A decision on Brian O'Driscoll's fitness for the opening Six Nations game against Italy in Rome on Saturday week, along with the composition of the 22-man squad for that game, will be made tomorrow.
O'Driscoll is meeting the IRFU's medical advisers today and the Irish management should have a fairly clear idea as to the player's likely time of recovery from the bruised rotary cuffs in his right shoulder he sustained in Leinster's defeat to Biarritz last Saturday.
For the moment, with O'Driscoll receiving intensive treatment, there's no change in the prognosis. However, with the possibility of knowing one way or the other, the Irish management have deferred their announcement of the squad until tomorrow as well.
"We don't think it's a serious injury, it's the time factor we're concerned about and whether he can complete his rehab in time. The medical people have to make that judgment," said Eddie O'Sullivan. "We don't want that hanging over us in the build up to the game."
Warren Gatland said: "Our preparation has already been fairly disrupted anyway and the last thing we need is hanging on a player who can't train and not knowing whether he can play or not."
Nevertheless, it was put to O'Sullivan that other coaches in a similar scenario would defer making a decision about a player like O'Driscoll until later.
"Well if the medical people give us a clear indication as to what they think the time element is we can then make a decision. But we don't want a situation of iffing and butting right up to the kick-off, because that won't make the preparation easier for anybody And then we have to think long-term as well, that if we take a risk in the Italian match it could affect his whole Six Nations campaign."
Inclement weather forced the Irish squad indoors for some of yesterday morning's session where the forwards did some lineout practice before they linked up for about half-an-hour's continuity work.
The starting XV and replacements will be announced next Monday.
The Irish squad's proposed papal visit next Wednesday, which had been jeopardised by the knock-on effects of the Munster-Biarritz game being held on Sunday, will go ahead after all. "It has been confirmed the Irish squad will have a papal visit on Wednesday morning at 9.30 a.m.," said the IRFU press officer John Redmond yesterday.
Big-name players Raphael Ibanez, Abdelatif Benazzi and Christophe Dominici were recalled yesterday to the French squad for the Six Nations opener against Scotland. None of the three, however, are expected to start against the Scots at the Stade de France on February 4th.
French squad:
Forwards: S Marconnet (Stade Francais), P De Villiers (Stade Francais), C Califano (Toulouse), F Landreau (Stade Francais), R Ibanez (Castres), F Pelous (Tourlouse, capt), D Auradou (Stade Francais), A Benazzi (Agen), C Moni (Stade Francais), C Juillet (Stade Francais), O Magne (Montferrand), S Betsen (Biarritz). Backs: F Galthii (Colomiers), P Carbonneau (Pau), C Lamaison (Agen), G Merceron (Montferrand), F Comba (Stade Francais), RDourthe (Biziers), C Dominici (Stade Francais), D Bory (Montferrand), P Bernat-Salles (Biarritz), X Garbajosa (Toulouse).
