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O'Connell and Mick Kearney last week. INPHO/Billy Stickland
Injury

O'Connell forced to sit out summer tour

The IRFU have confirmed that the Munster second row will not play in Ireland’s upcoming Test games with New Zealand.

PAUL O’CONNELL WILL miss Ireland’s three Test matches in New Zealand due to injury, the IRFU confirmed this afternoon.

The influential Munster man picked up a knee injury in the RaboDirect Pro12 game with Ulster but was given time to prove his fitness for the summer tour.

However, he has not recovered fully and will be replaced by Connacht’s Mike McCarthy, who was named as ‘precautionary cover’ by head coach Declan Kidney yesterday.

“O’Connell had been undergoing rehabilitation on a knee injury in London with a view to following the Ireland squad out to New Zealand, but he has failed to progress to the level required to allow him take an active part in the tour,” an IRFU statement read.

Connacht forward Mike McCarthy has already been added to the Ireland squad as further cover in the back five area of the forwards.”

The 30-man squad will depart from London today and arrive Auckland on Friday ahead of their first match next Saturday, June 9.

Ireland Squad:

Forwards
Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Declan Fitzpatrick (Dungannon /Ulster)*
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
Jamie Heaslip (Naas/Leinster)
Chris Henry (Ballymena/Ulster)
Ronan Loughney (Galwegians/Connacht)*
Kevin McLaughlin (St.Mary’s College/Leinster)
Mike McCarthy (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Sean O’Brien (Clontarf/Leinster)
Donncha O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster)
Mike Sherry (Garryowen/Munster)*
Dan Tuohy (Ballymena /Ulster)
Brett Wilkinson (Galwegians/Connacht)*

Backs:
Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster)
Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
Paul Marshall (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)*
Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)
Brian O’Driscoll (UCD/Leinster)
Ronan O’Gara (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster)
Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster)*

*Denotes uncapped player

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