Ireland captain Caelan Doris has not been ruled out of making a return against the All Blacks in next month’s Nations Series on November 1st.
Doris, who underwent shoulder surgery last May, has not played since and missed out on the Lions tour to Australia.
But the number 8 has been training with Leinster and will travel to Chicago with the Ireland squad ahead of the game against New Zealand on November 1st.
What we learned from Munster’s emphatic win over Leinster
The Soldier Field rematch is first up for Andy Farrell’s side before a return to Dublin to face Japan (November 8th), Australia (November 15th) and South Africa (November 22nd) at the Aviva Stadium.
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“He did a bit with Leinster last week,” said Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty. “I know he has returned. I know that he did some modified contact last week.
“He’s in great form, he’s fizzing away. There’s a nice mood to him, how he’s talking to lads, how he’s speaking to us. He’s a very measured guy, Caelan.
“He looks really, really good. I don’t know his plan over the next couple of days, we’ve two, three sessions on the pitch, Saturday and Thursday will be performance days, so if he’s in those games then we’ll see where he’s at for New Zealand. He’s in a great place, so we’re hearing.”
With Mack Hansen not making the trip following a foot injury sustained while playing for Connacht in their defeat to the Bulls last Friday, Munster centre Tom Farrell and Leinster back Jimmy O’Brien have been added to the squad as injury cover.
Unusually, the Leinster contingent, who make up the bulk of the Ireland squad and who will be expected to form most of the Test team, were below par against Munster. Saturday’s result at Croke Park was the first time the southern province has got the better of Leinster since their victory in the 2022/23 URC semi-final on their way to claiming the title.
The performance has been duly noted by Ireland’s coaching team, but there is little concern that the players can raise their levels for the challenge of the second-ranked team in the world.
“I don’t feel concerned about Tadhg Furlong, about Dan Sheehan, about Rónan Kelleher, about Andrew Porter,” said Fogarty. “They’re really clear on what it is we’re trying to achieve.
“Like I said, they have a little bit of time to digest where they’re at. A kick in the arse sometimes is a good thing and Munster gave Leinster a massive kick in the arse.”
Fogarty added it was the job of Farrell and his coaches to sharpen the players and set the tone, knowing anything less than robust Test match conditioning could make for a sorry opening game against New Zealand.
“Sometimes that can be a really good thing, to just check yourself,” said Fogarty. “But I firmly believe that knowing what’s in front of us, knowing the opportunities in front of us, knowing the importance of it and to represent Ireland, to represent this country in a green jersey, it means everything to them.
“If we’re not seeing progression or if we’re not seeing the right levels, it’s very easy to see in training sessions, that’s something that will be addressed immediately.
“If they can’t get themselves in the right place, then we’ve all done a poor job. So, look, it’s not a concern for us.”
Since Ireland beat the All Blacks for the first time in 2016, it has been an even rivalry, both nations taking five wins apiece.
New Zealand have won the last two games, the most recent coming at the Aviva Stadium in 2024 after the World Cup quarter-final defeat in 2023 at the Stade de France.
“Andy has a great nose for where a group is – where they are in the middle of the week, what the feel is like, all that stuff,” said Fogarty.
“I’m sure last week when Munster were preparing, they could feel (it). They knew they were fizzing, they knew they were buzzing.
“Regardless of what was being told to them or what was said outside, going to Croke Park to play Leinster is a huge task. All these players coming back, how are they going to overcome all this? Huge challenge, huge opportunity.”
