Ireland Ready To Go

The Irish team completed their final preparations for tomorrow’s game against South Africa by having the traditional short ‘Captains Run’ in Lansdowne Road, with no problems reported.

The team ran through defensive and attacking patterns and also allowed time for the kickers to accustom to what was a wet and blustery Lansdowne Road. New Cap Johnny O’Connor has settled well after his elevation to the team and is certainly looking forward to the game. His dual with Schalk Burger has been built up by the media, but as O’Connor said at a recent press conference, “You don’t really play against individuals, you play against teams.”

The weather for tomorrow’s game may be a factor, with most pundits believing that a poor day may suit Ireland. This may be an unfair assumption, as Ireland will certainly be hoping for a dry day to allow O’Driscoll, Hickie and co. the opportunity to run with ball in hand. The forecast is for a dry but windy day, which may well force the teams to keep the ball close to the chest.

With all the media attention regarding Jake Whites comments and O’Sullivans response, expect a certain amount of ‘edge ‘ to the game. If the players have the ability to put this sort of stuff out of their minds, the fans will not, so the springboks may well be on the receiving end of a warm welcome from the crowd.