Both Shane Horgan and John Hayes have also been excluded from the final Irish senior squad, from which the team to play England at Twickenham in the Lloyds TSB Six Nations Championship will be chosen on Tuesday next. However, they are included in the 'A' team for the corresponding game against England 'A' at Northampton on Friday February 4th. Peter McKenna has been chosen at full-back with the experienced Eric Elwood partnering Guy Easterby at half-back. Shannon's Marcus Horan joins John Hayes and Shane Byrne in the front row while Blackrocks Leo Cullen teams up with Paddy Johns in the second row.
Nine members of Ireland's World Cup squad have failed to make the 23-man senior party for the game a week on Saturday. Utility back Gordon D'Arcy, wing Matt Mostyn, centre Jonathan Bell, scrum-half Brian O'Meara, flanker Andy Ward and props Reggie Corrigan and Angus McKeen will miss out on the team, while wing James Topping and flanker David Corkery are injured.
Meanwhile, Allan Hosie, chairman of the Six Nations Championship committee, has refused to rule out moving European rugby's biggest event to a late season start date. Hosie, responding to calls to move the Six Nations to early spring, said any decision would be made in the best interests of the Northern Hemisphere game. No change will be introduced until 2002 when existing television contracts expire.
On the European Cup front directors of Rugby's European Cup Ltd have decided to fine Stade Francais £5000 for playing an ineligible player, Brian Lima, when the French side met Leinster at Donnybrook before Christmas. The decision means that Stade Francais will contest a quarter-final of the competition against Munster in April. The Leinster branch expressed disappointment at the sanction that was imposed and they also confirmed they would consider their position over the next few days. Leinster won the match 24-23 but were runners up to Stade Francais in Pool 1.
In other news, the IRFU have announced that the new experimental laws agreed last week by the International Rugby board will be applied in all AIB League First and Second Division games this weekend.
Ireland squad to face England at Twickenham on February 5:
Backs: C O'Shea (London Irish), G Dempsey (Terenure College), J Bishop (London Irish), K Maggs (Bath), B O'Driscoll (Blackrock College), M Mullins (Young Munster), D Humphreys (Dungannon), R O'Gara (Cork Constitution), P Stringer(Shannon), T Tierney (Garryowen).
Forwards: P Clohessy (Young Munster), P Wallace (Saracens), J Fitzpatrick (Dungannon), K Wood (Garryowen), F Sheahan (Cork Constitution), M O'Kelly (St Mary's College), J Davidson (Castres), M Galwey (Shannon), R Casey (Blackrock College), D O'Cuinneagain (Ballymena), T Brennan (St Mary's College, K Dawson (London Irish), A Foley (Shannon).
Ireland 'A' team to face England A at Northampton on February 4:
P McKenna (St Mary's College); D Hickie (St Mary's College), J Kelly (Cork Constitution), S Horgan (Lansdowne), T Howe (Dungannon); E Elwood (Galwegians), G Easterby (Ebbw Vale); M Horan (Shannon), S Byrne (Blackrock College), J Hayes (Shannon), P Johns (Dungannon, capt), L Cullen (Blackrock College); (back row from) D Wallace (Garryowen), E Miller (Terenure College), A Quinlan (Shannon), S Easterby (Llanelli).
Replacements: J Bell (Dungannon), E Farrell (Blackrock College), D Hegarty (Terenure College), M O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution), R Corrigan (Lansdowne), A Clarke (Dungannon).
