D’Arcy a World Cup doubt

IRELAND manager Paul McNaughton rates Gordon D’Arcy’s chances of travelling to the World Cup as “tight”.

D’Arcy underwent surgery in June on the right ankle injury he sustained in Leinster’s Heineken Cup final victory over Northampton and is still in rehabilitation. The clock is ticking for the Lions centre with Ireland departing for New Zealand on August 30 and McNaughton admits his participation is in doubt.

McNaughton said: “Gordon is tight to make the World Cup. He recovers quickly and is running while bearing his full weight, so is making progress. With these type of injuries, a week can tell us a lot — players can progress a lot in that time as well.”