Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton has become a major doubt to feature for his country when they take on Japan this weekend at the Rugby World Cup.
The Leinster fly-half sustained a quad injury during Ireland’s 27-3 victory over Scotland on Saturday and although he stayed on the pitch for a large portion of the game, he handed his kicking duties over to half-back partner Connor Murray.
With only six days between the game against Scotland and the clash with the hosts it appears unlikely that head coach Joe Schmidt will risk Sexton.
However, in his absence it seems likely that Joey Carbery will be handed the chance to impress after recovering from an ankle injury he picked up in a warm-up game against Italy.
Carbery’s return could be aligned with that of winger Keith Earls and full-back Rob Kearnery, who have both come back into full training following recent injury set-backs.
If those two veterans are fit, it will provide Schmidt with a positive selection headache before Saturday according to assistant coach Richie Murphy following the outstanding displays by both Jordan Larmour and Andrew Conway in their absence.
“It’s a good headache, having all the guys come in and do so well. The back three, some people outside our group were worried about the changes but we had faith and it just gives a good feeling when it goes well. Lads are happy, there’s plenty of competition in the group for places,” he said.
Murphy also gave a positive update on Peter O’Mahony and Bundee Aki, confirming that both have passed their head injury assessment protocols.
However, centre Robbie Henshaw will remain sidelined due to a hamstring injury that he looks unlikely to shake off before Saturday.
Ireland will be looking to continue their good form which saw them defeat Scotland over the weekend, when they take on Japan on Saturday, but they will want to clear out the injuries as they could hamper their chances in the latter stages of the competition if not sorted soon.
