Wood gets thumbs up for return

Rugby: On the day when his old Lions sidekick Jeremy Davidson formally announced his retirement, and a fellow Lion of more recent vintage, Brian O'Driscoll, was optimistic about making this summer's trek to Australia, Keith Wood was given medical clearance to resume full training.

Wood, Ireland's absentee captain since the World Cup qualifying win against Russia in Krasnoyarsk many moons and many Test matches ago back in September, has never sounded more bullish about his chances of being fit again well in time for the World Cup in October.

On his tortuous road to recovery, he's had seven shoulder operations but yesterday he declared: "the doc has given me the all-clear to resume training and reckons there should be no more problems now, so it's full steam ahead. I've been gradually inching my way back, doing plenty of weights and running. To be honest, I'm thrilled to bits."

Wood is now highly confident he will be back in harness for next season's August start, when Ireland have scheduled World Cup preparatory games against Wales, Italy and Scotland. "We're going to return to Killaloe in the next couple of weeks and I'm not going to take any holidays over the summer. I'm going to train full-time in Limerick with all the other players who are hoping to get to the World Cup."

Wood had an amicable parting of the ways with Harlequins this week after seven seasons at the club and last night led the team out for their final home game of the season against Northampton as a farewell gesture before taking his seat in the stand.

The decision allows him the opportunity to retire after the World Cup if he so desires, although after missing an entire season he won't make that decision until November. "If the rehab goes extraordinarily well and I feel great then who knows?"

O'Driscoll, Wood's replacement as Irish captain, has had relatively encouraging news following a scan on the hamstring he damaged in Leinster's defeat to Perpignan last Sunday. "It's a lot better than I'd hoped. There is some minor damage to the hamstring. Hopefully, though, with proper rehab I should get over it within a month."

A 40-plus squad will depart for Australia at the end of this month for a Test against the world champions in Perth on June 7th, after which O'Driscoll would be one of the front-line players sent home in advance of further games against Tonga and Samoa. "Hamstrings are notorious things but barring any setbacks, I'd be very hopeful of making it," he said yesterday.

O'Driscoll was also generally supportive of the new initiatives for this World Cup which were formally outlined by the International Rugby Board yesterday. A Super 12-type points scoring system - four points for a win, two for a draw, and a bonus point for scoring four tries or losing by seven points or less - will apply for the first time in the pool stages of the tournament, while in further breaks from tradition, some matches will be played indoors and some of the massive profits will be split among the competing unions to help stave off threats of a player revolt.

"The bonus points system will place an emphasis on teams trying to score at least four tries, and so teams may put out their strongest selections as much as they can," said O'Driscoll. "But it should make the games more entertaining for the spectators."

Ireland will be one of the teams affected by the decision to ratify Australia's proposal to play five pool games and two quarter-finals in Melbourne's multi-purpose Docklands Stadium under a closed roof. This will include Ireland's pool match against Australia as well as, potentially, a quarter-final against the winners of the pool containing France and Scotland.

O'Driscoll played for the Lions in their defeat to the Wallabies at Docklands in the second Test a year ago when the roof was closed. "It is one of the best stadiums atmosphere-wise I've ever played in and having the roof closed does increase the noise level."

The IRB has also agreed to hand over A$11 million (€6.2 million) to the national unions of the 20 competing teams, who could then decide whether to share the windfall with the players. The sport's ruling body is to give A$430,000 (€241,000) to first-round losers, A$700,000 (€393,000) to quarter-finalists and A$850,000 (€477,000) to the four semi-finalists. Italy and Tonga have also withdrawn boycott threats.

Sadly one player who will not be there is Davidson. The 29-year-old damaged his knee badly during a recent fishing trip - the same knee which required reconstructive surgery after the 1997 Lions tour - and confirmed his retirement yesterday.

The 6ft 6in Dungannon lock, who won the first of 32 caps against Fiji in 1995, also won 31 Ulster caps and twice toured with the British and Irish Lions in 1997 and 2001. Ulster coach Alan Solomons praised Davidson for the way he had responded to the role of captaincy saying, "He has led the team so well and had upped his own level of performance quite significantly."