Surgery won’t rule D’Arcy out

GORDON D’ARCY has undergone surgery on an ankle injury sustained in Leinster’s Heineken Cup victory over Northampton Saints in Cardiff last month.

D’Arcy missed the Magners League decider defeat to Munster and was forced to have an operation on his right ankle after the problem failed to respond to conventional treatment.

However IRFU bosses are confident the centre will return to full training in August and he is expected to be fit for the World Cup warm up games against France and England at the latter end of that month.

The Ireland squad converged in Carton House, Kildare last night for the first of the three planned preseason camps ahead of the sport’s global showpiece in New Zealand in September.

D’Arcy is one of a number of players from Declan Kidney’s original 43-man panel who are not in attendance this week. Connacht’s Brett Wilkinson pulled his hamstring and has remained in his provincial centre to begin rehabilitation. Meanwhile, Stephen Ferris has returned to full running following his knee injury in January, but has remained with Ulster to continue his rehabilitation programme.