DECLAN KIDNEY COULD be forced to revert to Plan B if Geordan Murphy loses his race to be fit for Saturday’s clash against Australia.
The Leicester full-back is thought to be the Irish coach’s first-choice number 15 for the showdown against the Tri-Nations champions, but suffered a set-back when a hamstring strain forced him to sit out training this morning in Auckland.
If Murphy fails to shake off the niggle in time, a relatively untested Rob Kearney will be handed his World Cup debut in the three-quarters line.
Bouncing back from a long injury lay-off, the 24-year-old’s game-time was severely limited during the warm-ups after he strained his groin against France in Bordeaux.
With so much at stake, Kidney will delay his decision until the early hours of tomorrow morning when the starting XV is due to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, the Irish camp confirmed this morning that their other injury worry, Tony Buckley, bruised his shoulder during Sunday’s win over the US Eagles.
The Sale prop underwent an MRI scan yesterday which indicated that he might still recover in time to make the replacements’ bench in Eden Park.
