RUGBY SQUAD NEWS:Leinster coach Michael Cheika will have Gordon D'Arcy at his disposal for Friday night's Celtic League meeting with the Ospreys. The Ireland centre, an unused replacement in the win over England, was today made available for club duty by the Irish team management, as were all of those who were on the bench on Saturday.
D’Arcy, who will again bid to stake his claim for a starting berth ahead of Paddy Wallace when Ireland face Scotland on Saturday week, joins Shane Horgan and Girvan Dempsey in the backs division.
Secondrow Malcolm O’Kelly, dropped from the Ireland squad last week, and flanker Shane Jennings are also named in an extended 26-man squad with the team due to be named on Thursday.
As with Leinster, the Ospreys, who have already named their starting line-up, will be without a number of frontliners involved in the Six Nations but forward’s coach Jonno Gibbes is certainly not expecting an easy ride.
“The Ospreys are a dangerous team to face at any time of year, but even more so when people think that they will be weak owing to the number of players who are on international duty with Wales,” Gibbes said earlier today. “We know that that is not the case. They could be in a position to bring back players so we are preparing accordingly.
“They are still an experienced team with the likes of (Filo) Tiatia, Filipo Levi and Marty Holah. I’ve played alongside Marty for most of my career and he is an outstanding player. He’s a wonderful exponent of contact ball and will bring a real physicality and maturity, as will Filo. They are two massively important leaders for the Ospreys.
“Certainly it’s a challenge that we won’t be shying away from. The Ospreys are serious performers in their own backyard and boast a proud record at home. So it’s a game that we need to approach in a positive frame of mind.”
The Ireland squad, meanwhile, minus the players released to the provinces, gathered in Cork today for training ahead of next week’s trip to Edinburgh and despite the bruising nature of Saturday’s win no injury concerns were reported.
Leinster squad: C Healy, B Blaney, J Fogarty, B Jackman, S Knoop, S Wright, T Hogan, D Toner, M O'Kelly, R Elsom, C Jowitt, S Jennings, S O'Brien, S Keogh, K McLaughlin, P O'Donohoe, C Whitaker, F Contepomi, J Sexton, S Keogh, I Nacewa, G D'Arcy, F McFadden, E O'Malley, S Horgan, G Dempsey
Ospreys: G Owen; J Vaughton, S Parker, A Bishop, K Phillips; D Biggar, J Nutbrown; P James, E Shervington, C Griffiths; F Levi, A Lloyd; T Smith, M Holah, F Tiatia. Replacements: M Breeze, C Mitchell, R Pitman, S Tandy, R Wells, J Spratt, D Bishop
