An unusual day at Riverview. As Leinster prepare for their away match against Leicester on Saturday at Welford Road the news of Eddie O'Sullivan's Irish squad filters through. Disappointment and elation sweeps through the squad but for one player history could possibly be in the making. Malcolm O'Kelly, the Leinster and Ireland lock, momentarily shifts from his thoughts about a Leicester side that have had a poor run this season in the Heineken European Cup to the Six Nations Championship and his role in helping O'Sullivan's side find a vein of form that has not been in evidence since last year's championship.
O'Kelly has earned 89 caps for Ireland to date and if his good run holds for another 18 months or so, the secondrow could become the first Irish player to make it to the magical mark of 100 caps. If the body and mind can stay together, O'Kelly could become Ireland's first centurion.
"I got the nod yeh," says O'Kelly on being selected again into the Irish squad. "Yeh, I've been told about it. Ronnie McCormack keeps telling me about being the first centurion," adds the 6ft 8in former Templeogue College player."I'll keep putting back the retirement date if I keep playing well and I keep enjoying it. This is what I love doing."
It is probably premature to start counting the matches, given that the squad has yet to be cut down to 22 players for the first game in Croke Park against Italy and then reduced to a starting 15 and bench players. But O'Kelly could possibly take part in all five of the Six Nations games, whether he starts or comes on from the bench. He could also conceivably play a part in this summer's internationals and next autumn's series before the 2009 championship begins again.
"I've been doing this for years. I can't see myself doing anything else at the moment, you know. So until I do (see someting else to do) I'll keep going. It's going well. I know my job very well and my game has changed a lot over the years.What I enjoy now, I wouldn't have enjoyed back a few years ago. I enjoy scrummaging, exactly yes."
With five Leinster forwards listed in the squad, including a direct competitor for O'Kelly's position in the recently returned secondrow from Welford Road, Leo Cullen, the task of gaining those elusive 11 caps that will bring him up to the century mark won't be a given. O'Sullivan is no romantic when it comes down to hard selections. But with Leinster forwads receiving a lot of good press for a change there is monemtum.
"There could have been more (Leinster players) really. A few more were knocking on the door and I still think there is a chance for those guys too. Yeh, I think it is a good reflection on how the season is going and I think it's fair as well. It will be interesting to see how the relationships work out, to see if we can actually get some Leinster guys on the starting eight, which will be the next thing," he says.
O'Kelly is also second on the all-time Leinster list of appearances. Former prop Reggie Corrigan leads that heap with 139 appearances to O'Kelly's 136. After this weekend, the margin will be two and he should eclipse Corrigan well before the end of this season if he stays injury free. Indeed it is a race betwen O'Kelly and Gordon D'Arcy to overtake Corrigan. The Irish centre is also on 136 Leinster caps and equal with the retired Victor Costello. Current fulback Girvan Dempsey is also threatening that record mark on 134 caps.
