Ireland will not have to contend with the powerful running of Ben Tune in Saturday's international Test at Lansdowne Road after the Wallaby wing returned to Australia nursing a serious hamstring injury.
And Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan's own injury concerns on the wing appear to be easing with the news that Denis Hickie is available for selection for the team to be announced tomorrow afternoon.
Tune sustained the injury early in the match with Argentina in Buenos Aries at the weekend, and it was revealed today he could be out for as long as six months.
"I've never done a hamstring before so I don't know how bad it is, but it felt bad when it happened, " said Tune. "I'll have to get an MRI scan and it will all depend on whether I've torn tendon off the bone. If that's the case, I could be out for some time - three to six months".
Coach Eddie Jones will also rest Mat Rogers and Jeremy Paul as injuries from the dour 17-6 defeat of the Pumas take their toll. Rogers is suffering from rib cartilage damage and Paul picked up a leg injury.
The Australians touch down in Dublin Airport later this evening before transferring to their base in Portmarnock.
Meanwhile, the news from the Irish camp is that Denis Hickie will be considered for selection when O'Sullivan names his starting XV after training at Dr Hickey Park in Greystones tomorrow.
Hickie, recovering from a hand injury picked up while playing for Leinster in their Celtic League clash with Bridgend, has yet to be given the all-clear by the team's medical staff but early indications are that he will be fit for the Lansdowne Road encounter.
The 26-year-old will undergo a further fitness test on Wednesday but should be fit to fill his usual berth on the left wing. Leicester's Geordan Murphy, who joined the 22-man squad as cover on Friday, is in line to replace Hickie if the injury fails to respond to treatment.
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