O'Driscoll hands Leinster boost ahead of clash with 'most complete' side in France

Leinster coach Michael Cheika expects to have Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll available for Friday's Heineken Cup quarter final with Clermont Auvergne.

O’Driscoll along with Ireland team-mates Shane Horgan and Kevin McLaughlin missed Friday’s 15-16 victory at Munster, which saw Leinster move seven points clear at the top of the Magners League.

But with the side Cheika calls ‘the most complete’ in France to come on Friday the Leinster coach is expecting the international trio to be fit and challenging for a place in the starting XV.

“We'd be confident that all of them will play. Brian did some training over the weekend as did Kevin, while Shane will train today (Monday) although he has been doing some off-field stuff,” said Cheika.

"We're taking an extra precaution to get him right for this week, and he'd be pretty confident as well, so there should be no problem there.

“Shane's an experienced player, but it doesn't mean it's an automatic entry because the lads have been playing very well.

“Girvan (Dempsey) has been playing out of his skin while (Rob) Kearney's playing well, so it's going to come down to selection.

“But the fact that he's available for us, all going well this week, will make a lot of difference to the make up of the team.”

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Heaslip hails Leinster triumph

Ireland's Jamie Heaslip insists Leinster's historic defeat of Munster at Thomond Park matched anything on that happened on last summer's British and Irish Lions tour.

Heaslip, who started all three tests in South Africa, was named man of the match as the Dublin side recorded their first victory in Limerick for 15 years.

Fellow Irish international Jonny Sexton's 67th minute penalty was enough to give the visitors a 16-15 win with full-back Rob Kearney crossing for the game's only try.

And after moving seven points clear of their great rival at the top of the Magners League with a game in hand, the No.8 turned his attentions to Friday’s Heineken Cup quarter final.

“That was right up there with any international match in terms of intensity,” he said..

“It's always nice to beat Munster, but we know that it was a battle and we just came out on top.

“We're not going to let this win go to our heads.

“Although it's good to have a bit more space between us at the top of the league, we have a lot of hard games coming up, particularly next week's against Clermont.”

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Sexton gives Leinster derby spoils

Ireland fly-half Jonny Sexton's late penalty secured Leinster's first victory in Limerick since 1995 with a 16-15 defeat of rivals Munster.

Mirroring their kicking percentages during the 2010 Six Nations, Sexton missed three penalties while oppposite number Ronan O'Gara kicked five from five.

But Sexton did convert the only try of the game – scored through Ireland full-back Rob Kearney – and it was his second-half penalty that decided the outcome.

It was also Leinster’s third straight win over their bitterest of rivals and  they were forced to come from behind as O’Gara nailed two early penalties – the second after Leinster captain Leo Cullen was sent to the bin.

It became 14-a-side when Munster second row Donncha O’Callaghan also saw yellow allowing Sexton to reduce the deficit.

Two further O’Gara penalties were sandwiched by an effort from Fergus McFadden kicked while Sexton was receiving treatment.

But just before halftime, Leinster stormed into the lead through the only try of the game.

Isa Nacewa’s bouncing chip deceived former All Black Doug Howlett allowing Kearney to dive in with Sexton nailing a touchline conversion to make it 13-12 at the break.

Leinster's Nathan Hines became the third player to take a trip to the bin for a dangerous tackle allowing O’Gara to restore the home side’s advantage.

But after missing one penalty opportunity, Sexton held his nerve with his 66th minute effort and then a monumental defensive effort repelled a red tide.

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McGeechan backs Kidney and Ireland

Lions legend Ian McGeechan insists Ireland have no reason to hit the panic button as the dust settles on their 2010 Six Nations campaign.

Declan Kidney’s side started the championship with their sights set on becoming the first team in Six Nations history to claim back-to-back Grand Slams.

But that dream was shattered in Paris as Ireland crashed to a 33-10 defeat at the hands of France in only their second outing of the championship.

Victories over England and Wales followed but a fifth Triple Crown in seven years didn’t as Dan Parks’ last-gasp penalty saw Scotland claim their first win of the tournament 23-20 at Croke Park on matchday five.

But despite the ultimately disappointing campaign McGeechan – who took charge of the likes of Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Driscoll on the Lions tour to South Africa – is adamant Ireland have a stability most other countries dream of.

“Declan Kidney has worked his players very well,” said McGeechan, who is currently working as rugby consultant at Gloucester.

“The World Cup is still more than 12 months away and Ireland are settled: you could probably select a team without a lot of trouble. That's the sort of stability that all coaches would like.

"They responded to the defeat in Paris very well and they will look hard at what happened in the last game against Scotland but, in general, they have got stability.

“I don't think there's any question of a waning team - you just have to give credit to Scotland for being pretty astute.”

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Horan targets Ireland return

Munster's Marcus Horan has set his sights on forcing his way back into Declan Kidney's Ireland squad as he continues his comeback from a career-threatening irregular heartbeat.

The 32-year-old had been troubled for the past four seasons with the condition and at one point was told that he would have to quit playing.

But Horan refused to give up and has forced his way back into the Munster squad, and now has his sights set on an international return after missing out on a place in Kidney’s Six Nations squad.

The loose-head prop, capped 66 times by Ireland said: “I didn’t have enough opportunities before the Six Nations to put my name in the hat and that was hugely disappointing.

“You see other guys that were out for a while and they got in so that was pretty hard to take. It’s difficult. You’re trying to do as best you can but just the opportunity wasn’t there. I didn’t have much control over it.

“But now I do. There are big shop windows there to play over the next couple of weeks.

“It’s a great goal and a great challenge to have at this stage of your career. When you’re winning things it’s always great but this is a new challenge for me. It’s an experience I haven’t had before.

“There’s a perception out there that I’ve missed a huge amount of rugby but I haven’t. We’re in the business end of the season now and Munster are in contention for things so I’m going to really give it a go.

“Each game that I’ve played, I feel I’m getting stronger and stronger. They are getting more and more serious and more and more competitive.

“So that will benefit me hugely and hopefully with the break that I did have I will be that bit stronger come the latter stages of the season.”

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Sexton rediscovers his kicking boots

Ireland international Jonathan Sexton held his nerve to kick a late drop goal and give Leinster a 17-14 win over Connacht in the Magners League.

Sexton came in for some criticism for his kicking in Ireland’s Six Nations campaign but he put those troubles behind him against Connacht.

Fionn Carr scored two tries inside the opening 22 minutes, with Miah Nikora converting both but Ireland full-back Rob Kearney responded with a score of his own as Leinster trailed 14-8 at the interval.

Sexton had kicked one penalty in the first half and was successful with two more attempts after the break to level the scores in the 69th minute.

And the 24-year-old knocked over the drop goal with a minute left to secure the win and send Leinster four points clear at the top, while Connacht remain rock bottom.

In the only other Magners League fixture of the day Newport-Gwent Dragons won the all-Welsh affair with Ospreys 28-20.

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Byrne: Lions tour took its toll on Ireland

Former Ireland hooker Shane Byrne believes Declan Kidney's side suffered a Lions hangover after a mixed Six Nations campaign.

The defending champions saw their bid to make it back-to-back Grand Slams derailed by France’s 33-10 victory before a last-minute Dan Parks penalty for Scotland denied them the Triple Crown.

And with the 2011 World Cup on the horizon, Byrne – who won 45 caps for Ireland – maintains the effects of the brutal Lions series defeat to South Africa have taken their toll on key individuals.

He said: “If you look at Ireland’s Six Nations as a whole you would have to say it has been a disappointing campaign in a far from vintage Championship.

“Keith Earls stepped up to the plate, Tomas O’Leary demonstrated what a talented player he is and Brian O’Driscoll is Brian O’Driscoll.

“But other players have been a shadow of the guys they were in 2009 and I think that is an after effect of the Lions tour.

“Certain key areas – the line-out and the scrum – were not functioning as well as they were last season – and that will need to be addressed before the summer tour and ahead of that the World Cup.”

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