A decision on Shane Horgan's fitness for Sunday's Six Nations encounter with France in Paris will be made today when the results of the Irish winger's MRI scan on a knee ligament injury will be known. The 21-year-old Lansdowne centre sustained the injury in his club's win at Dungannon on Saturday and is considered extremely doubtful.
More encouragingly, the injuries which curtailed or sidelined the club activities of Kieron Dawson, Keith Wood and John Hayes over the weekend are not thought to jeopardise their chances of playing, while the question of supplementing the A squad following the withdrawal of Mick O'Driscoll will not be decided until Dion O'Cuinneagain's groin strain is fully evaluated today.
French injury woes, meantime, continued apace yesterday. Not only was it confirmed that Christophe Dominici would be sidelined, but flanker Sebastien Chabal was also forced to pull out of the squad with a neck injury, while hooker Marc Dal Maso is doubtful.
Dominici had 15 stitches in his right knee following a French league match between Stade Francais and La Rochelle at the weekend and will be replaced by Philippe Bernat-Salles. France are also without outhalf Christophe Lamaison, first-choice scrumhalf Fabien Galthie, centres Richard Dourthe and Thomas Lombard, as well as the suspended flanker Olivier Magne.
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