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Wood ready to go Irish captain to play in European Cup final
Posted: Tuesday May 23, 2000 06:30 PM
DUBLIN, Ireland (Reuters) -- Ireland captain Keith Wood declared himself fit on Tuesday to play for Munster in Saturday's European Cup final against English club Northampton. Hooker Wood came off at halftime in the semifinal win over Toulouse earlier this month after suffering a calf muscle injury. With Wood fit, Munster coach Declan Kidney has selected the XV that started the semifinal. He is one of eight regular members of the Irish national team in the squad of the provincial team based in the southwest of the country. His international colleague Mick Galwey captains Munster. Munster has continued the recent resurgence enjoyed by Irish rugby. The national team scored record victories over Scotland and Italy in the Six Nations this spring and then secured a historic first win over France in Paris since 1972. But coach Declan Kidney said Munster should not be regarded as the favorite on the basis of its defeat of former champion Toulouse in Bordeaux. "Northampton have top class players from many different countries and their pack weighs in at 16 stones (1,020 kilos) more than the Toulouse eight," said Kidney. "It will be the biggest pack we have come up against all season." Munster's success has captured the imagination of Irish sports fans and more than 20,000 are expected to travel to Twickenham for Saturday's final. It is likely to be the biggest exodus from Ireland for a sports event since the 1990 soccer World Cup when unfancied Ireland reached the last eight before defeat by hosts Italy in Rome. Munster team: 15-Dominic Crotty; 14-John Kelly, 13-Mike Mullins, 12-Jason Holland, 11-Anthony Horgan; 10-Ronan O'Gara, 9-Peter Stringer; 8-Anthony Foley, 7-David Wallace, 6-Eddie Halvey, 5-John Langford, 4-Mick Galwey, 3-John Hayes, 2-Keith Wood, 1-Peter Clohessy.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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