Gordan D’Arcy not giving up on Ireland

Ireland centre Gordon D’Arcy has been given a handful of games to prove he is worth being given a World Cup swansong after announcing he will retire at the end of this autumn’s tournament in England.

The 35-year-old Leinster legend, capped 81 times at Test level, made clear his intention to bow out at the top yesterday having been handed the opportunity to extend his 17-season career to the end of October.

Yet having failed to feature in an Ireland matchday squad since November, D’Arcy may well face an uphill battle to convince former provincial boss Joe Schmidt he is worth a place in the national team squad bound for England and Wales, which will be named on September 6.