The loose-head’s presence would be hugely missed.
Joe Schmidt has confirmed that Cian Healy may be named in his World Cup squad, even if he does not play in any of Ireland’s World Cup games.
The New Zealander admitted, at this afternoon’s team announcement, that injury concerns had not yet cleared for the prop.
Healy went in for surgery to repair a disc in his neck, in May, and is a couple of weeks behind on the comeback trail.
Schmidt was asked, today, if Healy needed to play in either of Ireland’s last two warm-ups – Wales [home] and England [away].
He replied that Irish medical and coaching staff, as well as the player, were confident that he could still play a part in his second World Cup tournament.
Healy appears to be a special case. One that may force Schmidt to go against his usual maxim of only selecting players that meet a prescribed fitness and training deadline. Schmidt commented:
‘There wouldn’t be a hard and fast rule, to be honest… If we thought Cian might not be fit for England (on September 5) and would be fit for Canada, I don’t know what we would decide.
That would be part of the decision-making process. Again that risk-management: can we afford to name him then have him not fit or vice-versa.’
Donnacha Ryan, meanwhile, was named in the second row and will play his first game for the country in more than two years.
‘It’s great,’ he said. ‘I didn’t think it [playing for Ireland] would happen again.’
‘I’m enjoying the training. Everything has been high octane.’
Schmidt credited the Munster lock for coming in to Irish training sessions, over the past 18 months, and training with the squad – repping opposition line-out jumpers – even though he would not be playing.
Asked again about his tortuous, and oft-stalled, comeback from a bad foot injury, Ryan said, ‘Without being too dramatic about it, I didn’t think I may not get another chance.’
