Ireland hold off naming Rugby World Cup hooker

Ireland are yet to name the team hooker. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Ireland have named a side without a hooker as they wait on the fitness of Rory Best ahead of Saturday's Rugby World Cup quarter-final clash with Wales.

Coach Declan Kidney has named an otherwise unchanged team to face their Celtic cousins, the feature being the retention of Conor Murray and Ronan O'Gara at halfback and first five-eighths.

There was a thought that Kidney might revert to Eoin Reddan and Jonathan Sexton because of the established combination they have forged with centres Gordon D'Arcy and Brian O'Driscoll at Leinster.

There are different ways of reading the decision not to name a hooker. Most credible is that while they have faith in Sean Cronin to cover Best, it is the inexperienced third hooker, Damien Varley, about whom they might be concerned.

He is here because Jerry Flannery had to fly home before the test against Australia with a torn calf muscle.

Mike Sherry, No 5 on the list of Ireland's preferred hookers, arrives in Wellington today as precautionary cover.

Best sprained the AC joint in his right shoulder midway through the second half of Ireland's impressive Pool C victory over Italy and will be given until the 48-hour IRB-imposed cut-off time to prove his fitness.

Despite the lack of changes, Kidney said the selection was far from a fait accompli, though the time spent on it and the fact there were no changes encourages the phrase much ado about nothing.

"It wasn't one of those meetings where you say 'we'll go with the same again' and everybody nods their head. It took a couple of hours again and we've ended up with the same that started the last day."

Still, with Wellington's miserable weather continuing into yesterday, it wasn't as if they could have spent the two hours fishing on the harbour. There are rumours swirling like Wellington's wind that a change for the better is on its way, but it might be the prospect of tricky weather that swayed the decision at No 10 O'Gara's way.

The Munster veteran is a precise kicker from both hand and tee, qualities that rise in value the longer the tournament goes on.

It's something Wales kicking coach Neil Jenkins acknowledged.

"I was listening to Grant Fox the other day saying it was one of the most difficult stadiums to kick in," Jenkins said. "Generally, wind goes pretty much one way, but in the Cake Tin it's swirling around, so it's ... very difficult to kick in."

Ireland v Wales
Wellington, 6pm, Saturday

Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)

Rob Kearney
Tommy Bowe
Brian O'Driscoll (c)
Gordon D'Arcy
Keith Earls
Ronan O'Gara
Conor Murray
Jamie Heaslip
Sean O'Brien
Stephen Ferris
Paul O'Connell
D. O'Callaghan
Mike Ross
Cian Healy

Reserves: TBA, Tom Court, Donnacha Ryan, Denis Leamy, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton, Andrew Trimble.