Tuesday Round-Up
- 2071
Tuesday Round-Up
Ireland announce RWC squad: Joe Schmidt has named his squad to contest the World Cup in England, with injured Cian Healy making the cut. It's good news for Tadgh Furlong, who makes the squad despite just 1 cap to his name, he will be one of the 17 of the 31 man squad making their World Cup debuts. Gordon D'Arcy and Andrew Trimble miss out with Darren Cave and Keith Earls preferred. Ireland Head Coach, Joe Schmidt, confirmed that the process of selecting the squad was a difficult one, stating that "The players have worked incredibly hard over the past two months. Sunday was a difficult and very long day for the coaching team and an anxious one for many players."
Warburton feared RWC was over: Wales' World Cup captain Sam Warburton has revealed he "thought the worst" after suffering a shoulder injury during training earlier this month. Warburton missed Saturday's impressive victory against Six Nations champions Ireland in Dublin, resting his shoulder instead, although he looks set to be involved when Italy visit the Millennium Stadium at the weekend. Cardiff Blues flanker Warburton will embark on his second World Cup campaign as skipper, but he admitted that the north-Wales training camp mishap worried him. "We did a 15-on-15 session and I got a turnover under the posts, and of all people Jake Ball, who is 126-127kg, came flying into my shoulder," Warburton said. "Initially, I was a little bit worried because when I had it first time it was a three-month job, and on the second it was two months. When I took my T-shirt off in the hotel, I could not lift my arm up and I thought the worst, as you do. Luckily, within two or three days it recovered - 100 percent quicker than it had in the past."
Dan Hayes
