Kelly Brown and D'Arcy fit to play

Published on Friday 19 March 2010 22:19

ANDY Robinson has confirmed that Kelly Brown is fit to start Scotland's final RBS Six Nations match in Ireland.

Glasgow flanker Brown had been a slight doubt for today's match at Croke Park after suffering a sickening clash of heads with England wing Ugo Monye during last weekend's Calcutta Cup draw at Murrayfield.

But the 27-year-old came through contact tests unscathed, while bumps and bruises to other members of the squad have cleared up sufficiently for Robinson to stick with the unchanged starting XV he named on Wednesday.

The head coach, who had delayed naming his team by 24 hours said: "We expected everybody to be fit, so the planning this week for the last game of the championship has involved giving the guys a lot more time to recover, which they've done."

Meanwhile, Gordon D'Arcy has been cleared to start for Ireland. The Leinster centre sustained heavy bruising above his left knee in last Saturday's 27-12 victory over Wales and was considered a doubt for the final assault on the Triple Crown.

But head coach Declan Kidney has confirmed D'Arcy has been given the go-ahead to face the Scots.

"Gordon is fit. He trained yesterday and again this morning so he's ready to play," Kidney said.

D'Arcy will line up alongside captain Brian O'Driscoll for the fifth and final time this championship in Ireland's last match at Croke Park.

The 30-year-old has re-established himself as first choice at inside centre following a year-long rivalry with Paddy Wallace, who was on standby to replace him tomorrow.

While he has scored just five tries in 47 Test appearances, D'Arcy remains a key member of Ireland's backline and his recovery is a significant boost to the team.