Another injury concern for Ireland as D’Arcy’s calf strain delays departure

IRELAND’S World Cup warm-ups may be behind them but not their injury worries.

Gordon D’Arcy was the latest concern yesterday, just hours before the team’s departure for Queenstown. The Leinster centre suffered a calf strain in a recovery session and his departure has been delayed by 48 hours. Cian Healy (eye socket) is also due to fly out behind schedule but there was better news regarding Jamie Heaslip who is well on the way to recovering from the concussion sustained in Saturday’s defeat to England, as well as Brian O’Driscoll who sat that game out as a precaution.

Both are expected to be available for the Pool C opener against the USA on September 11, but Declan Kidney paid tribute yesterday to David Wallace whose World Cup hopes were ruined by injury in that 20-9 defeat. It was confirmed yesterday the Munster flanker will be out until the new year while Tony McGahan will also be without Felix Jones for the foreseeable future as a result of the ankle ligament injury the full-back suffered a week earlier against France.