Horan comes through training session
Marcus Horan today gave Ireland a timely boost ahead of Saturday’s first World Cup Pool A game against Romania by successfully completing a full training session.
The 12 times capped loose head prop from Limerick had sat out the previous day because of a slight leg muscle injury.
He erased any superstitions about winning his 13th cap by satisfying coach Eddie O’Sullivan of his availability to play.
“Marcus is training flat out and is fine,” said O’Sullivan, who also revealed that Gary Longwell, who is not in the 22 against Romania, had to miss training because of a calf injury.
Longwell sat out the 90 minutes session under a canopy and protected from a 20 minutes period of atrociously wet weather, which Eddie O’Sullivan aptly described as “like being back in Ireland on a cold, winters day".
O'Sullivan stated he did not want that type of weather going for the game.
“If we get conditions like we got today, it will turn the match into a lottery, just a slugging match. It would not suit us to go into that environment”, he said.
O’Sullivan said that the Irish team is ready for the action and that “everybody wants to get out of the blocks well. There is a bit of tension there but nothing more than you would expect.”
Referees, says the Irish coach, “will play a big part in the World Cup tournament".
“It’s a hugely pressurised position being a referee," said O'Sullivan. "Nobody wants a game in the World Cup to be decided by a referee’s call that went wrong.
"They are all in a terribly difficult position. In fairness they are trying to be homogenous in their approach to the tackle, scrum and ruck, but it is a difficult thing for them.”
