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Ireland’s hopes hit by Horgan injury  By
Michael O’Brien
Despite being out injured for four weeks Shane Horgan is included in
Ireland’s 30-man World Cup squad.
The Leinster winger twisted his knee warming up before Saturday’s
31-21 defeat to Scotland.
He has been ruled out of the opening Pool D game against Namibia on September
9 with a medial ligament tear but coach Eddie O’Sullivan hopes he
will be available to face Georgia a week later.
O’Sullivan said: “Shane’s injury means a four-week lay-off,
depending on his healing powers. Whether he makes that deadline we have
set him is another matter but we’re giving him every chance. He’s
a good healer and we believe he can make that.”
Ulster’s Tommy Bowe remains on stand by after losing out to rugby
league convert Brian Carney for the outstanding backs spot.
“Bowe will stay with the squad until we get more data on Shane,”
added O’Sullivan.
“Keeping our options open is the best we can do at the moment. Shane
is a 50-50 chance to make the Georgia match.”
The main contentious selection area of the back row was resolved with
Munster utility man Alan Quinlan and Ulster’s Stephen Ferris getting
the nod ahead of Leinster pair Keith Gleeson and Jamie Heaslip.
Saturday’s defeat to a Scottish side that propped up this year’s
Six Nations table is a concern, proving just how heavily Ireland rely
on their core group of players.
A predominantly second choice pack were so utterly destroyed in a first-half,
trailing 19-6 at the break, that absent front rowers John Hayes and Marcus
Horan can now be added to Ireland's untouchables list.
They join the mercurial pairing of Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy,
the precious boot of Ronan O’Gara and the ferocious forward play
of Paul O’Connell.
An injury to one would seriously derail the World Cup campaign.
A fine turn from Geordan Murphy and glimpses of Carney’s potential
explosiveness in the Scotland defeat show there is life after Horgan,
temporarily at least.
However there is less room for injury or error to join the unprecedented
levels of pre-World Cup optimism. |
