| Triple crown hopes hit by O’Connell
loss By LARRY COONEY
 IRELAND’s Lions
lock Paul O’Connell is a serious doubt for the remainder of the
Six Nations championship.
That was the high price Eddie O’Sullivan’s side paid for what
proved to be a brave but fruitless revival in last Saturday’s amazing
game that resulted in a 43-31 defeat by France at the Stade de France.
O’Connell will certainly miss the start of Ireland’s bid to
regain the Triple Crown they last won in 2004 against Wales on Sunday
week at Lansdowne Road. However the real fear is that the Munster star
may be out of action until at least the end of March.
Following a shoulder scan earlier this week the injury has been confirmed
as a shoulder A-C joint strain. O’Connell picked up the injury late
in the game but remained on the field as he inspired his country’s
truly remarkable fightback from the brink of a complete humiliation.
A team spokesman said: “The injury will require rehabilitation over
the next week at which point a further assessment of the injury will be
made. The level of strain to O’Connell’s shoulder makes him
a doubt for the Wales game in a fortnight’s time.”
In the circumstances allowing for an injury of this nature where a player
may regain normal movement after 10 days plus a further two weeks recovery
period then the England showdown at Twickenham on March 18 clash looks
a far more realistic comeback date.
However the real worry is since O’Connell did not alert the Ireland
management sooner the Limerick man may also have done far more serious
damage to his shoulder.
Hopefully this will not prove to be the case for O’Connell whose
international and club season has already been blighted by a hand injury
which forced him out of the autumn series against Australia and the All
Blacks.
O’Connell’s dominant displays against Italy and France have
one of the few positives from Ireland’s opening games in this season’s
Six Nations Championship and he will be sorely missed in the next game
against Grand Slam title winners Wales.
Better news for Ireland fans is Brian O’Driscoll’s full recovery
after he was withdrawn late in the game at the Stade de France because
of exhaustion. The Ireland captain turned in a much improved performance
on Saturday after a lacklustre display against Italy on the previous week
at Lansdowne Road.
Apart from the O’Connell injury and O’Driscoll’s late
withdrawal the aftermath of last Saturday’s game has been dominated
by the contrasting form of the Irish team in both halves not to mention
the game-plan Eddie O’Sullivan had devised for the opposition.
Former French international Laurent Benezech launched a scathing attack
on Irish coach Eddie O’Sullivan’s following the tactics used
in last Saturday’s defeat in Paris.
He said: “Ireland have been the most disappointing team of the tournament
for me. Not because of the players’ potential but because of the
coach. Playing a wild attacking game against a French team which we knew
would react strongly after the Scottish game, especially defensively,
was like committing suicide.”
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