Marcus Horan boost for Ireland coach Kidney

Ireland coach Declan Kidney will be an avid observer of Munster's Heineken Cup clash with Northampton on Friday after prop Marcus Horan was named in the squad for the first time since October.

Horan has not played since Munster's 41-10 Heineken Cup win over Treviso on October 17 but after treatment for a heart problem the 32-year-old is fit enough for a place on the bench.

The Munster prop - who turned out for Shannon in the All-Ireland league last weekend - was included in Kidney's 44-man RBS 6 Nations squad this week ahead of their tournament kick off against Italy on February 6.

But before Horan can dream of 6 Nations glory the 32-year-old has Friday's win-or-bust clash with Saints to contend with.

Northampton beat Munster 31-27 in the tournament opener at Franklin's Gardens in October but the Irish side now lead Pool One by two points going into the all-important final pool game on Friday.

And there is more good news for Kidney ahead of the Italy clash with David Wallace returning to action for Munster after overcoming a calf strain.

Ireland

The Six Nations Championship, held every year in February and March is Ireland's only annual tournament. It is contested against England, France, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Ireland was a member of the inaugural Home Nations in 1883 - with France and Italy joining later to form the Five and Six Nations respectively. Ireland won their first championship in 1894, winning the Triple Crown also. Ireland's first Grand Slam occurred in the 1948 season and their second in the 2009 season. In total Ireland have been champions on eleven occasions.

	England	France	Ireland	Italy	Scotland	Wales
Tournaments	107	77	107	9	107	107
Outright Wins (Shared Wins)	25 (10)	16 (8)	11 (8)	0 (0)	14 (8)	24 (11)
Grand Slams	12	8	2	0	3	10
Triple Crowns	23	N/A	10	N/A	10	19

Kearney in confident mood, as Reddan looks set to miss out

Leinster have refused to comment on reports scrum-half Eoin Reddan is a major doubt for Saturday's crucial Heineken Cup clash with London Irish.

Reddan, who joined the European champions from Wasps last summer, is thought to have picked up a knock in the days following last weekend's 27-10 win over Brive.

The 29-year-old was named in Ireland coach Declan Kidney's bumper 44-man squad for the defence of their RBS 6 Nations crown which begins at home to Italy on February 6.

But with Leinster needing just a point to progress, full-back Rob Kearney is confident his side can reach the knockout stages with our without Reddan.

"If they want to qualify, they have to win. It's as simple as that," said Kearney.

"And it's pretty much the same mentality that we'll be taking into the game, so it's one of those all-or-nothing games and both sides will have to throw everything.

"And whatever side doesn't fulfil their potential probably doesn't deserve to qualify."

Ireland Horan set to return

Influential Ireland prop Marcus Horan is back in the Munster squad for the first time since October for the crucial Heineken Cup clash against Northampton.

Having got 80 minutes under his belt in Shannon's AIB League 32-10 victory over Dolphin last week, Munster boss Tony McGahan has called up Horan to bolster their front-row options against the Saints who edged the scrum battle in the teams' clash earlier this season.

Horan, who has 72 caps for his country, suffered from an irregular heartbeat but has now been given a clean bill of health to compete for club and country again although he is likely to start off the bench on Friday night.

And with fellow front-rower Wian du Preez due to return to South Africa later this week, McGahan admits Horan's return could not have come at a better time as they face a make-or-break encounter with Northampton.

"Marcus has worked really hard to get back into the squad," he said. "He's been training for the last three weeks and played 80 minutes on Saturday and has ticked all the boxes.

"He was delighted to get the run. He's building up for the last three weeks and was very happy after 80 minutes on Saturday.

"He's in the mix for Friday night - he's been out for a long stretch and Wian (du Preez) and John (Hayes) have done very well. We'll see."

"Round six again, an English opponent in excellent form and again a decider in a shoot-out to see who qualifies first and who goes through to get a quarter-final spot and again a great week to be part of.

"It seems to be always that way, that the English side that comes over at this time is the number one side through form.

"They've got a lot of belief, a lot of high-quality players, they'll be coming here well and truly confident in their ability. They've spoken about that all season since they beat us in round one and that's certainly been the talk coming from their camp this week."