Tommy Bowe insists he can bounce back from his horror-show warm-up match against England and regain his starting Ireland spot at the World Cup.
Ulster wing Bowe missed a regulation tackle on Jonny May that gifted the Gloucester flyer the first try in Ireland’s 21-13 warm-up defeat to England at Twickenham on September 5.
Ireland boss Joe Schmidt duly dropped Bowe for the World Cup opener; Dave Kearney and Keith Earls on the wings for the 50-7 victory over Canada.
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Bowe knows exactly what he must offer against Romania at Wembley today, the only Ireland star in action in London who faced The Oaks when the two sides last met, in 2005.
“It was tough to be left out,” said Bowe. “It was a huge kick up the a*** for me to take my opportunities whenever I get them and I am looking forward to the game.
“I had a bit of chat with Joe – there wasn’t too much to talk about.
“I knew myself that I let myself down a little bit. He said to me it is all there to play for.
“I want to be part of this Irish team firing on all cylinders.
“I think I would be a huge asset to the team and I am looking forward to showing that.
“Everybody wanted to be playing in that first game up – it is such a big competition – but it shows there is good competition for places around the squad and it is exciting that guys are getting opportunities to put their hands up for the next two games. It has made me go back and re-assess again which is a good thing.”
.@IrishRugby building the phases and the pressure. #AllitTakes pic.twitter.com/Tr1GILHKlV
— Three Ireland News (@ThreeIreland) September 5, 2015
Bowe featured on Ireland’s wing in the 43-12 victory over Romania in Dublin back in November 2005, with Chris Henry relishing the chance to rib his Ulster team-mate for being the old man of the piece.
The 31-year-old will win his 64th Ireland cap against Romania, with head coach Schmidt’s men expected to win at a canter.
Bowe is confident he can still mix it with Dave Kearney, Earls and Simon Zebo to secure one of Ireland’s starting wing berths moving forward.
“I know that the other guys have all been playing well but I have a lot of experience in the green jersey and a lot of experience playing at the top level so I know how to bounce back,” he added. “It is going to be a big opportunity for me to put my hand up – the next two weeks are huge. I am excited about it.”
One Romania player who will be praying the Irish defence loses its focus will be Catalin Fercu, who requires just one try to become his country’s record try-scorer.
