The extent of Gordon D'Arcy's injury and forthcoming lay-off remained unclear last night after a scan on the groin muscle injury he sustained in scoring Leinster's second try in their 30-11 win over Bath last Saturday did not reveal the full extent of the damage.
The Leinster and Ireland centre has been ruled out of the opening autumnal Test against the Springboks at Lansdowne Road on November 13th, and fears remain he might be ruled out until around the turn of the year, but according to an IRFU spokesperson he will be visiting a groin specialist later in the week for further information on the injury.
The 32-man Irish squad which was confirmed yesterday by the Union includes D'Arcy as well as the five additional players called in by Eddie O'Sullivan on Friday night.
The Irish coach had left one vacancy in the squad announced last week, ostensibly for a utility back, but with the cloud over D'Arcy has added both John Kelly and Gavin Duffy, surprisingly omitted last week despite performing credibly on his debut in Ireland's most recent Test against South Africa last June in Cape Town.
Up front, O'Sullivan has supplemented his options by calling up Ulster's Roger Wilson and the Leinster pair of Eric Miller and Victor Costello, who has defied conventional wisdom by returning from the cold for the umpteenth time. This takes Leinster's representation in the squad to a dozen, one more than Munster, with five Ulstermen and four based in Britain.
Tyrone Howe and David Wallace, who started in Cape Town, along with Alan Quinlan, who played for the last quarter as a replacement, all failed to make the cut and unless Miller is reconverted into an openside this would suggest the number seven jersey rests between two uncapped players, Wasps' ex-Connacht tearaway Johnny O'Connor, or his Munster counterpart Denis Leamy.
O'Connor would seem to be the favourite to make his debut against the Tri-Nations champions on Saturday week at Lansdowne Road. O'Sullivan's intentions will become clearer tomorrow when he prunes his squad to 22 for that opening international of the season.
The remaining 10 players will be released back to their provinces or clubs, with Leinster hosting Connacht on Friday night in Donnybrook and Ulster at home to Munster on Saturday in the Celtic League.
Although there is an unequalled production line of young opensides compared to any other position in Irish rugby, the long-term injury to Neil McMillan and early season injuries to Wilson and Andy Ward has prompted Ulster coach Mark McCall to sign the former Queensland Reds, NEC Harlequins, and Swansea flanker Tu Tamarua on contract until the end of this season.
Tamarua, who moved to National Division One side Henley at the start of this season, will not be eligible to play in the Heineken European Cup, but he will be registered for the Celtic League and is expected to arrive at Ravenhill early next week.
Meanwhile, the second-round draw for the European Challenge Cup has been completed with confirmation the two lucky losers from the first round are Cetransa El Salvador, beaten by 48-46 on aggregate by Rugby Parma, and Narbonne who, of course, were beaten 51-46 on aggregate over two legs by Connacht (agg 46-51).
Connacht will host Montpellier in the first leg on the weekend of December 3rd-5th before travelling to the picturesque city a week later.
Thanks to their semi-final run last season and their stirring win over Narbonne, Connacht have retained their standing as one of the top-four seeds, and should the draw pan out according to the seeding system, Connacht would be in line to play Sale Sharks at the semi-final stage or, conceivably, Narbonne again, although it's still a tough route against a clutch of mid-division French teams.
Wasps scrumhalf and former Wales captain Rob Howley (34) has confirmed his retirement from rugby after failing to overcome a wrist injury.
No Euro weekend is complete without some disciplinary fall-out and although no decision will be made by the Munster management until today regarding Richard Mustoe's apparent stamping of Marcus Horan at The Gnoll on Sunday, the expectation is they will cite the Ospreys winger. They have until 5 p.m. today, to do so.
The Glasgow flanker Darren Fox has been suspended for eight weeks until December 26th after an ERC panel upheld a citing complaint for headbutting in the Scottish team's defeat to the Northampton Saints.
IRELAND SQUAD: Forwards (17): Simon Best (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Shane Byrne (Blackrock College/Leinster), Reggie Corrigan (Greystones/Leinster), Victor Costello (St Mary's College/Leinster), Leo Cullen (Blackrock College/Leinster), Simon Easterby (LIaneli), Anthony Foley (Shannon/Munster), John Hayes (Shannon/Munster), Marcus Horan (Shannon/Munster), Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution/Munster), Eric Miller (Terenure College/Leinster), Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster), Johnny O'Connor (Wasps), Malcolm O'Kelly (St Mary's College/Leinster), Frankie Sheahan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Roger Wilson (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster).
Backs (15): Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Gordon D'Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Girvan Dempsey (Terenure College/Leinster), Gavan Duffy (Harlequins), Guy Easterby (Blackrock College/Leinster), Denis Hickie (St Mary's College/Leinster), Anthony Horgan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Shane Horgan (Lansdowne/Leinster), David Humphreys (Dungannon/Ulster), John Kelly (Cork Constitution/Munster), Kevin Maggs (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Geordan Murphy (Leicester), Brian O'Driscoll (Blackrock College/Leinster), Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster), Peter Stringer (Shannon/Munster).
EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP (second round draw): Lucky Loser v Match 1) Narbonne v Sale Sharks 2 v 3) Agen v Viadana 5 v 4) Beziers v Grenoble 7 v 6) Connacht v Montpellier 9 v 8) Pau v London Irish 10 v 11) Clermont Auvergne v The Borders 13 v 12) Rugby Parma v Saracens 14 v Lucky Loser) Brive v Cetransa El Salvador. The Second Leg of Round 2 - the reverse fixtures - will be played on the weekend of December 10th,11th,12th.
