Selectors Delay Naming Irish Side

The Irish selectors have delayed naming the side to play Samoa in Lansdowne Road on Sunday. It was originally intended to name the side for the Samoa game and for the A international against New Zealand, at a lunchtime conference today but that announcement has been put back twenty four hours because of injury to key players.

Those under medical scrutiny include Keith Wood who picked up a thigh strain playing for Harlequins on Saturday. His front row partners, Peter Clohessy and John Hayes are also a cause for concern. Hayes injured a shoulder in Munsters win over Bridgend and was replaced in the 55th minute by Clohessy who himself withdrew from the Munster game on the morning of the match suffering from a slight bout of bronchitis. Brian O’Driscoll, Eric Miller, Malcolm O’Kelly and Shane Horgan all picked up knocks in Leinster’s marvellous win in Newport while Denis Hickie and Girvan Dempsey are still recovering from injury that kept them out of that game.

David Wallace is still recovering from the shoulder injury that kept him out of the Munster side on Saturday and that game laid injury claim to Mike Mullins (ankle) and Frank Sheahan (cut eye).

Others listed among the walking wounded are David Humphreys (ankle), Jonathan Bell (ankle)and Kevin Maggs (shin).

Three players, Trevor Brennan, Simon Easterby and Barry Everitt have been added to the squad.