6 Nations Profiles: Ireland Backs v Wales

GEORDAN MURPHY (LEICESTER TIGERS)

Date of Birth: 19 April 1978
Height: 183cm (6ft)
Weight: 84kg (13st 3lbs)

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Position: Full-Back/Wing
Debut: v USA, June 2000
Caps: 36
Lions Test Caps: 1
Points: 85
Tries: 16
Conversions: 1
Drop Goals: 1

2005/06 Form: Ireland: Games Played: 5 (v New Zealand, Australia, Romania, Italy, France); Points: 5; Tries: 1 (v Romania)
Leicester: Games Played: 15; Points: 10; Tries: 2

5th Test v Wales…Has scored 3 tries (2 in 2002, 1 in 2005) and 1 conversion against the Welsh…kicked the conversion as a replacement for David Humphreys in August 2003He started all of Ireland’s Test matches in 2005, bar those on the tour to Japan, due to his involvement with the Lions – Murphy played in the third and final Lions Test in New ZealandNow fourth on the all-time Irish try scoring listHas scored 11 tries and 1 drop goal whilst playing at full-back for Ireland, and 5 tries as a wingerRecovered from a broken leg he suffered against Scotland in the final warm-up game for the 2003 World Cup, missed that tournament and returned v Italy in the 2004 6 NationsHas been in England with Leicester Tigers since moving from Naas RFC in 1997Won Heineken Cup winners medals in 2001 and 2002Has played at full-back, centre and on the wing for his country

SHANE HORGAN (LANSDOWNE/LEINSTER)

Date of Birth: 18 July 1978
Height: 193cm (6ft 4ins)
Weight: 97kg (16st 1lb)

Position: Wing/Centre
Debut: v Scotland, February 2000
Caps: 42
Lions Test Caps: 3
Points: 65
Tries: 13

2005/06 Form: Ireland: Games Played: 5 (v New Zealand, Australia, Romania, Italy, France); Points: 5; Tries: 1 (v Australia)
Leinster: Games Played: 13; Points: 25; Tries: 5

4th Test v Wales…Has scored 2 tries against the Welsh…He was a replacement for the Lions against Argentina last May and in all 3 Tests against New Zealand last summerOne of five players in the current Irish squad to make their debuts against Scotland in 2000Horgan scored on his debut, adding a further 4 tries in 2000 but has gone through a dry patch recently, scoring only 3 tries in his last 21 Tests for IrelandRekindled his form in Leinster’s recent run to the Heineken Cup quarter-finals, scoring 3 tries in 6 pool gamesBefore Sunday, Horgan has won 9 caps at centre, 32 on the wing and one cap as a substitute from Girvan Dempsey…

BRIAN O’DRISCOLL (BLACKROCK COLLEGE/LEINSTER) (CAPTAIN)

Date of Birth: 21 January 1979
Height: 180cm (5ft 11ins)
Weight: 90kg (14st 3lbs)

Position: Centre
Debut: v Australia, June 1999
Caps: 61
Lions Test Caps: 4
Points: 147
Tries: 27 (Ireland Record)
Drop Goals: 4

2005/06 Form: Ireland: Games Played: 2 (v Italy (captain), France (captain))
Leinster: Games Played: 5; Points: 15; Tries: 3

…Ireland v Wales is his 25th Test as team captain…Sunday marks the centre’s 8th Test against the Welsh (3 tries (1 in 2001, 2 in 2004))O’Driscoll has led Ireland to 18 wins in 24 outings as skipper – O’Driscoll is now second on the captaincy list behind leader Keith Wood (36)…He joins Anthony Foley and Girvan Dempsey on 62 caps – joint-seventh in the list of most-capped players…This is his 3rd cap since the 32-20 defeat by Wales at the Millennium Stadium last MarchDislocated his right shoulder in the first Lions Test v New Zealand in JuneO’Driscoll, Ireland’s record try scorer (27), has scored 16 tries in previous 6 Nations tournaments – he beat the record of George Stephenson (14) with a try against England last seasonHe famously scored Test hat-tricks against France (2000) and Scotland (2002)Played in all three Lions Tests in Australia in 2001 – captain of 2005 LionsVoted Irish Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002…

GORDON D’ARCY (LANSDOWNE/LEINSTER)

Date of Birth: 10 February 1980
Height: 178cm (5ft 10ins)
Weight: 94kg (14st 3lbs)

Position: Centre/Full-Back
Debut: v Romania, October 1999
Caps: 17
Points: 15
Tries: 3

2005/06 Form: Ireland: Games Played: 5 (v New Zealand, Australia, Romania, Italy, France); Points: 5; Tries: 1 (v France)
Leinster: Games Played: 6; Points: 15; Tries: 3

3rd Test v Wales…Yet to score against the Welsh…Returned to go on Lions tour, and start all three of Ireland’s autumn internationalsVoted 2004 6 Nations Player of the tournament by the BBCD’Arcy’s first 2 Ireland tries came in the 2004 Triple Crown win against ScotlandScored his third against France two weeks ago…Won his first cap at full-back, as a replacement for Conor O’Shea, against Romania at the 1999 World Cup – his second followed some three years later against FijiAlso made his Leinster debut (1998) and Ireland ‘A’ debut (1999) as a teenagerShowed flashes of his brilliance in helping Leinster through to the 2005/06 Heineken Cup quarter-finals, scoring 3 tries in 6 pool games

ANDREW TRIMBLE (BALLYMENA/ULSTER)

Date of Birth: 20 October 1984
Height: 188cm (6ft 2ins)
Weight: 91kg (14st 3lbs)

Position: Centre/Wing
Debut: v Australia, November 2005
Caps: 3
Points: 15
Tries: 3

2005/06 Form: Ireland: Games Played: 3 (v Australia, Romania, France (sub)); Points: 15; Tries: 3 (v Romania (2), France (1))
Ulster: Games Played: 17; Points: 30; Tries: 6

1st Test v Wales…Won his 3rd cap – first as a replacement – against France, and marked it with a late try – his third in as many TestsThis is Trimble’s first 6 Nations ChampionshipHe earned his first call-up to the Irish squad last November – started the Tests against Australia and Romania, scoring 2 tries against the eastern EuropeansHas shot to prominence in only his second season with Ulster, forming a strong midfield partnership with Ireland veteran Kevin MaggsAlways highly regarded, having impressed as an Ireland Schools and Under-21 internationalHe is currently studying part-time for a Theology degree….

RONAN O’GARA (CORK CONSTITUTION/MUNSTER)

Date of Birth: 7 March 1977
Height: 180cm (5ft 10ins)
Weight: 83kg (13st)

Position: Fly Half
Debut: v Scotland, February 2000
Caps: 57
Points: 563 (Ireland Record)
Tries: 8
Conversions: 92
Penalties: 104
Drop Goals: 9

2005/06 Form: Ireland: Games Played: 5 (v New Zealand, Australia, Romania (sub), Italy, France); Points: 38; Tries: 1 (v France); Conversions: 6; Penalties: 7
Munster: Games Played: 14; Points: 139; Tries: 1; Conversions: 31; Penalties: 22; Drop Goals: 2

7th Test v Wales…Has scored 43 points (2 tries, 6 conversions, 6 penalties and 1 drop goal) against the Welsh…Regained the record as Ireland’s all-time leading points scorer v France – 563 as against David Humphreys’ 560Was the 2005 6 Nations top scorer with 60 pointsHe scored a then championship record 30 points (6 conversions and 6 penalties) against Italy in 2000One of five players to make their Irish debuts against Scotland in 2000His two drop goals against England last year took him past Humphreys as Ireland’s record drop goal scorerWas previously Ireland’s record points scorerPlayed in two Heineken Cup finals for Munster in 2000 and 2002toured Australia with the Lions in 2001, and earned his first Test cap as a Lion as a replacement in the third Test against New Zealand last July

PETER STRINGER (SHANNON/MUNSTER)

Date of Birth: 13 December 1977
Height: 170cm (5ft 7ins)
Weight: 70kg (11st)

Position: Scrum Half
Debut: v Scotland, February 2000
Caps: 63
Points: 25
Tries: 5

2005/06 Form: Ireland: Games Played: 5 (v New Zealand, Australia, Romania (sub), Italy, France)
Munster: Games Played: 13

…8th Test v Wales…Yet to score against the Welsh…38th Test start alongside school mate Ronan O’Gara…Is set to pass Willie John McBride on 63 caps in the most-capped player list…Stringer is fifth on that list – his next target is Mike Gibson (69)Stringer is Ireland’s most-capped scrum half – incredibly, he has played in 63 of Ireland’s last 68 Tests (he was rested for the games against USA (2000), Fiji (2002) and Tonga, Samoa and Italy (2003))Saturday will see him go level with Willie John McBride (63) as the fifth most-capped Ireland player of all-time…One of five players in the current squad to make their debuts against Scotland in 2000Played in two Heineken Cup finals for Munster in 2000 and 2002…

REPLACEMENTS:

EOIN REDDAN (LONDON WASPS)

Date of Birth: 20 November 1980
Height: 170cm (5ft 7in)
Weight: 80kg (12st 9lbs)

Position: Scrum Half
Debut: v France, February 2006
Caps: 1

2005/06 Form: Ireland: Games Played: 1 (France (sub))
Wasps: Games Played: 15; Points: 15; Tries: 3

1st Test v Wales, if he plays…Earned his 1st cap late on v France as a replacement for Brian O’DriscollCalled up to the Senior squad as a result of his good form for London Wasps, the club he signed for last summer from MunsterAlso had a spell with Connacht before returning to Munster, the province he began with, in 2003Capped previously at Under-21 level for IrelandStarted playing rugby as a 13-year-old for local Limerick club Old Crescent

DAVID HUMPHREYS (BALLYMENA/ULSTER)

Date of Birth: 10 September 1971
Height: 178cm (5ft 10ins)
Weight: 83kg (13st)

Position: Fly Half
Debut: v France, February 1996
Caps: 72
Points: 560
Tries: 6
Conversions: 88
Penalties: 110
Drop Goals: 8

2005/06 Form: Ireland: Games Played: 3 (v New Zealand (sub), Australia (sub), Romania (captain)); Points: 18; Conversions: 6; Penalties: 2
Ulster: Games Played: 16; Points: 184; Tries: 1; Conversions: 19; Penalties: 42; Drop Goals: 1

10th Test v Wales, if he plays…has scored 86 points (13 conversions, 18 penalties and 2 drop goals) against the Welsh…Second most-capped Irish player of all-time behind Malcolm O’KellyHumphreys, in his number 10 duel with Ronan O’Gara, has had three spells as first choice fly half, in 1999, 2002 and 2003Since the end of the 2003 World Cup, 8 of Humphreys’ 12 Irish caps have come as a replacementCaptained Ireland v Italy in 2002 and for the fifth time in last November’s win against RomaniaWas captain of Ulster for their Heineken Cup win in 1999 – scored a Cup record 37 points against Wasps in October 2001

GIRVAN DEMPSEY (TERENURE COLLEGE/LEINSTER)

Date of Birth: 2 October 1975

Height: 188cm (6ft 2ins)

Weight: 89kg (14st)

Position: Full-Back/Wing

Debut: v Georgia, November 1998

Caps: 62

Points: 70

Tries: 14

2005/06 Form: Ireland: Games Played: 2 (v New Zealand, Romania (sub)); Points: 5; Tries: 1 (v Romania)

Leinster: Games Played: 17; Points: 20; Tries: 4

…7th Test v Wales, if he plays…Yet to score against the Welsh…Played in 29 consecutive Test matches for Ireland from the summer of 2003 to the autumn Test against Australia last year – missed Tests due to a persistent groin injury…49 caps at full-back (including 4 as a replacement), Dempsey played 9 Tests on the wing (1998-99) and in 2005 – has also played 4 Tests as an out-of-position replacement…Has scored 2 tries from the wing, and 12 from full-back…Dempsey started all of Ireland’s 6 Nations games last season, bar the opener against Italy in Rome…Has scored 2 tries in his last three outings in green…Played in all 15 of Ireland’s Tests during 2003, including 13 as a starter…He famously scored Ireland’s try in their 19-13 defeat of England at Twickenham in March 2004…Won his 50th cap on tour to South Africa that June – his 60th followed against Japan last summer…Suffered a calf injury in Leinster’s final Heineken Cup pool game against Bath last month…

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