IRELAND COACH JOE Schmidt today eased fears that Brian O’Driscoll may have played his final international in Dublin.
The former captain limped out of Ireland’s Six Nations defeat to England at Twickenham with a calf injury on Saturday, but speaking in the Aviva Stadium today, Schmidt underlined that the problem should be fully cleared by the time the squad trains together.
“Brian O’Driscoll was cramp, he was walking fine after the game and trained yesterday, individually,” said Schmidt.
The news is less clear-cut about Peter O’Mahony, though the scans on his hamstring have revealed “a little bit of blood, but no tear – it’s a case of managing Pete this week so that he can train next week.”
The Kiwi coach also hinted that Jonathan Sexton, currently in Paris with his hand in a splint, could be another man taken out of the firing line briefly against Italy.
“He hurt his thumb,” Schmidt said about his first-choice out-half, “it wasn’t bad, he’s fully functioning and can still pass and do everything. We’re gonna get some more feedback [from Racing Metro] over the next few days.
“Hopefully, he’ll be fine. He’s gone back to Paris and we’ve got some scans to be read.”
Asked about the possibility of another player wearing the number 10 shirt on March 8, Schmidt said:
“It depends what happens this week. If he’s required to play Castres. It’s something we’d think about.”
The coach expanded on the team rotation dilemma put in front: “If players don’t play against Italy, then by the time it comes to France they’ll have played one game in five weeks before kick-off.
