Ireland face last-minute disruption as Rory Best is ruled out of Six Nations Test in Italy with stomach bug
Italy captain Sergio Parisse walked out to the Rolling Stones’ Satisfaction at Friday’s captain’s run at the Stadio Olimpico. “An old song for an old guy,” he explained of his choice.
At least Parisse is fit and playing. Italy could not afford to lose their one truly world-class player. At 33, the Stade Français No 8 remains a totemic presence upon whose shoulders almost certainly rest any chance Italy have of beating Ireland on Saturday afternoon.
The same is not true of his opposing captain Rory Best, albeit the Ulster player’s absence on Saturday would represents a blow for Ireland.
Best’s fitness became an 11th-hour concern on Friday and was ruled out ahead of kick-off. While Parisse was leading his players through their warm-up routine on a gloriously sunny day at the Stadio Olimpico, Ireland’s hooker was back in his hotel room, confined to quarters with a stomach bug and will miss out.
“He is in a bit of isolation,” explained forwards coach Simon Easterby. “He’s fortunate that as captain he does receive his own room. As far as we know it’s not contagious but the doctor is covering everything off and making sure we get to the bottom of it – if you’ll excuse the pun. Hopefully everything clears up in the next few hours and he can get some much needed rest.”
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Munster’s Niall Scannell will start in Best's place, with Leinster’s James Tracy providing cover from the bench, having been flown out yesterday as a precaution.
Easterby said, though, that he was confident that Ireland’s players would be able to accommodate the loss of their leader if necessary.
Head coach Joe Schmidt has already spoken this week about his unhappiness at his players’ inability to adapt to the late arrival of their bus at Murrayfield last weekend, saying he felt it contributed to their slow start and eventual 27-22 defeat and questioning their lack of mental fortitude.
Easterby hinted that no excuses would be tolerated in Rome. “The players will not look for excuses in terms of the way that they prepare and I certainly don’t think that this will have an effect on them,” he replied when asked whether this late disruption could have an adverse effect on the squad.
“There’s a lot of preparation that has been done up until now and today is about dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.
“And at some point in the game if your captain has to go off, you still have to keep moving forward and make sure that whatever your plan is that you don’t lose track of that.
“So whether the captain starts or at this late stage if Rory wasn’t to make the team, then at least we think we can feel pretty confident that the lads will take on board whatever is in place in the week and deliver the game plan.”
Jamie Heaslip, who would stand in as captain should Best fail to recover, is well aware of what a dangerous place Rome can be. He was in the side who lost to 22-15 at the Stadio Olimpico in 2013.
The No 8 said he was not planning on giving his opposite number any satisfaction this time around, with the championship still wide open if Ireland win all their remaining games, preferably with bonus points, although none of the Irish will admit to chasing those.
“We saw what Italy did in beating South Africa in the autumn,” Heaslip said firmly.
