O’Sullivan may ask Foley to lead Ireland against Australia

IRELAND will have to find a new captain for their three-match tour next month to Australia, Tonga and Samoa. Keith Wood will travel with the 41-strong party of players but will take no part outside of training, while Brian O’Driscoll has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

The likelihood, therefore, is that coach Eddie O'Sullivan will call upon Munster's Anthony Foley to lead Ireland into battle against Australia in Perth on May 7, even though there has been no confirmation of that.

Injuries have ruled out O'Driscoll (hamstring), Shane Horgan (thigh), John Hayes (groin), Jeremy Staunton (groin) and Neil Doak (shoulder) from Ireland's upcoming tour, but despite that, O'Sullivan remains upbeat about the prospects of beating the Wallabies for a second successive time.