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Jack Conan only Ireland player to miss training

Jack Conan has not played since the start of August
Jack Conan has not played since the start of August

Jack Conan was the only Ireland player not to train with the squad on Tuesday morning ahead of Saturday's Rugby World Cup clash against Tonga.

The Leinster back-row trained on his own in the gym as he continues his recovery from a foot injury sustained in the warm-up match against Italy on 5 August.

Centre Robbie Henshaw (hamstring), prop Dave Kilcoyne (hamstring) and hooker Dan Sheehan (foot) all took part in training.

The team to face Tonga in the Pool B clash in Nantes (8pm) will be named on Thursday.

Andy Farrell’s side began their campaign with a record 82-8 victory over Romania on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Craig Casey and the majority of his team-mates gathered to see the Springboks defeat the Scots 18-3 on Sunday afternoon.

He is braced for a physical encounter against the reigning world champions on 23 September at Stade de France, while also expecting similar this coming weekend.

"There was a good 25 of us in the team room watching it, so there was a good buzz around that, a very physical game," he said.

"Scotland played very well first half, as well as South Africa, definitely physical.

"(They) just outmuscled them in the end, that's what we’re expecting in a few weeks, that physical encounter."

Speaking about Tonga, Casey added: "We know how tough the Pacific island teams are and we’re going to have to be at our best.

"We’ve got to go up another level (from Romania)."

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Watch live coverage of Ireland v Tonga (Saturday, 8pm) on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1, and follow live updates on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News app.

Additional reporting: PA