26 METROSPORT Thursday, November 12, 2009 D Hayes and Healy joining forces to face WallabiesBY JOHN DONNELLY Few changes: Ireland head coach Declan Kidney has resisted the urge to experiment with his team to meet the Wallabies at Croke Park on Sunday Picture: Sportsfile RUGBY INTERNATIONALS Hanging on: McNamara got backing from Clare delegates GAA McNamara: I will quit if I cant win players over MIKE McNAMARA says he will not risk a repeat of the Cork hurling crisis if his Clare players continue to oppose him. The Banner boss performed a dramatic U-turn late on Tuesday night by telling county board delegates he wants to stay on. He was expected to resign after a vote of no confidence from his players and even conceded early in Tuesdays meeting it would be tough to work with the players again. But by the end of the meeting he had agreed with enthusiastic delegates who urged him to stay on. Peace talks between McNamara and his players, chaired by two independent mediators, will take place in the next ten days. McNamara says if talks breaks down he will not allow the issue to develop into a drawn out strike debacle like the one in Cork. The mood of the board delegates is that the players, management and the delegates themselves should all go forward together, said McNamara. If we do, we go forward. If we dont, well, we wont be still talking and dragging things out next March, I can assure you of that. The players have not officially responded to McNamaras move but privately are stunned by his decision to stay on. Id have no animosity towards the players, continued the ex-Offaly boss. We have had our chill-out period now. AUSTRALIA have recalled openside flanker David Pocock in their only change for Saturdays clash with Ireland at Croke Park. Pocock started the tour opener against New Zealand in Tokyo but was replaced by George Smith for last Saturdays 18-9 victory over England at Twickenham. The rivals for the number seven shirt exchange places once again with Pocock getting the nod for his 14th cap and fifth start. The rookie centre partnership of Quade Cooper and Digby Ioane has been retained after impressing against England. Former Leinster man Rocky Elsom will lead the side for the third time. Wallaby coach Robbie Deans was pleased with the success at Twickenham but has warned his side a similar performance would fail to topple Ireland. We know that the standard we produced last week wont be good enough against this Irish team, he said. The Irish are an established and experienced combination who are used to and expect to win, every time that they play. The Irish team has momentum having won its last eight Test matches and it has the confidence that mastering the art of winning consistently brings, he added. Playing them now is a great challenge, but one that we are all looking forward to. Aussies told they must improve Openside nod: Pocock Ireland team R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B ODriscoll (capt) (Leinster), P Wallace (Ulster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster); R OGara (Munster), T OLeary (Munster); C Healy (Leinster), J Flannery (Munster), J Hayes (Munster); D OCallaghan (Munster), P OConnell (Munster); S Ferris (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster). Replacements: S Cronin (Connacht), T Court (Ulster), L Cullen (Leinster), D Leamy (Munster), E Reddan (Leinster), J Sexton (Leinster), K Earls (Munster). Australia team A Ashley-Cooper; P Hynes, D Ioane, Q Cooper, D Mitchell; M Giteau, W Genia; B Robinson, S Moore, B Alexander, J Horwill, M Chisholm, R Elsom (capt), D Pocock, W Palu. Replacements: T Polota-Nau, M Dunning, D Mumm, G Smith, L Burgess, R Cross, J OConnor. Recall: Wallace IRELAND prop John Hayes has been told to act as a minder to Test debutant Cian Healy the player he left bloodied in a brutal stamping incident last month. Hayes will take his customary position at tighthead for Sundays autumn opener against Australia, just one week after completing a five-week suspension for raking his studs down Healys face in Munsters 30-0 defeat by Leinster. Now the pair are team-mates for the first time with Healy, 22, replacing Mar- cus Horan, who has been ruled out until January after undergoing an unspecified medical procedure. One of the great ironies of sporting life is that John took a sabbatical for a few weeks and now hes in to mind Cian, said Ireland coach Declan Kidney. Cian has looked good all season. I wish Marcus well, but they would have been battling for the position, said Kid- ney. Marcuss injury made the decision easier, but Cian had been playing well and merits selection in his own right. Healy has developed into a fine scrum- mager and shifts his 17-and-a-half-stone frame around the pitch surprisingly quickly, contributing to his growing rep- utation as a powerful ball carrier. Kidney, desperate to unearth some cov- er for the long-serving Hayes-Horan axis, will monitor his debut closely but Healy is determined to seize his chance. Its a dream come true its what Ive wanted since Ive been a child. It will be a special and unbelievable experience, he said. I was hoping for this but I didnt expect it to happen. It was just a case of trying my hardest for Leinster and seeing what happened. Separating Hayes and Healy at the scrum will be Jerry Flannery, the Munster hooker who has recovered from his calf problem in time to face the Wallabies. Flannerys game time this season has been significantly limited by injury, while Hayes has spent more than a month serving a ban. But Kidney dismisses con- cerns they will be under-cooked. If you wait for the ideal in this job it will never happen. John and Jerry are looking forward to the game, and thats the important thing, he said. There are only two changes to the side that clinched the Grand Slam in March, Healy replacing Horan and Paddy Wal- lace coming in for Gordon DArcy. Captain Brian ODriscoll will make his 100th Test appearance, having gathered 93 caps for Ireland and six for the Lions. Royal return for veterans MEATH manager Eamonn OBrien has included veterans Anthony Moyles and Nigel Crawford in his plans for 2010. Moyles is 33 while midfielder Crawford made his debut ten years ago in Meaths last All- Ireland winning season. But it is understood they have told boss OBrien to count them in again for 2010 despite a chastening All- Ireland semi-final loss to Kerry. Wing-back Caoimhin King and forward Brian Farrell will be available also despite departing shortly for a round-the-world trip. Following Seneschalstowns Meath title success OBrien is expected to hand OByrne Cup game time to Andrew Collins, Stephen Finnegan and Brian Sheridan in January. FLY-HALF Mike Delany will make his New Zealand debut alongside backs Tamati Ellison and Ben Smith in Saturdays test against Italy at Milans San Siro. Coach Graham Henry rang the changes yesterday with only Cory Jane, Neemia Tialata and Wyatt Crockett remaining from the starting team that beat Wales 19-12 in Cardiff last weekend. Captain Richie McCaw will be rested on the bench with number eight Rodney Sooialo taking over as skipper. Saturday is important for a lot of people. There is no substitute for this experience, theyve got to go through it, Henry said. Delany plays after Dan Carter, who was likely to have been rested anyway, was banned for one week for a high tackle against the Welsh. New blood for All Blacks ENGLAND boss Martin Johnson last night made four changes for Saturdays Test against Argentina. Prop Duncan Bell is handed his first start since 2005, replacing David Wilson who suffered neck and shoulder injuries in last weeks defeat by Australia. James Haskell, who impressed off the bench last week, replaces Jordan Crane at No.8 while hooker Dylan Hartley gets his chance ahead of Steve Thompson. There is just one change behind the pack with scrum-half Paul Hodgson in for Danny Care. The Pumas won at Twickenham three years ago and Johnson warned: Scrummaging is a big part of their game and we need to be up to that challenge, simple as that. We need to get better as a whole team. We have to improve but we are fully capable of that. Johnson changes four index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html