Ireland's first-choice loosehead prop Cian Healy is recovering well from neck surgery, according to squad manager Mick Kearney.
Healy went under the knife to repair damage to a disk in his neck in May and has been on the comeback trail since, with reports surfacing of late that he is touch and go to participate in this autumn's Rugby World Cup.
It is believed that Healy has had trouble using his left hand, and has been unable to make a fist after the surgery, as well as experiencing numbness; however, Kearney has given the strongest indication yet that the Leinster and Lions prop will be fit to travel to the World Cup, saying: “Cian is coming on fine. It’s very much a week-to-week situation with him. So we just have to wait and see whether Cian is fit or not.
"Everybody is training hard so fingers crossed we don’t pick up any more injuries over the next three matches."
The main injury news in the Ireland squad today was flanker Tommy O'Donnell's hip dislocation in Saturday's Test victory over Wales, and the premature end of his World Cup hopes, a setback that Kearney admitted has affected the mood in the squad.
“Investigations at University Hospital Wales yesterday confirmed yesterday afternoon that Tommy suffered a hip dislocation in the game against Wales," said Kearney.
“He will be limited to non-weight bearing activity for at least six weeks and has unfortunately been ruled out of the World Cup.
“Cian is coming on fine. It’s very much a week-to-week situation with Cian. So we just have to wait and see whether Cian is fit or not" - Mick Kearney
“He has spent two nights in hospital. The plan is that he will get home in the next 24 to 48 hours.
“He didn’t require an operation. He will have to keep the weight off it for the next six to eight weeks as he starts his rehabilitation. Fingers crossed he will make a full recovery in due course.
“He’s been in camp now for the last six weeks with 45 other players. They’ve become really tight and really close and to see one of their colleagues stricken down on Saturday was pretty devastating for everybody that witnessed it.
“It’s really unfortunate but at the end of the day it’s part and parcel of sport and Tommy is just really unlucky."
Andrew Trimble also left the field with a foot injury against the Welsh and underwent scans today to discover the extent of the injury, which at present is believed to be minor.
“Andrew is going to have a precautionary scan this afternoon so we await the results of that and hopefully that will turn out to be okay," said Kearney.
Kearney was also full of praise for Ireland's set-piece play and the overall performance of the squad in what was an impressive performance overall.
“There was a lot of players that I think stood up to the plate and put in some really strong performances so I think the coaches would have been particularly happy with the set-piece," he added.
"The scrum went well. The lineout went well. There were some really good performances and that gives a certain level of confidence to the overall group. It also gives a certain level of confidence to the staff that we’re on the right track."
Next up for Ireland is Scotland at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday and Kearney is under no illusions as to how motivated the Scots will be when they come to Dublin.
“We obviously turned them over pretty comprehensively on the last day of the Six Nations in March, so I’m sure they’ll be out seeking revenge. I thought the game on Saturday, while we won it pretty comprehensively, I still think that it was pretty competitive, and I’d expect exactly the same from Scotland at the weekend. It’s going to be a tough test. The nature of these games is that it's all to play for at the end of the day."
