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.

“The injuries that kept Paul, Gordon and Tommy out of selection for [the Russia] game [will be assessed]. They had rehab over the weekend but we won’t be able to give an update until after our run out,” McNaughton said as the team arrived in Dunedin yesterday.

Asked whether any of those players were “touch and go” to face Italy, the team manager added: “It’s too early to say.”

There was more positive news from the Ireland camp concerning the players who picked up bangs and knocks against the Russians.

“From Sunday’s game we’re okay,” McNaughton said. “Sean O’Brien had bruising to his arm but should be okay. Rob Kearney had a jarred knee, again, he should be okay and Keith Earls had a mild dead leg, so he should be fine.”

The Irish squad departed Rotorua and returned to New Zealand’s South Island yesterday for the first time since leaving their pre-tournament base in Queenstown, touching down about an hour late in Dunedin but with the luxury of having a seven-day turnaround between matches. Italy, on the other hand, were due to play the United States this morning in their third and the Americans’ fourth and final group match of the tournament.

Ireland are expecting the Italians to fancy their chances this weekend in Dunedin, particularly given their narrow loss in this year’s Six Nations opener in Rome in February.

“I think the Italians will realise that they’ve everything to play for now. They know with their scrum that they can take on the United States and probably get their five points and then it’s a winner-takes-all game against us.”

That will be especially so, McNaughton argued, given the Irish players are so experienced in high stakes, knockout rugby, which Sunday’s game effectively will be.

“Our guys are used to cup rugby almost from schooldays onwards and most of the guys have played and won Magners League finals, Heineken Cup finals and the Grand Slam, which was winner-took-all.

“We knew that this was going to be the knockout match of the group from the very start and we’ve been saying that to the players from the very start.”