Staples ponders clouded future

Jim Staples, last season's Irish captain, will almost certainly miss the first of the national squad's weekly Wednesday training sessions tomorrow. More disconcertingly, for both the player and Irish coach Brian Ashton, his availability for the All Blacks game on November 15th and the season ahead are also in doubt.

Basically, the dual strain of a heavy workload and the professional game have now placed an even bigger cloud over his continuing involvement in the sport. Partly because of this, he is unable to accept one of the contracts for national squad players which were finalised last week.

This season, Staples has been confined to one appearance for Harlequins and he is currently sidelined with a back injury which may require a cortisone injection from an orthopaedic specialist in London today.

"I've got a problem with the disc that's close to the sciatic nerve and it's causing quite a lot of problems because I'm getting pain all the way down through my hamstrings to my calf," explained Staples yesterday.

The 31-year-old full-back had a scan last week and is optimistic that the injection could, theoretically, make him available for Harlequins's last two pool matches in the Heineken European Cup away to Bourgoin and Munster. However, in a sense, that's the least of his problems.

Ironically, given the inability of Harlequins' eight non-professionals to train in the mornings or afternoons was the kernel of the rift which led to Dick Best's departure as coach last season, the club have now moved to day-time training under Andy Keast. And Staples is the only one who can't attend.

Hence he has not trained with his colleagues once since last season's final game against Wasps. "I run around fields and I'm in the gym but I've not touched the ball since the end of last season. I've been doing a little bit of kicking but nothing under pressure; no ball work; no team work. They train during the day at 10.0 a.m and 2.0 p.m. and I don't."

Harlequins are keen for Staples to continue playing with them and have looked at the possibility of holding one evening session per week. This plan has been temporarily shelved pending Staples's back injury. He is not too optimistic about a resolution to his problem.

"Nobody knows. I've told them what I can do and I'm just waiting for them to get back to me, but you go with what you know and I know I'm not giving up my job or taking a sabbatical," added Staples, who deals in government bonds for UK international sales.

"The market I work in changes on a daily basis. I've two years left on my contract, by which time a single currency will be in place. If I knew what was going to happen in the market in two years time I wouldn't worry about giving up my job but you have to be involved to adapt and change because undoubtedly it will be a very different place."

"My future is my job - I would hope it is. I'll be 32 next month and if one side of the equation has to fall away it's not going to be my career."

His future with the Irish squad hinges on his future with Harlequins. As for the game against New Zealand on November 15th, Staples readily concedes: "I'd love to play but it's not looking overly likely." While he has maintained fitness levels, he admits that "it's just becoming very difficult now but I'm not blaming anyone at all."

Certainly, regular attendance at the planned midweek Irish sessions looks a forlorn hope. "That's primarily why I won't be taking a contract. There's no point in taking a contract if you know you will not be able to fulfil the obligations. Basically I have to sort things out at Harlequins and then sit down with Brian (Ashton). If it falls down at Harlequins I really don't know what I'll do at that point."

Of course none of this is especially new, just an extension of similar problems which Staples had last season. As he observed himself, "last year I said I was on death row. Now I'm in the electric chair, waiting for the governor's call. And, as we all know, it never comes."