Additional Players Drafted Into Ireland Squad
With a number of players picking up knocks over the weekend, there have been several additions made to the initial 31-man Ireland training squad that was announced ahead of the GUINNESS Series of games against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina.
The injury of most concern was to Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll who turned his ankle in the Leinster v Cardiff Blues RaboDirect PRO12 match yesterday evening.
After undergoing a scan on the injury today, it was revealed that the damage was less severe than anticipated and his progress will be monitored.
To cover this and any other minor injuries, four extra backs have been added to the squad with Ulster trio Craig Gilroy, Paddy Jackson and Paul Marshall joining Connacht winger Tiernan O’Halloran in the Ireland camp.
Due to a knock that Rory Best suffered during Ulster’s win in Newport, Sean Cronin has also been added to the squad.
Declan Fitzpatrick played for Ulster at the weekend and will join the camp along with tighthead prop Michael Bent, who is Irish-qualified through his maternal grandmother.
The Leinster signing has been playing regularly for Taranaki in the provincial Championship in New Zealand. Bent arrived in Ireland today and will link up with the Ireland squad for training tomorrow.
IRELAND SQUAD ADDITIONS (2012 GUINNESS Series):
Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster/21 caps)
Craig Gilroy (Dungannon/Ulster) *
Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster) *
Paul Marshall (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) *
Tiernan O’Halloran (Buccaneers/Connacht) *
Michael Bent (Leinster) *
Declan Fitzpatrick (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster/2)
N.B. * Denotes uncapped player
Related Links –
Ireland Squad Announced For GUINNESS Series