the South Africans.
Hurley's elevation to the team means that Gary Halpin (London Irish) moves from the bench on the A side to the bench on the senior team and Liam Mooney (London Irish) will take over from Halpin on the A team bench. Elwood's place in the A replacement panel goes to Alan McGowan (Blackrock College), who was capped at senior level two years ago against USA.
The match marks the return to the representative scene of Halpin. He last played for Ireland in the World Cup in South Africa. Last season he opted out of the international scene to concentrate on his duties as London Irish captain.
The Western Samoan hooker Trevor Leota, sent off in the second half of the match against Munster last Saturday by referee Chris White for a late and dangerous tackle, has been suspended for one match. Accordingly, he is ruled out of the international against Ireland.
It is extremely unlikely that Leota would have been in the team tomorrow but would have been on bench. The suspension was imposed by a three-man disciplinary committee which met after the match. The committee consisted of IRFU vice president Noel Murphy, IRFU committee member Stan Waldron and the manager of the touring team Rev Dr Faitala Talapusi.
The Samoans announced the Test side yesterday and it is as anticipated, with no member of the side that lined out against Munster in the team. Va'aitga Tuigamala, who came on as a replacement against Munster, is one of four new caps in the side. The others are right wing Afato So'oala, outside half Earl Va'aa and number eight Isaac Feaunati.
Meanwhile, it looks as though the ongoing attempts by London Irish to secure the services of former Ireland forwards coach Willie Anderson, to move to the club as coach with emphasis on the forwards, will succeed this week. Anderson travelled to London earlier in the season to take coaching sessions with the London Irish forwards and attempts have been made subsequently to try and get him to fulfil a permanent role.
The London Irish coach, Clive Woodward, stated earlier in the season that he would like to have Anderson's services on a regular basis and Woodward is finding it increasingly difficult to find the time to coach the club first team and combine it with his business.
Anderson is director of rugby at Dungannon and has been in regular contact with Woodward. It is Anderson's role with Dungannon which is the only inhibiting factor. Yesterday he said: "The move to London Irish by me depends on a satisfactory and amicable agreement between Dungannon and London Irish. I have no intention of doing anything that would jeopardise Dungannon in any way.
Dungannon will be very sorry to lose Anderson but will not stand in his way.
"It has been a difficult decision for me for several reasons. I will go with the full support of my wife. Family considerations were of the utmost importance. We have discussed the matter in detail. I have met Clive Woodward recently and have had several discussions with him. He has problems combining a coaching and business role. But he will continue to have a role and be involved in coaching the backs," said Anderson.
If, as now seems likely, Anderson does go to London Irish, he said he will, at least in the short term, travel to London on a weekly basis and continue to live in Co Tyrone.