Flannery refuses to wave the white flag

Ireland's Jerry Flannery is refusing to wave the white flag just yet and plans to appeal against his six-week ban for kicking France's Alexis Palisson.

Flannery was handed the ban last week following the alleged incident in Paris on February 13 and if upheld will miss the remainder of the Six Nations championships.

Flannery, who pleaded guilty and acknowledged the offence deserved a red card during his hearing last week, has been banned until 29 March, ruling him out of Ireland's remaining fixtures against England, Wales and Scotland.

However, a cross appeal has been lodged by the Six Nations disciplinary officer which could mean the ban being lengthened if Flannery is not successful.

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Kidney gives Sexton first Six Nations start

Jonathan Sexton will make his first Six Nations start in Saturday's clash with England after replacing Ronan O'Gara at fly-half as one of four changes made by Ireland boss Declan Kidney.

As expected Leicester full-back Geordan Murphy comes in for the injured Rob Kearney while the suspended Jerry Flannery is replaced by Rory Best.

In the second row, Donncha O'Callaghan partners his Munster teammate Paul O’Connell as Leo Cullen drops to the bench.

Sexton was widely tipped to replace O’Gara before the start of the Championship after his cool performances during the autumn internationals but injury intervened.

However Sexton has forced his way back in the No.10 shirt after a storming performance in Leinster’s recent defeat of the Scarlets scoring 22 of his side’s 27 points.

O’Gara drops to the unfamiliar role of bench warmer, where he replaces Ulster’s Paddy Wallace, and is sat alongside the now fit Andrew Trimble.

Ireland team to face England: Murphy, Bowe, O'Driscoll, D'Arcy, Earls, Sexton, O'Leary, Healy, Best, Hayes, O'Callaghan, O'Connell, Ferris, Wallace, Heaslip

Replacements: Cronin, Buckley, Cullen, Jennings, Reddan, O'Gara, Trimble

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Murphy called in for Twickenham showdown

Veteran Leicester full-back Geordan Murphy has been added to Ireland's Six Nations squad to face England at Twickenham at the weekend.

With Lions No.15 Rob Kearney missing the Twickenham showdown with a knee injury – Ireland boss Declan Kidney has opted for Murphy.

The Leicester back has only played three times for the Tigers this season since dislocating his shoulder but he was in imperious form against Gloucester at Welford Road at the weekend.

Murphy could be given the full-back role for the remainder of the championship; with Kearney likely to be out for three to five weeks.

The full-back is also in danger of missing Ireland's home games against Wales and Scotland on 13 and 20 March.

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Fly-half Sexton lays down Ireland marker

Fly-half Jonathan Sexton sent an emphatic message to Ireland boss Declan Kidney after finishing with a 22-point haul in Leinster's 27-14 win over Scarlets.

Sexton scored a try, a conversion and five penalties and helped Leinster break clear of the Scarlets and record their eleventh straight victory at their Dublin base.

But fellow Ireland hopeful Sean O’Brien saw his night ended early through injury, hampering the No.8’s chances of being selected for Saturday’s Six Nations clash with England. .

The Scarlets will be disappointed with the result as they failed to make the most of some excellent try-scoring opportunities, the most noteworthy seeing Rob McCusker knock on after blocking Shaun Berne’s 70th-minute clearance.

Jonathan Davies and the fit-again Regan King started well for the visitors but Sexton converted a penalty to open the scoring.

Davies rumbled forward to set up Rhys Priestland for a levelling penalty and the Scarlets surged 8-3 ahead just a minute later.

Leinster were caught napping following a long range Scarlets break and hooker Ken Owens finished off in the left corner.

Priestland failed to add the extras and Leinster’s Nacewa crossed the line shortly after.

Sexton nailed the conversion from close to the touchline and swapped further penalties with Priestland as Leinster went in at the break 13-11 ahead.

Scarlets fly-half Priestland kicked his side back into the lead shortly after the break but Sexton added three well-struck penalties on 48, 57 and 67 minutes to turn the tide again.

Sexton then collected a pass from debutant Andrew Conway to score the clinching try, four minutes from time.

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Scrum-half Stringer sends reminder to Ireland boss Kidney

Veteran scrum-half Peter Stringer staked a strong claim for an international recall to Ireland's Six Nations team with an impressive performance in Munster's 16-12 Magners League win over Edinburgh.

The 32-year-old was instrumental in Ireland’s 2009 Six Nations grand slam, putting in a man-of-the-match performance to help his side come from behind to beat Scotland 22-15.

But this year Stringer has dropped down the pecking order with the emergence of Eoin Reddan, Tomas O’Leary and Isaac Boss.

And the 91-cap-man showed Ireland coach Declan Kidney what he is missing ahead of next weekend’s Six Nations clash with England at Twickenham with a masterful display.

Despite early injuries to Paul Warwick, Donnacha Ryan and Tommy O’Donnell, tries from fellow Ireland man Marcus Horan and young fly-half Scott Deasey helped Munster to the narrow win.

Kidney will have been impressed by the efforts of loose-head prop Horan and full-back Denis Hurley, both of whom were instrumental in the win.

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Kidney will bring Murphy into Ireland training

Ireland coach Declan Kidney admits Leicester full-back Geordan Murphy could be set for a surprise recall ahead of their Six Nations clash with England next Saturday.

Kidney will be without regular full-back Rob Kearney after he was ruled out for between three to five weeks with a knee injury sustained in their 33-10 defeat by France last Saturday.

The Leicester full-back has not featured for Ireland since making a substitute appearance in their Grand Slam securing win over Wales last March, but Kidney has refused to rule-out a recall.

He said: “We’ll definitely give Geordan a look and hopefully he will get a full game at the weekend.

“It was always our plan to bring him into training next week whether he had enough game time or not and you wouldn’t rule anyone out.”

The 31-year-old has had a frustrating season after being sidelined for several months with a dislocated shoulder suffered against Wasps in September.

But the former British Lion has come off the bench in recent weeks for the Tigers and looks to be in prime position to fill the void left by Kearney.

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Ireland fall to fifth in IRB Rankings

Ireland's defeat to France in Paris has seen him slip to fifth in the latest IRB World Rankings with Les Bleus leapfrogging them into fourth.

Tries from William Servat, Yannick Jauzion and Clement Poitrenaud, as well as 15 points added from the boot of Morgan Parra, lifted les Blues to 33-10 victory at the Stade de France.

And not only did the victory end Ireland’s hopes of back-to-back Grand Slams, it also meant they swapped places with France in the rankings.

France now take Ireland’s mantle of being the highest placed northern hemisphere nation in the rankings and have opened up a gap of over one rating point over Ireland.

Marc Lievremont's side now trail third place Australia by a similar margin, and are seven points adrift of the number one side New Zealand.

Ireland would have gone third with a first victory at the Stade de France since March 2000, but a first loss in 15 months means Declan Kidney's men now sit judy above England ahead of Saturday’s clash at Twickenham.

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Flannery banned for rest of Six Nations

Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery will miss the rest of the Six Nations Championship after receiving a six-week ban for his kick on Alexis Palisson last weekend.

The 31-year-old has been cited for the kick on Palisson, which forced the Frenchmen having to leave the field with a dead leg, despite referee Wayne Barnes only reversing a penalty decision for the incident at the itme.

The Munster player pleaded guilty at a disciplinary hearing in Dublin earlier today and admitted the offence deserved a red card.

He has subsequently been banned until March 29 which means missing Ireland’s remaining Six Nations games against England, Wales and Scotland although the incident was judged reckless rather than deliberate by the panel,

Flannery has the option to appeal the ban but the Irish Rugby Football Union has stated it will wait to review the written judgment before considering any further action.

Ulster hooker Rory Best looks set to fill the void left by Flannery after replacing him in the second-half of Ireland’s opening Six Nations games against Italy and France.

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Flannery faces anxious wait

Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery looks set to miss his side's crunch Six Nations clash with England at Twickenham after being cited at the weekend.

Flannery has been accused of an ‘alleged kick’ on France wing Alexis Palisson during Ireland’s 33-10 loss in Paris at the weekend.

The Munster hooker has yet to be given a case for his hearing but with Ireland due to play England at Twickenham on February 27 – a reprieve now looks unlikely.

The minimum sentence for the offence is four weeks, while the mid-range sanction is eight to 12-weks, meaning Flannery can expect a stint on the sidelines if found guilty.

Flannery's expected absence will open the door for Ulster captain Rory Best to come into the side.

Best had been expected to miss the entire season after undergoing surgery on a neck injury last summer but recently returned to club action.

Best replaced Flannery during the second half of Saturday's game in Paris, as he had done in Ireland's Six Nations opener against Italy in Dublin seven days earlier.

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Poor start cost us, says Kidney

Ireland head coach Declan Kidney believes his side paid the price for a poor start in their Six Nations game against France.

The defending Six Nations champions were hoping to gain only their third victory in Paris since 1952 but were unable to get the better of an inspired France side, eventually losing 33-10.

And while Kidney was far from happy with the performance of his team he admiited credit must go to the impressive hosts.

“We were always likely to lose if France got their tales up and we gave them a 14-point lead in the first half and afterwards they were able to just take the points as the came,” he said.

“We didn’t exploit the opportunities as well as we needed to have done. There is no need for complaints – the credit must go to France.

However, the coach does believe the sin-binning of Cian Healy proved a big factor in the loss.

“They scored ten points when we had a man in the bin so it was important,” he said.

“Leading up to the bin is what I will be taking a look at. It was one of those 50-50 games at that stage and then they got in behind us, a little tug of the jersey.

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Kidney brushes aside Ferris fitness concerns

Ireland coach Declan Kidney insists he is not taking a risk with Stephen Ferris' fitness - despite the flanker sitting out Friday's training.

Ferris has been out of action for the past three weeks and his inclusion in the starting XV was delayed earlier this week.

The Lions tourist was finally handed the No.6 shirt but doubts still surround whether he should be playing against France this afternoon.

“No, no, he’s grand, he’s fine,” said Kidney. “The reason I’m loath to say he’s 100 per cent is because I don’t know if any of us are 100 per cent.

“He’s charging away at training, he wanted to train, but we just held him back. He’s good.”

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O'Connell: we have the belief to beat France

Ireland Lock Paul O'Connell is confident his side can produce an upset against Six Nations favourites France tomorrow, despite their poor record in the French Capital.

Declan Kidney’s side travel to the Stade de France hoping to claim only their third victory over France in Paris since 1952.

But O’Connell, who enjoyed his first taste over victory over France last year, says beating the Les Bleus on their own patch will be the next step for the Grand Slam champions to establish themselves as a world force.

“If we beat France away from home it will be an incredible feeling and a good box ticked,” said the Lions captain.

“It would be a highlight in my career. In my earlier years I looked at guys like Peter Clohessy having very tough times over there.

“Irish teams sometimes went to Paris with high hopes, sometimes not, but always came off second best.

“But it's got to the stage now where we believe we can go over there and win. Now we need to actually do it.

“We've always taken talented teams to Paris but now we're going there with a Grand Slam. You can't argue with that.

“We had an okay autumn, the results were good, so we're going over there in a better position than ever before.”

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O'Gara demands end to Paris heartache

Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara says the first 20 minutes against France this weekend will make-or-break their chances of ending their Six Nations winless run in Paris.

The Irish have achieved just one Championship win on French soil – a 27-25 win in 2000 – since the inception of the Six Nations.

But Grand Slam champions Ireland are full of confidence after an unbeaten 2009 and making a steady, if unspectacular, start in the 29-11 defeat of Italy.

And O’Gara, who did not miss a kick in his 16-point haul against the Azzurri, knows winning in the Stade de France is Ireland’s next stage in proving themselves as a world force.

O’Gara said: “From the national point of view it’s been a long time – it’s been too long. We’d be keen to address that this weekend.

“I think we’ve always given them too much of a head start on the games over there.

“They’re a formidable team when you let them play their game and they’re on the front foot.

“Usually we’re 20 or 30 points down and I don’t know is it them giving up or tiring a small bit but we usually get back into it, but it’s always too late.

“So a good start will be imperative this weekend. That’s exactly what we’re concentrating on – the first 20.

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Ronan O'Gara kicked six from six for Ireland

Ronan O'Gara turned in a perfect kicking display as Ireland brushed aside Italy 29-11 in the opening fixture of the Six Nations at Croke Park.

It was a far from vintage performance from last year’s Grand Slam winners, but O’Gara – back in the No.10 shirt following the autumn tests – contributed 16 points while lock Leo Cullen destroyed the Italian lineout.

Tries from No.8 Jamie Heaslip and scrum-half Tomas O’Leary in the first half helped put Ireland in the driving seat but Declan Kidney will be worried both by his team’s lack of a cutting edge and by the manner in which Munster’s O’Gara limped off in the second half.

After an Italian offence at the scrum, O’Gara made no mistake with a tenth-minute penalty to pass the 500-point barrier in the Championship.

Worse was to follow for the visitors as O’Gara demonstrated his gifts with the ball in hand whipping a perfect flat pass for Andrew Trimble to run onto.

The Ulster winger broke down the line and the ball was superbly worked wide for Heaslip to run over with O’Gara adding the extras.

Neither side were really able to find their rhythm but on 26 minutes the Azzurri scrum exacted some revenge by forcing Ireland into conceding a penalty and Six Nations debutant Craig Gower stepped up to land a huge 45m penalty.

But no sooner had they got on the board than lock Carlo Del Fava was pinged for holding on and O’Gara restored Ireland’s ten-point lead.

Things went from bad to worse on 33 minutes when centre Gonzalo Garcia was sinbinned for a spear tackle on Brian O’Driscoll and Ireland would take advantage of the extra man.

Lock Cullen, making his first Six Nations start in seven years, once again stole Italy lineout ball and from the resulting ruck O’Leary needed no second invitation to dive over with O’Gara’s conversion giving them a commanding 23-3 lead.

But Ireland’s first half was blotted when Rob Kearney gathered a difficult bouncing ball only to fire his clearance straight at Kaine Robertson who gleefully dived over. Mirco Bergamasco took on the kicking duties from Gower but was off target with the conversion.

Bergamasco did though did split the posts with a penalty just after halftime but just like they did in the first half Ireland responded immediate through O’Gara to make it 26-11.

After O’Gara made exited the fray on 66 minutes and his replacement Paddy Wallace immediately added another penalty.

There were no fireworks in a turgid ending and the result will give both coaches plenty to ponder.

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O'Gara back as injury rules out Sexton.

Fly-half Ronan O'Gara will win his 94th cap in Ireland's Six Nations opener with Italy after Leinster sensation Jonathan Sexton was ruled out through injury.

Sexton had been set to keep his place at ten after an impressive display in the autumn win over world champions South Africa but a dead leg has ruled him out.

That means O’Gara gets his chance with Leinster’s Kevin McLaughlin also in line for his debut in the back-row alongside David Wallace and Jamie Heaslip.

Andrew Trimble is back on the left-wing for his first start since March 2008 instead of Lions tourist Keith Earls and Gordon D’Arcy will partner Brian O’Driscoll in the centres for the defending champions.

Ulster hooker Rory Best’s rapid recovery from neck surgery has been rewarded with a place on the bench after he played in Ireland A’s defeat to the England Saxons.

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Trimble set to return

Ulster winger Andrew Trimble insists his injury troubles are a thing of the past after being tipped to start for Ireland in their opening Six Nations match against Italy.

The 25-year-old missed much of last term with a knee injury but served a reminder of his talents with a stunning Heineken Cup try against Bath two weeks ago.

And after catching the eye of Ireland boss Declan Kidney, Trimble, who has bagged 40 points in 25 international starts, is set to start ahead of Keith Earls and Shane Horgan.

“I think this year has been hard work. It was a long pre-season with the operation and the ten weeks off my feet and getting back into it,” said Trimble, who appeared as a replacement against Fiji in November having not represented the senior side since 2008.

“I enjoyed working hard and then when the games started I tried to get myself more momentum as Ulster did as well.

“I have been really enjoying my rugby over the last while.

“Especially the last couple of games in the Heineken Cup. I am feeling fit and feeling fast, getting more and more confidence with every game I have played this year for Ulster.

“Now there is a bigger challenge ahead. The Six Nations is the next target, there are opportunities there.

“But there are also a lot of guys playing really well at the minute too. I am not the only one who is playing reasonably well.

“Shane Horgan, Keith Earls and Tommy Bowe are all playing well. A lot of guys are doing great stuff. So it will be a case of wait and see what happens.”

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Bradley tips front-row pair to feature in the RBS 6 Nations

Ireland A coach Michael Bradley has underlined the importance of front-rowers Marcus Horan and Rory Best ahead of the Six Nations.

Both started Sunday’s Ireland A’s 13-17 defeat to England Saxons, although Best was taken off midway through as a precaution.

And although the opening fixture against Italy may come too soon for the pair, Bradley has backed the duo to play an integral part for the Ireland in their Grand Slam defence.

He said: “It's very important for Irish rugby that both Rory and Marcus are available for Declan and the Six Nations.

“They are not quite there yet and may not be considered for the Italy game, but there are four mighty games after that and the more games they get, the better it is for Irish rugby.”

Bradley also believes Paddy Wallace – who featured started at fly-half – is in the line to get the nod to play centre, ahead of in-form Gordon D'Arcy.

He said: “Paddy went well at 10 although he hasn't played much rugby in that position recently.

“He is a player who has been involved all the time with Ireland and he doesn't even need to force his way back in. He's already there.

“He would have to be omitted. It's up to other players like Gordon or Jonathan Sexton to get ahead of him because it's Paddy's jersey.”

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