O'Connell confident Doris ready for return against All Blacks

Caelan Doris during Ireland Rugby squad training at SeatGeek Stadium in Chicago. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Ireland are confident captain Caelan Doris is primed and ready for a very opportune return to action in Saturday’s Soldier Field rematch with the All Blacks.

The Leinster back row hasn’t played since undergoing shoulder surgery in the wake of the province’s Champions Cup exit at the hands of Northampton in May, a procedure which ended his chances of playing for the Lions in Australia this summer.

However, in his own return to the Ireland coaching box, Andy Farrell has received a major boost with Doris playing a full part in Ireland training in Chicago’s southwest on Tuesday with no injury issues to report. 

Farrell will name his starting XV for the autumn opener on Thursday afternoon here. Whether Doris returns to lead the country out from the start or is held as a finisher off the bench may, however, be up for debate.

"Everyone's trained and everyone's good to go,” Ireland assistant Paul O’Connell confirmed after Tuesday’s session at SeatGeek Stadium. “Caelan’s been through a very good return-to-play period now and he's had a good few weeks. There's been very little minding of him or anything like that or there hasn't been any.

“There's one train of thought that says you start a guy like that because he could come on after a minute anyway, and there's another train of thought that says you bring him off the bench. 

"He's fine, he's trained really well, he feels really good, he's shown no ill-effects whatsoever.” 

Among the other injury concerns were centres Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki, with groin and hip issues respectively. 

Both are also fully fit for consideration. In the wake of Munster’s trouncing of Leinster at Croke Park two weeks ago, Farrell’s deliberations at No.10 were likely swayed back towards Jack Crowley. 

It was noteworthy that in the open portion of Tuesday’s session, the Irish coaching staff spent particular time talking with Crowley.

While the All Blacks arrive here with not just a clean bill of health but match-ready after a hectic Rugby Championship, Ireland have used an extended build-up on the ground here to try to match the New Zealand readiness. 

O’Connell is confident they have done so.

"It's definitely a challenge and that's why we're over a little bit early,” added O’Connell. "It allowed us to get over most of the jet lag and have two very good, fast training sessions with a good bit of contact in them and get lads up to speed.

"It's certainly a challenge but I suppose the sessions we've put in are designed to help the guys on that journey."