Tadhg Furlong remains a significant doubt for Ireland's Guinness Six Nations meeting with Wales in Cardiff next week, although Mack Hansen and Joe McCarthy both look set to be involved in round three.
Furlong has missed the opening two games of the championship in what’s been an injury-hit campaign for the 32-year-old, and he sat out today’s training session at the IRFU’s high performance centre in Dublin.
Furlong has played just once since October following a bad run of hamstring and calf issues, and Ireland’s head of athletic performance Aled Walters has hinted that he may need some more time to get himself right for the crucial round four meeting with France on 8 March.
"I think we’ll need to make a call during the week, he’s got a bit of work to do," Walters said.
"But we’d be anticipating that, if he’s not there, he’s close anyway."
In better news, Hansen and McCarthy both look set to be available for the trip to the Principality Stadium.
McCarthy missed the opening two wins against England and Scotland following a concussion, while Hansen was a late scratch from the win at Murrayfield last Sunday due to a hamstring niggle.
Captain Caelan Doris was a notable absentee from this morning’s session, although Walters insists the Ireland captain is just being allowed extra rest after a particularly taxing couple of games.
"It’s just general [rest], they’ve been two pretty attritional Test matches, haven’t they?
"The way Caelan plays, you’re going to pick up little bangs and bruises. It’s just that."
"Mack and Joe are training fully, they’re good. It’s simply a management piece for Tadhg [Furlong] and Caelan.
"These weeks are great, you get to manage some guys. Some need a push, some need to be pulled back a little bit. That’s just the management piece," added Walters, who was last month named to Andy Farrell's British and Irish Lions backroom team.
Walters has also played down any suggestions that Ireland could be unsettled by the coaching change at next week’s opponents.
Wales this week parted company with Warren Gatland following their run of 14 consecutive defeats, with Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt drafted in for the remainder of the Six Nations.
There have been strong calls for the WRU to approach Ireland’s interim head coach Simon Easterby about taking the Wales job, something Walters – a Carmarthen native – doesn’t want to see happening.
"He’s that good a coach that there’s always going to be speculation. There’s been a change now in Wales, the fact that he lives there he’s always going to be linked. That’s the quality of the man.
"Credit to him, credit to the group; it hasn’t been mentioned, we’re preparing for Wales as we would normally.
"It’s going to be an immense challenge [against Wales next week]. Personally as a Welshman I always love going back to the Principality. It’s one of the best stadiums, especially when the roof is closed.
"It’s their first game at home too, so you know it’s going to be packed.
"With the changes, we don’t really know what to expect so we know we have to prepare incredibly well to go there and do what we need to do.
"It’s very exciting, you can see there’s a buzz around the group and we’re not even on Monday, so it’s good," he added.
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