Medical staff to assess condition of injured trio

PAUL O’CONNELL, Tommy Bowe and Gordon D’Arcy’s injuries were under scrutiny this morning as Ireland began their preparations for Sunday’s Pool C finale against Italy.

The trio all missed Sunday’s 62-12 victory over Russia in Rotorua with O’Connell and D’Arcy having picked up hamstring strains in the previous week’s win over Australia while Bowe suffered a bang on the calf in the same game.

Ireland team manager Paul McNaughton said no-one had been ruled out from this weekend’s winner-takes-all showdown with the Italians, when a place in the quarter-finals is up for grabs under the roof of the new Otago Stadium. Yet the Irish team’s medical staff were not set to assess the status of O’Connell, D’Arcy or Bowe’s injuries until today’s training session at Otago’s famous old Carisbrook stadium.