Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan insists Geordan Murphy's display in Saturday's 31-21 defeat at Murrayfield has thrust him back into the first-team reckoning.
Murphy needed to shine against Scotland to guarantee his inclusion in the World Cup squad and he responded with his best afternoon in a green shirt for over a year.
In 2003 the uniquely gifted, if erratic, Leicester full-back broke his leg in the corresponding fixture at Murrayfield to shatter his dream of playing at the tournament in Australia.
But come matchday there was no sign of the apprehension that had haunted his build-up, instead producing a warning to Girvan Dempsey that he wants the number 15 shirt back.
‘Geordan produced a big performance which is what he needed. He delivered when the chips were down and he knew he was under pressure,’ said O'Sullivan.
‘He should feel a great sense of achievement and I'm delighted for him. He needed that display for himself more than anybody else.
‘He lost his place in the side because of the competition but now he's thrown down a marker for the World Cup.
‘It's great and both he and the team will be stronger for it. What happened four years ago must have been looming in the back of his mind.
‘To his credit you would never have known it was there unless someone had mentioned it.’
If it can be maintained, Murphy's return to form for Ireland is a major boon for O'Sullivan who unveiled his World Cup squad in Dublin yesterday.
For the most part the squad picked itself with the remaining available places in the back row and back three causing the only real headaches - until Shane Horgan was struck down by a knee ligament strain.
The Leinster winger sustained the injury while warming up in Edinburgh and was forced to give up his place on the bench with an MRI scan estimating he will be out for four weeks.
O'Sullivan is prepared to give him until Ireland's second pool game against Georgia on September 15 to prove his fitness, replacing him with Ulster's Tommy Bowe if necessary.
Rugby league convert Brian Carney edged Bowe for the final wing berth while Alan Quinlan and Stephen Ferris were given the nod in a six-strong back-row contingent.
O'Sullivan has opted against taking specialist openside cover for David Wallace, stressing the game's growing demand for big forwards shaped his decision.
‘If you look across the World Cup squads you won't see many groundhog number sevens at the moment because the dynamics of the game are changing,’ he said.
‘Look at Scotland - they are the quintessential side to have a groundhog but they didn't pick one.
‘Instead, they went for a huge back five because that's the type of game they're playing.’
